Hyundai's standalone luxury brand Genesis will offer a manual transmission for its G70 compact sport sedan. According to spokesman Kevin Smith, who talked to CarsDirect's sister site, The Car Connection, the automaker will offer a six-speed manual with the G70's base turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive.
The optional twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 engine is only available with the eight-speed automatic. All G70 models with all-wheel drive receive the automatic as well, leaving just one option for those who want a manual transmission.
Fuel economy for the 2.0-liter G70 with rear-wheel drive is an EPA-estimated 18 mpg city, 28 highway, 22 combined. That's slight decrease compared to 22/30/25 for the automatic. Add all-wheel drive, and the fuel economy is 21/28/23.
G70 competitors such as the Cadillac ATS, Audi A4, and BMW 3-Series also offer a manual transmission, but overall the gearbox is disappearing from small luxury four-doors. The Genesis and Kia Stinger, which doesn't offer a manual transmission option, share the same platform.
Genesis will launch the G70 early this year as a 2019 model. Pricing should fall in the high $30,00 bracket. The turbocharged four-cylinder produces 248 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, and the addition of the manual should make it quite a joy to drive.
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