TIME ATTACK

PUT ON THE TRACK SUIT AND LACE UP THOSE SNEAKERS, IT’S TIME TO TEST THE ATHLETICISM OF OUR 10 PCOTY CHALLENGERS

- SCOTT NEWMAN

REMEMBER SCHOOL SPORTS day? Your feelings on this event, a chance to perform in front of students, teachers and parents, were probably dependent on your athletic prowess. Perhaps it’s different in this ‘everyone wins a prize’ era, but when I was a kid success meant cheers from your peers, while failure led to jeers and tears. Essentially, the PCOTY track day is MOTOR’s version of school sports; some cars relish the opportunity to strut their stuff, others just want the whole ordeal to be over.

No prizes for guessing which category the Genesis G70 falls into. Hot-lapping The Bend’s West Circuit wasn’t in its design brief and it’s quickly apparent that this quasi-luxury midsizer prefers a gentler pace, its 1:40.7sec lap time earning it the wooden spoon. It doesn’t do much wrong; it’s just not at all designed for this type of driving. There are no complaints about the engine, the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 singing a sweet song and motivating the G70 to north of 220km/h down the long main straight. It’s difficult not to draw comparisons with the Kia Stinger, for while the two aren’t direct rivals they share mechanicals and the resemblance is clear behind the wheel.