Hyundai Genesis Forum - 2011 Hyundai Equus Forums

Edmunds Full Test

YEH — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:46:16 GMT

Quote:

Flatfoot the gas, though, and the German-built six-speed automatic will deliver a firm downshift or two after some brief hesitation. From a standstill, the standard 4.6-liter V8 can deliver enough of its 385 horsepower to whip the nearly 4,600-pound sedan from zero to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds (or 6.4 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). It dispenses the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds at 96.8 mph.

Neither quick nor particularly slow, the Equus never feels twitchy or unrefined. Even at full throttle, the sound of the V8 remains pleasantly subdued, while the transmission slides through the gears without upsetting the cabin in the least. A more powerful 5.0-liter V8 is already in the works along with an eight-speed automatic if you're particularly concerned about adequate power.

Some Sport With Your Plush?
As we noted in our First Drive from Korea, the ride quality of the 2011 Hyundai Equus sits somewhere between the feathery Lexus LS and the firm-footed BMW 7 Series. Instead of floating over the road like the Lexus, the Equus feels heavier on its feet, more like it's pummeling the bumps with its big 19-inch wheels and tires. On the flip side, the Equus has less body roll than the Lexus and feels more buttoned-down through big sweeping corners.

There is a "sport" setting for the air suspension, too. With that setting dialed in, our test driver managed a respectable 0.77g on the skid pad and a maximum speed of 63.1 mph through our slalom. More importantly he found the car stable and predictable as it was pushed harder and harder. "There's definitely a solid chassis under this car," he noted. The brake pedal was reassuringly firm, too, even though the Hyundai's shortest stop from 60 mph was a little long for its class at 131 feet.

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/eq...and-video.html

First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Equus

Hyundai Genesis — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:10:38 GMT

Filed under: Sedan, Hyundai, First Drive, Luxury

The Ultimate Four-Wheeled Value Proposition

2011 Hyundai Equus - Click above for high-res image gallery

If the Genesis sedan was Hyundai's opening salvo to bring the pain to Lexus, the Equus is a set of leather-covered brass knuckles flying towards the jaws of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It's a bold move by an automaker riding high on the intoxicating fumes of increased marketshare and boosted brand awareness. But here's one thing the Equus is not: Phaeton Part Deux.

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Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Equus: First Drive

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Order a pizza and an Equus and never leave your couch.

TNTitan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:27:41 GMT

Interesting:

Buy your Hyundai Equus at Home -- and Never Visit a Dealer

USA TODAY

Hyundai plans to start selling its Equus full-size luxury sedan about Nov. 1 with a promise that, both before and after the purchase, you may never need to go to the dealership.

In states that don't require car buyers to handle the purchase transaction at a dealership, a salesperson can show off the car at your home and present you with all the paperwork there. As a result, Equus buyers might never need to even go to the Hyundai car lot down the street, says the brand's U.S. CEO, John Krafcik.

That's a complete departure from the traditional way of selling new cars. Some high-end car sellers offer amenities such as free cappuccino and Internet connections that are supposed to be an antidote to the inconvenience of stopping at the car store. Hyundai doesn't buy that:

Equus will be Hyundai's second luxury sedan after the smaller Genesis, which has proved to be a surprising success. Unlike Toyota's Lexus or Nissan's Infiniti, Hyundai has entered the luxury arena without creating a separate division. Instead, it's trying to crank up the perks for its premium car buyers, like the at-home visits.

Calling the plan, "your time, your place," Krafcik says the dealers who will handle the Equus -- 250 out of a total 800 U.S. Hyundai dealers -- will bring you the car for a test drive. The same at-home service will continue after the purchase. Anytime the car needs servicing, a dealership worker will drive out a loaner car and take back your car for the work, returning it later.

You won't even have to pick up a phone. Equus will come with the owners manual stored on an Apple iPad, which will be able to link to the dealerships and allow you to schedule service appointments without using the phone. -LINK

2011 Hyundai Equus Dyno Test

TJPark01 — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:32:44 GMT

2011 Hyundai Equus Dyno Test
The 2011 Equus' 4.6-liter Tau V8 was plucked intact from the Genesis. This all-aluminum V8 sports 32-valves and dual cam phasing. Whether in the Equus or Genesis, the Tau V8 delivers 385 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 333 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm on premium fuel (these numbers drop by 7 and 9, respectively, on regular).

