Hyundai Equus anybody actually drive one yet?

I love this concept... And I have seen a touring demo model.

But has anybody actually driven one of these new Equus from Hyundai?

First impressions?

Handling..crisp or mushy?

Solid thunks?

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Permalink Reply by Bobb N on December 30, 2010 at 8:19am

Sean - only selected dealerships will have the Equus. The dealer network had to go through a pretty demanding selection process, and only ones that met some pretty strict specifications were selected to carry the vehicle. It will basically be a store within a store, with it's own separate showroom and a completely different sales and servicing process from the rest of the Hyundai lineup. I don't have an inside line on when the car will be on display, but earlier press suggested "by the end of the year" as you mentioned. We haven't been by any of the selected dealerships in the Chicagoland area to see how this set up will look, but hope to do so soon.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on December 30, 2010 at 10:06am

Bobb,

I just noticed an ad on GearGather that led to local Hyundai dealer....he claims to be offering $5689 off a 2011 Genesis.

Are they really discounting this already pretty aggressively priced car that much?

I am assuming they will want to sell the Equus at list.

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Permalink Reply by Ron Johnson on December 30, 2010 at 10:17am

They all wanted to sell the Genesis at list too. I had to look through 11 dealers to find one who would sell at the Edmunds TMV (true market value) pricing which was almost 6K off of MSRP.

I just negotiated a Lexus GX460 at Edmunds TMV and the dealer hated Edumunds and me.

GO Edmunds!

Permalink Reply by Timothy C on December 30, 2010 at 10:44am

Edmunds TMV is pretty good as Ron says.

Another source that is interesting....shows actual historical sell prices..from dealers.

http://www.truecar.com/

Permalink Reply by Bobb N on December 30, 2010 at 1:46pm

I'm only guessing, but I suspect that since they are selling every copy of the new Sonata they can get their hands on, the dealers have the discretion to offer bigger discounts on Genesis, a lower volume, but more expensive model. They may be taking less of a profit on one model but not harming the overall profitability of the dealership. I like this site...it's making me think about stuff I hadn't thought about before. Then again, I could be totally wrong on all of the above!

Permalink Reply by Theo on January 10, 2011 at 2:04pm

Wall Street Journal ran a very long review on the Equus, as did Car and Driver.

Car and Driver was a heads up comparison to a Lexus LS. And ultimately the Equus won. C&D mentioned the Equus was basically a Lexus done with a "very good Xerox". Other similarities C&D measured include:

sound-level measurements, they differ by a max of one decibel.
70-mph braking potential is separated by 12 inches.
skidpad clinginess hovers within two-hundredths of a g.
acceleration to 30, 60, and 100 mph varies by but a tenth.
elapsed times through the quarter-mile are identical.
4.6-liter V-8s differ in displacement by one cubic inch.

Ultimately C&D declares Equus the winner based on warranty and price. The cars are very close in all other aspects.

Wall Street Journal was a bit more critical.

" it is the softest, fluffiest, numbest, most impassive saloon it's been my pleasure to drive, if hearing little and caring less are indeed pleasures. This is heavy machinery that itself makes you drowsy to operate." "In Latin, Equus means "horse." Clydesdale, I'd say."

Basically they praise the car for hitting exactly what it was aiming at, but disparage it for the desire to BE that kind of car. This has long been the take on the entire Lexus brand. Soft, cushy, overly-insulating sedans that lack the tactile feedback of the best cars from the German Fatherland.

Further, they give credit to Hyundai for not just beating the price of Lexus, but assaulting it.

"The standard, fully equipped Equus Signature edition retails for $58,000, and the limo-like Ultimate retails for $64,500. By my rough estimate, that makes the Equus about $25,000 cheaper than a comparably equipped Lexus LS460 L (long wheelbase). This is not aggressive pricing; this is D-Day pricing, an attempt to establish a beachhead in a larger assault—on Lexus, on the U.S., on the world."

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Permalink Reply by Bobb N on January 10, 2011 at 2:42pm

I saw the Car and Driver article. Amazing how similar the two cars really are. I didn't see the WSJ article. Pretty harsh.

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Permalink Reply by ChrisZ on March 31, 2011 at 10:45am

I'm sorry. Why would you spend that kind of money on a Hyundai. And what is with that bird thing in the middle of the steering wheel, looks like the took an angel and the firebird symbol from the transam and smashed it.

This car company is not a luxury car company. It was an econo box maker. And do you know where they are made?

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Permalink Reply by JelloShot on March 30, 2011 at 4:51pm

Equus? Isn't that the play where some dude runs around naked after eating his family or something?

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Permalink Reply by ChrisZ on March 31, 2011 at 10:41am

Yep, sounds about right. Hehheeee.. Go Hyundai....

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Permalink Reply by ChrisZ on March 31, 2011 at 10:39am

They are here. But Ugghhhh.... Cool concept but I would differ with anyone that wants a Hyundai. Overall the entire line of cars they have produced are classified as disposable cars. If anyone could show me a Hyundai that they have actually gotten more than 200,000 miles on an engine and trany I would possibly consider a new opinion.

If anyone is out there with this data, please let me see it. I actually thought of a fun project going to junk yards and doing inventory just for grins and giggles. I drove by one the other day and it had more kia's and Hyundai's than Fords in it. I thought wow, someone beat Ford. Oh don't get me wrong. I have owned a ton of cars.

Plymouth,Olds,Ford,Toyota,Nissan,Lexus,Infinity,Mitsubishi,Chevy,Pontiac,Triumph just to name a few. But I steer clear of these others for good reason.

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Permalink Reply by Bobb N on March 31, 2011 at 1:47pm

Chris, I'm having a hard time understanding where you are coming from with your extremely negative opinion of the Hyundai brand. Did you have a bad ownership experience? How many current models have you actually driven and to what vehicles and brands did they so poorly compare to? I joined this group because it didn't seem to have haters and brand bashers like so many others, but here we go, and to what end? To my thinking, a little bit of online research will give you the answer to the challenge you posted here. A conversation with a Hyundai technician will provide you with some truths. The majority of the press I'm reading seems to have a pretty high regard for the brand these days. What are you reading? Lets keep some civility here please.