Compare the2022 Mercedes A-ClassVS 2022 Genesis G70

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes A-Class have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Genesis G70 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The A-Class’ optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The G70 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Mercedes A-Class has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The G70 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the A-Class and the G70 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

There are over 13 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are Genesis dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the A-Class’ warranty.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes A-Class is faster than the G70 2.0T 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the A-Class gets better mileage than the G70:

Both the A-Class and the G70 2.0T Automatic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All A-Class’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch costs extra on the G70.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes A-Class higher (5 out of 10) than the Genesis G70 (3). This means the A-Class produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the G70 every 15,000 miles.

The A-Class offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The G70 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The A-Class has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The G70 doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The A-Class stops much shorter than the G70:

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the A-Class can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The G70 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The A-Class’ drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The G70 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The A 220 4MATIC handles at .95 G’s, while the G70 pulls only .94 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the A-Class’ turning circle is .2 feet tighter than the G70’s (36.1 feet vs. 36.3 feet). The A-Class’ turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the G70 AWD’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

The Mercedes A-Class may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 500 pounds less than the Genesis G70.

The A-Class is 5.3 inches shorter than the G70, making the A-Class easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The A-Class has .5 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more rear headroom than the G70.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Mercedes service is better than Genesis. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 3% lower rating, Genesis is ranked 9th.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the G70 3.3T/Prestige/Sport, the A-Class has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

If the windows are left open on the A-Class the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the G70 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A-Class’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The G70’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The A-Class’ optional Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The G70 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Mercedes A-Class outsold the Genesis G70 by 451 units during the 2021 model year.