We tested on 91 octane, as always, which is technically "premium" fuel here in California. In reality 91 is a crummy alternative to the real-deal 93 and 94 octane available elsewhere in the States. Whether 91 octane has any adverse effect on the Equus' ultimate power is anyone's guess.
As measured at the wheels, peak power of 321 horsepower arrived right before the Equus upshifted at 6,700 rpm. Peak torque of 291 lb-ft came at 4,950 rpm. This is a far cry from the 3500 rpm at which Hyundai pegs peak torque, and it's possible that if we were able to start the dyno pull from lower engine speeds we would have captured this true peak lower in the rev range.

Like most cars equipped with an automatic transmission, the Equus wanted to downshift when we layed into the throttle on the dyno. This would happen even when the transmission's manual gate was selected. Fourth gear was even more kickdown-happy than third, depriving us of a few hundred rpm at the start of the data, so we resorted to using third gear for the result you see above.

That little dip in the torque curve at 4,800 rpm was repeatable run after run. Speaking of repeatable, the Equus was among the most consistent cars on the dyno that I can remember -- the last few runs were all within a few tenths of a horsepower.
One surprise is how good the Equus' V8 sounded on the dyno as it tore through its rev range. It's a kind of restrained aggression, like silk tearing while submerged in a bucket of full-fat milk.

For those whom want more pop, Hyundai will introduce a 429-hp direct-injected 5.0-liter version of the Tau V8 for the Equus once it has been in the US for a year. For now, though, the 4.6 will suffice. We'll have complete driving impressions and such on the 2011 Equus in the coming days.

Maybe Hyundai Motors should consider....

grtday — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:37:33 GMT

Naturally, the Equus is aimed at usurping market share from the Germans and some of the Japanese. Maybe they will sell everyone one of them into the market, but how about this....:

Who knows how to evanlgelize the higher end Hyundai product better than a Genesis owner? I, for one of many, just LOVE the attention and questions my re-badged Genesis gets.
If Hyundai Motors were to work a deal with Hyundai Finance offering Genesis owners a fiscal incentive to move up to the Equus, all sales and marketing problems would be solved.
The Equus quota on the street would be fulfilled. Lots of people talking and driving this magnificent auto.
AND, Big PLUS, Hyundai could control the resale/depreciation of the Genesis.

My Genesis will be 2 years new in January. I love it. However, I would listen if Hyundai were to give me a call about the Equus.

Hyundai, and fellow Genesis owners, what do you think?

Hyundai Email Survey on Equus

Stoofpilot — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:18:06 GMT

I received an email today from an independent company Hyundai has hired to do a purchase survey on the Equus. Now, I have had my 2010 4.6 for less than two months. The survey asked if I was aware of the Equus launch in April-NO. Would I buy one in three months-NO. They then asked why. In addition, they showed pictures as well as a feature comparison chart against Lexus, BMW and Mercedes, etc. They then asked if I would purchase the car for between 50k and 60K.

I am blown away as to why Hyundai is sampling their installed base which is mostly Sonata and lower end instead of going out and buying lists from State DMV's of Lexus, etc owners.

My personal feeling is that Hyindai has done a very poor job of advertising/marketing the Genesis and has uterly failed in launching the Equus brand. They need to build brand awareness in the market for both the Genesis and Equus. They cannot just depend on the cult following that we provide them.

Did anyone else get this Equus survey?

2011 Hyundai Equus Road Test by Edmunds.com

6789 — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:12:46 GMT

2011 Hyundai Equus Road Test by Edmunds.com is here.

Author reports that Equus exhibits "excellent stability at speeds touching 130 mph."

John Page Garrett
Alexander Hyundai of Cool Springs
www.hyundainashville.net
201 Comtide Court
Franklin, TN 37067
615-440-6220 mobile
615-550-7330 x 2819 office