Once upon a time, the mere insinuation that the BMW 3 Series would sweat out a rival from South Korea would’ve been laughable. Unless someone was playing a joke of some sort, nobody would’ve believed it. Well, we live in a different world now and what was laughable then has become a reality now. BMW->ke178 better be watching its back because Genesis->ke5313 is coming…and it’s coming on strong.

Hyundai’->ke201s recently launched luxury brand came to the 2016 New York International Auto Show->ke226 and brought with it the New York Concept, a hybrid sports sedan->ke142 that will likely serve as the basis for the Genesis G70, the brand’s eventual entry into a market long dominated by the likes of the 3 Series,->ke290 Mercedes C-Class,->ke1593 and Audi A4.->ke1087

The design game of the New York Concept is pretty strong, something that should ring music to the ears of the design team over at Genesis. There are some ambitious elements to it, as is the case with most concept vehicles.->ke169 But, for the most part, Genesis succeeded in giving all of us a taste of what’s to come for Hyundai’s new premium brand.

It’s also still a little premature for the incumbents to sweat in their boots, but given the overwhelmingly positive reaction given to the New York Concept, I can imagine being one of the execs from those companies who saw the concept and thought to themselves that this new player that’s coming to town is well worth keeping tabs on.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

Exterior

There’s plenty to go by when discussing the exterior of the Genesis New York Concept. Overall, you can tell that the designers at Genesis spent a great deal of time trying to emphasize the “Athletic Elegance” design language for the concept. Without trying to high-brow on anybody, it basically means that they wanted to get the concept to stand out from any of Hyundai’s own models.

In a lot of ways, it succeeded in that regard, although it did so by taking certain elements found on Hyundai models and giving them a fresh look. The prominent upright grille, for instance, is a Hyundai trademark. But, instead of the horizontal bars used by the parent company, the concept features a chain-mesh-like design. The concept’s horizontal headlamps are sharper and thinner than the ones found on the G80 or G90. Those headlights extend all the way to the sharp and pronounced front fenders that, quite frankly, reminds me of Lexus. The concept also has a long hood that stops just short of the nose of the car, providing enough space for the Genesis logo to rest comfortably on the tip.

The side and rear designs of the New York Concept are just as provocative, even though there are some misses in my opinion. Special mentions go to the four character lines running the length of the doors. Evidently, Genesis really wanted to give the concept a strong and muscular appearance that complements its luxurious nature. Honeycomb vents just at the back of the fenders provide another signature look and function to the sedan. From this angle, it’s also easy to make out the short overhangs in the front and the longer ones in the back. It’s a decidedly unique look for a car that’ll compete in the compact luxury segment. Meanwhile, the rear section of the New York Concept features thin taillights similar to their counterparts in the front. It’s a little less interesting to look at as the tapered look doesn’t sit right from an aesthetic point of view.

Overall, it’s a strong concept design that Genesis would be smart to use as a clear foundation for what the production G70 is going to look like.

Interior

Genesis says that the interior design of the New York Concept is a look ahead to the design direction of the premium brand. While there is some merit to that statement, it’s hard to take Genesis too literally because there are aspects to the cabin’s features that are simply too far out there, even for a new brand that’s aggressively trying to put its best foot forward.

The most prominent example of this is the 21-inch floating 4K touchscreen that stretches from the driver-side front door all the way to the center stack, but according to Genesis, also integrates the analog instrument dials. Sure, it’s made by LG, which is saying something, but I doubt that Genesis would use something like this in the production version as it’s simply a little too complicated to get used to. Good luck trying to concentrate on the road too, with this log-sized touchscreen staring at you.

The overall layout of the interior also dives deep into concept territory with the 2+2 seating configuration. Granted, it’s nice to look at, and the long center console ensures ample space for each occupant in the car, but Genesis can’t afford to be too gimmicky with space and comfort if it hopes to be a real competitor to the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, and Audi A4.

The interior does have a few interesting features I wouldn’t mind seeing in the production model. The whole interior is awash in fine tan leather that's complemented by accents of anthracite and sliced suede leather. Copper accents and aluminum inlays are also prevalent in the interior while on the sporty side, the open steering wheel reminds us that this is still a performance model too.

Drivetrain

Despite the promotion of the New York Concept as a hybrid, Genesis didn’t dive too much into the concept’s powertrain. The only thing it mentioned was that the concept has a 2.0-liter GDi engine under its hood that supposedly works in concert with a hybrid system that produces 242 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Obviously, the G70 will almost surely carry more than one powertrain option with the likelihood that at least one of them will come in the form of a hybrid. Whether it’s going to be similar to what the concept has now has yet to be determined. It’s just a little hard to know at this point since Genesis itself doesn’t appear to be too inclined to talk about the technical side of the model.

Conclusion

There’s a great deal of excitement surrounding the Genesis New York Concept and the reasons for that excitement is entirely justified. I myself am looking forward to what the production version is going to look like, especially after Genesis set a high bar for itself with this impressive concept. I’m not gonna get deluded into thinking that this is the actual version that we’ll see hit dealerships, but if Genesis can build off of the strengths of the concept - the exterior - and work on making other aspects more relatable to the segment it wants to enter - the interior - then there’s a really strong likelihood that the production model G70 is going to give the current standard bearers a serious run for their money.