TAKING on the premium German brands as well as Jaguar and Volvo is no easy task but Genesis is determined to do it.

The luxury offshoot of Korean giant Hyundai finally arrived in the UK last year and quickly introduced a number of very attractive models including SUVs and saloons with stunning looks and quality interiors as well as a huge amount of tech.

Genesis also uses 'studio stores' and online sales instead of traditional dealerships and all their cars come with a set price and a five-year plan which includes servicing.

The G70 Shooting Brake is one of its newcomers and it targets the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi's A4 Avant.

It has real style with sleek lines, curves in all the right places and looks stunning in its optional matt silver paint. It looks almost like a coupe and with its huge front grille,smart lights and large alloys it is certainly more of a looker than any of its German rivals.

There are three engines to choose from, a diesel and two petrols, all with four cylinders. My car came with the more powerful of the petrols with 240bhp on tap and a sprint time of 6.4seconds to 62mph. Top speed is 146mph.

The 2.0-litre turbo is very quiet and is linked to a very smooth eight-speed automatic box which can also be operated manually from paddles on the steering wheel.

It provides a very nice comfortable drive with more than enough power and lots of steering feedback. It is also well balanced and provides lots of grip for pacy cornering.

Step inside the luxury cabin and the quality is astonishing with high grade quilted leather seats, a 12-inch digital display which features a blind spot monitor relayed to the tachometer and lots of other impressive kit that mark it out as a premium product.

The front seats are extremely comfortable and electrically adjustable but rear seat passengers may feel short of legroom if the front seats are set too far back.

The Shooting Brake also provides a decent amount of luggage space with 465 litres available and 1.535 litres if the rear seats are collapsed. The flat floor helps and access is via a powered tailgate.

As you would expect from a car of this class, it is crammed with all the latest safety features and driver aids.

Sadly the only drawback is that it is on the thirsty side and also has fairly high emissions as it is not yet available with even mild hybrid assistance but Genesis is busy bringing in other electrified models at the moment and the Shooting Brake is certain to get the same treatment before too long.

If you take it easy you should be able to record 30mpg but press the loud pedal too much and this will obviously cost you at the pumps.