Spotted an Equus today in Orange County California

[VaiFan]

it was southbound on Jamboree in Irvine at noon today.
Silver in color.
My first impression of the car was it has substantial panache for sure.
Looks more expensive than the Lexus LS460 in person.
In fact it makes the Lexus look like a camry in comparison.
Reminds me of Maybach or Bently as far as what league this car plays in.
It looks like a $200k car in person.

That hood ornament is....well...you better bring along some grey poupon cause you're going to need it.

The belt line across the side, along with the swooping arched crease over the rear wheel well give it a gorgeous overall look.

This particular one had dealer plates on it.
I pulled up next to it at a light and motioned for the occupants to lower the window.
There were two Asian gentlemen (Korean?) inside wearing suits.
I asked them if this car was for sale yet and they said "no" and just smiled.
The light changed before I could ask anything else.

This car looks amazing in person!!!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thank you, VaiFan! You're very lucky! This isn't the first time we've heard someone say that the Equus looks like the type of luxury car you'd see from Bentley. That's great news! That's the kind of car I want.. Something that's really unique and over the top. I can't wait until October when we have one here in West Palm Beach, Florida...

 

[ajls09873]

Here is the US version Equus prototype.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyKfXDeClzI"]YouTube - Hyundai Equus VS460 spotted at the Camarillo Premium Outlets[/ame]

hood ornament is difference.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thank you for posting this up! I see the American market Equus is probably not going to have the hood ornament..

 

[ajls09873]

Korean version 3.8L V6 Equus.

Its front grill design is difference from V8 Equus.

 

[dataguy]

No hood ornament = disappointing.

I absolutely hate, hate, hate, the Equus branding, logo, and font choice.

Glad to see they took it to Death Valley. Good chance to see some imperfect tarmac. That was one of the last trips I took with my Sonata before I bought the Genesis.

 

[Dimitry]

I as well dislike the lack of the hood ornament. That one is disgusting. I'd really want to get my hands on that original hood ornament that was out if I got an Equus.

 

[VaiFan]

the hood ornament on the version I saw yesterday was a winged figurine like a classic brittish luxury automobile.

 

[jwaters943]

Wow, sorry guys, but I *MUCH* prefer the emblem. Hood ornaments seem to gratuitous to me and scream "old man". Plus they attract vandals/thieves.

 

[dataguy]

Wow, sorry guys, but I *MUCH* prefer the emblem. Hood ornaments seem to gratuitous to me and scream "old man". Plus they attract vandals/thieves.

Sorry, but any sedan of that price range screams "old man" primarily because that's the age range that tends to afford it. Anyone with similar money would buy something more sporty

Winged ornament > No hood badge or ornament > Equus badge pictured

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[ajls09873]

Sorry, but any sedan of that price range screams "old man" primarily because that's the age range that tends to afford it. Anyone with similar money would buy something more sporty

Winged ornament > No hood badge or ornament > Equus badge pictured

Unlike you, Many North America consumers dislike Rolls-Royce like ornament.

Like Genesis emblem, You can buy Equus winged ornament at koreanautoimports or ebay.

Here is the Korean version genesis emblems.
http://www.koreanautoimports.com/store/index.php?cPath=31_237_316
It is only around 30$.

 

[jwaters943]

Sorry, but any sedan of that price range screams "old man" primarily because that's the age range that tends to afford it. Anyone with similar money would buy something more sporty

Winged ornament > No hood badge or ornament > Equus badge pictured

I generally agree w/ your first comment, although I think there is a reason why traditional luxury automakers are refraining from using hood ornaments. I can't recall the last time I saw a Lincoln or Cadillac w/ one. And MB only uses them on certain non-sport models.

At least they offer both!

 

[dataguy]

I think the ornament gives the car some pedigree. Look at the Genesis wing badges. "Mini Bentley." The Equus wing ornament is pretty much a stylized Bentley hoodie. It's pretty much established that Hyundai's designs are derivative, even with this new model.

While I'm sure the ornament is a matter of personal preference, I'd have to question the taste of anyone who likes that hood badge. And it's almost certainly going to have post holes drilled in the hood, removing the possibility of having no badge.

It's not only the hood badge, but the rear and steering wheel badges are very off-putting in person. And don't get me started on the wheels either.

 

[jwaters943]

I think the ornament gives the car some pedigree. Look at the Genesis wing badges. "Mini Bentley." The Equus wing ornament is pretty much a stylized Bentley hoodie. It's pretty much established that Hyundai's designs are derivative, even with this new model.

Here we go again. It looks no more like a Bentley emblem than a Chrysler, Harley Davidson, or Aston Martin emblem. The wings are symbolic, as is the name Genesis itself.

