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2019 Luxury Compact Car of the Year: G70, 3 Series or Giulia?

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Daniel Rufiange
Three high-performance finalists

Auto123.com will be crowning winners of the 2019 Auto123.com Awards for best vehicles of the year on November 21 in Toronto. We’ve already unveiled the three finalists in each of the 19 categories; today we look in more detail at the Luxury Compact Car of the Year finalists.


Genesis G70
reviewspecificationsphoto gallery

The Genesis brand, which constitutes Hyundai’s luxury brand, is still pretty new on the market, but it has quickly made a name for itself with its uniformly excellent vehicles. The latest to join the still-very-small roster is the G70, which has managed to seduce just about everyone in the industry and has everything needed to take down its biggest rivals in this segment.

Available in its base variant with a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine delivering 252 hp, it can also be had with a more comprehensive set of equipment and sporty design elements, and especially a hearty 3.3L, 365-hp V6 that is designed to deliver a lot of extra thrills – and it does, marvellously well. At the wheel, the experience can be summed up in two words: comfort and poise. Plus, whichever version you choose, you obtain exceptional value with this reasonably-priced premium car.

Genesis G70
Genesis G70
Photo: D.Boshouwers

BMW 3 Series
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BMW’s 3 Series is getting a full do-over for mid-2019, which is certainly overdue: the current edition dates back to 2013. Still, despite a few wrinkles betraying its age, the model that will be sold to consumers until that refont comes out is still a major force in its segment. When it comes to the driving experience it delivers, the 3 Series, with its exceptional balance, is still a reference for others to emulate.

The catch, as it has been for years, is its so-so reliability record, which places it behind the pack in its segment. In any case, consumers have a few months left to acquire the current version, after which the new 2020 3 Series will debut in mid-2019.

BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
Photo: BMW

Alfa Romeo Giulia
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The 2019 model-year is already the fourth for the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which earned near-unanimous thumbs-up from the automotive press upon its debut. Buyers of this Italian creation get something unique, and in this segment that’s worth its weight in gold. Drivers benefit from solid driving dynamics and sharp road handling.

The base version and its 2.0L 4-cylinder (output: 280 hp) are better suited to daily driving than the Quadrifoglio and its 2.9L V6 that delivers 506 hp, which is more suited to adrenaline-freaks.

The challenge for the Giulia remains the same: to convince buyers to take the leap and choose an Alfa Romeo despite the questions surrounding its reliability record.

Alfa Romeo Giulia
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Photo: Alfa Romeo
Daniel Rufiange
Daniel Rufiange
Automotive expert
  • Over 17 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 75 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 250 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists