2011 Hyundai Equus

[blue's anatomy]

2011 Hyundai Equus

It's now official that Hyundai is out of their fucking minds. Hyundai plans on bringing a model even larger and even more luxurious than the Genesis sedan. Bringing the Equus nameplate to the States is a big deal for Hyundai. They feel as though the Genesis sedan has been successful enough in moving the brand further upmarket that the brand has a niche even further up in price and luxury. The rear-wheel-drive sedan currently offered in Korea uses a 4.3-inch stretched version of the Genesis' rear-drive platform and steals the Genesis' V8 engine, but will produce 378- or 385-horsepower and 324 or 333 lb-ft of torque depending on the octane of fuel that you use.

Exterior and interior styling are close to that of the Genesis but on a larger and more elegant scale. The car by no means, has the awkward proportions of the 2011 Sonata and is actually quite an attractive car. That said, it is yet another iteration of how the Hyundai-Kia designers clearly are some of the least creative people on the planet. For instance, this Equus looks entirely like the Lexus LS460. (The 2011 Kia Sorento is a cross between the Cadillac SRX and the Acura MDX). Other similarities between the Equus and the LS460 include the option of a rear-bench seat or two individual executive seats. Both include an adaptive air suspension and both feature high-end features such as radar adaptive cruise control, LED interior lighting, an Alcantara headlining, as well as heated and cooled seats.

But here's where things get a little interesting: Hyundai believes that the Equus will be able to directly compete against the biggest and baddest luxury sedans from Japan and Germany, such as the Lexus LS460, Mercedes S550 and BMW 750i. Hyundai also states that the Equus will not be available at all Hyundai dealerships. Each dealer must be approved to sell the Equus by investing a great deal of money into their showrooms. All servicing will be included to which you will be given either another Equus or a Genesis to drive while your Equus is being serviced. The owner's manual will be given via PDF through an Apple iPad with Wi-Fi, which will allow Equus-buyers to schedule servicing appointments.

Pricing hasn't yet been announced officially, but somewhere in the mid-$50,000 range is to be expected, putting it more than $10,000 less than the Lexus, $20,000 less than the Audi A8, $25,000 less than the BMW 750i, $35,000 than the S550. But the question is: will buyers be willing to pay $55,000 for a Hyundai? Even the $34,000-$44,000 for a Genesis sedan seems expensive for a Hyundai in my opinion. What do you all think?

[Richard]

2011 Hyundai Equus
will buyers be willing to pay $55,000 for a Hyundai? Even the $34,000-$44,000 for a Genesis sedan seems expensive for a Hyundai in my opinion. What do you all think?

I certainly wouldn't buy a hyundai for that much.

[JackOfClubs]

I wouldn't spend $5,000 on a Hyundai, never mind $55,000.

And besides that, its absolutely hideous.

[FORD F-350]

i'd buy a rusted up junker for $500 before i paid $100 for that.

[Lamborgotti]

After having sat in the car and played with all its toys, I think that's an incredibly tempting price. You have to realize that this is the size of an S-class (if not bigger, I'm not sure what the exact dimensions are), and has the highest qualities of leather, wood, and other materials that they could find. It's a very nice car by anyone's standards, and I don't think the other flagship sedans are much better, and that's before considering the price. This is the car for people who just want something really really nice.. probably old people, who don't care about what badge they're sporting.

[Riviera]

My thoughts are that since Hyundai is more upper-class than Kia, that they are building these cars to start up their own Luxury Brand. Something like FoMoCo. with Ford (non-luxury), Mercury (Mid-Luxury), Lincoln (Luxury). But Hyundai probably didn't have enough money to start up the brand quite yet, so they are just waiting to earn enough capital to do so. See people won't pay $55,000 for a Hyundai, but they might pay it from a new Luxury brand that pops up on the market. Hyundai has something up their sleeves.

[Ashlee_Michaels]

I read about this car a couple month ago and thought it was amazing. My parents bought a Hyundai Elantra brand new in 1999 and it was the biggest piece of shit ever. But Huyndai has come along way so mabey this could be worth the money. And it is an extremly beautiful car.

[FlyingKiwi]

I think John has hit the nail on the hit, it probably will appeal to people who want a car which can get them from A to B in significantly greater comfort than your average family car, and aren't really bothered by the fact that it happens to be a brand more commonly associated with cheap cars.

[Jorge]

If I had the money to burn, I'd certainly would consider it along with its competitors. Hyundai bad a reputation in the past but now it's very competitive.

However, I'd be perfectly satisfied with one of their new Sonata Hybrids; I don't need so much luxury. I don't know where they got their designers, but these new Hyundais and Kias are amazing.

[Riviera]

If I had the money to burn, I'd certainly would consider it along with its competitors. Hyundai bad a reputation in the past but now it's very competitive.

However, I'd be perfectly satisfied with one of their new Sonata Hybrids; I don't need so much luxury. I don't know where they got their designers, but these new Hyundais and Kias are amazing.

I think their designer came from either Audi, or BMW, I'm leaning more towards Audi, I know it was a high-end European brand.

[Kevohall]

Hyundai are insane. If they started selling stuff like this in Europe they would be bankrupt by now

It also looks way too much like a Lexus LS

[Jorge]

I think their designer came from either Audi, or BMW, I'm leaning more towards Audi, I know it was a high-end European brand.

I know Kia got them from Audi... so if they're using the same ones, it's Audi.

Hyundai are insane. If they started selling stuff like this in Europe they would be bankrupt by now

It also looks way too much like a Lexus LS

Ever since they bought Kia, their goal has been to take Hyundai upscale (instead of launching a new luxury brand) and keep Kia as the sportier and more family oriented brand. Kia also released their very affordable, redesigned mid-size Optima sedan, which also looks nice:





Hence, Hyundai no longer has a minivan and Kia is not getting an Equus.

[Riviera]

Hyundai are insane. If they started selling stuff like this in Europe they would be bankrupt by now

It also looks way too much like a Lexus LS

Haha, funny you mention that. I opened my May 2010 edition of Car and Driver, and in the Drivelines section, they are testing a 2011 Hyundai Tuscon. C&D stated that Honda should be proud. Seeing as the Tuscon relies heavily on the CR-V. But not as bad as a Chinese model would.


Image Source: Automobile Magazine.

Image Source: www.opfblog.com

[Kevohall]

I know Kia got them from Audi... so if they're using the same ones, it's Audi.

Yeah, He was from Audi alright. I believe one of his first projects was that Kia Venga concept MPV thing

Ever since they bought Kia, their goal has been to take Hyundai upscale (instead of launching a new luxury brand) and keep Kia as the sportier and more family oriented brand. Kia also released their very affordable, redesigned mid-size Optima sedan, which also looks nice:

Hence, Hyundai no longer has a minivan and Kia is not getting an Equus.

Over here, Hyundai matches Kia almost model for model. However, while Hyundai isnt attempting to go upmarket on this side of the pond, there are divisions starting to appear between the Kia and Hyundai models. While the quality of Kia's cars has improved quite a bit as of late, in general Hyundai's have improved even more. And more of Hyundai's models are starting to be considered mainstream contenders than those of Kia. However, both brands (especially Hyundai) have started to jack up their prices on certain, more mainstream models. But, over here, neither brand is considered good or mainstream enough to warrant the price of their Japanese and European rivals. After all, Korean cars' main USP has nearly always been their cheapness.

[blue's anatomy]

Kia also released their very affordable, redesigned mid-size Optima sedan, which also looks nice:

Are you kidding? The new Optima looks like a concept car. It's like Kia forgot to make it look like a normal car after they did they conceptual renderings. The interior is fine but the exterior is ridiculous! And even so, it still looks like a Lexus IS between the A- and C-pillars, all the more reason to believe that Hyundai-Kia cannot design a decent-looking car on their own. In fact, the car looks as though they took the body of a Lexus IS (URL="http://www.planetlexus.com/lexus-is250-is350/lexus-is250-is350-front.jpg"]image[/URL], incorporated the nose of a Honda Accord coupe (image) and the rear of a Subaru Legacy (image)