While I'm sure the ornament is a matter of personal preference, I'd have to question the taste of anyone who likes that hood badge. And it's almost certainly going to have post holes drilled in the hood, removing the possibility of having no badge.

Feel free to believe whatever you want in order to justify your opinion on the matter. Again, there MUST be a reason why other automakers aren't using hood ornaments. Could it simply be that you're out of touch with the tastes of most buyers today?

It's not only the hood badge, but the rear and steering wheel badges are very off-putting in person. And don't get me started on the wheels either.

They look fine to me, but I would personally prefer it if the shift knob were wood instead of black. Again, different strokes for different folks.

 

[dataguy]

Here we go again. It looks no more like a Bentley emblem than a Chrysler, Harley Davidson, or Aston Martin emblem. The wings are symbolic, as is the name Genesis itself.

Feel free to believe whatever you want in order to justify your opinion on the matter. Again, there MUST be a reason why other automakers aren't using hood ornaments. Could it simply be that you're out of touch with the tastes of most buyers today?

They look fine to me, but I would personally prefer it if the shift knob were wood instead of black. Again, different strokes for different folks.

I'll try not to take it personally, since obviously I struck a nerve. I'm not the one making generalizations about most buyers. I'm expressing my own opinion. Feel free to disagree, but I'm not pushing an agenda. Any more than saying that Nissan Cube is a hideous design. Obviously someone likes it otherwise I'd hope that they wouldn't have built it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Not even sure about what the "here we go again" thing is. Maybe I missed an epic thread on the subject? Most people who have seen my Genesis wings have either thought it was a Bentley or a Mini. I'm not suggesting that it's a replica. I'm just saying that the iconography is so ingrained that if you had to compare it to something, that's one of the first comparisons I think folks would come up with.

I'm not sure what the crusade is all about. I even said that it's probably a matter of personal preference. Jeez!

 

[jwaters943]

Hey, I seem to recall it was you who got defensive first.

As for the "here we go again" comment, it wasn't aimed at you specifically. I'm just tired of everyone saying the Genesis emblem looks like a Bentley emblem. Just because they're both wing emblems doesn't mean they look alike IMO.

No crusade here. I'm just personally glad they offer both. That way you can have your hood ornament and I can have my tacky, classless emblem.

 

[dataguy]

Sorry, I re-read the thread and see how you might have taken it as a personal insult. It certainly wasn't meant that way, nor meant to be a dig on anyone who likes the badge, doesn't like ornaments, or anything else. It was meant to express my extreme dislike of the logo compared to the ornament or even nothing at all.

I did get defensive, not only for the line-by-line rebuttal in your post, but for implying that the lack of hood ornaments in the auto industry as a whole invalidates my aesthetic opinion--it's just not relevant.

Apologies! Frankly, not even worth getting into a tizzy about.

 

[dataguy]

To further explain, I'm not hung up with a hood ornament. Probably tacky, and probably something that would get ripped off in some locales. I'm somewhat sentimental about classic cars, and it's excesses like these that I associate with that level of automobile. Just like the rear "Grey Poupon" tray or the massaging seats.

With that said, I wouldn't care if was gone, and as jwaters says, it's nice that it can be replaced.

What I dislike the most is the Equus branding and design choices. The graphic design doesn't convey anything and is mostly negative space. It doesn't denote (IMHO) power, horses, or anything. Is it a wishbone, bird, some sort of play on the Honda logo, or what? Logos are supposed to be symbolic so the last thing that you'd want is for people to think "what is the badge supposed to represent" instead of "that badge represents/identifies the car."

The font choice looks dated on the nameplate and oversized compared to traditional trunk lid lettering, especially in the top quarter position.

While I don't think the Genesis branding quite works on such a large car as the Equus, I would vote for the former in a head-to-head design contest.

I may be alone in my opinion here, but I think that if you're not going to have an edgy, innovative design, going for elegant and understated is the best alternative. Having an excellent car wrapped in poor branding doesn't lend itself to the 'elegant' part. Put another way, Jaguar proved you could have a crappy car in a good brand and people would pay for it

 

[mikec]

In the U.S. at least, hood ornaments have become more expensive thanks to the new pedestrian safety requirements - the same laws that have made car front ends more "snowplow" looking and have raised the hoods higher (need "crush" space between the hood and any hard point below it to soften the blows to that pedestrian you just hit and is now falling onto your hood). A hood ornament that sticks up is a hook now - and thus unsafe by the new regulations. Of course, auto makers can make them spring loaded or fragile enough (like they did with headlight assemblies - switching to plastic)... whatever. It ends up costing extra money and in today's penny-pinching environment car makers don't like to add anything they really don't have to.

The high-end luxury customers though have more expectations and some sort of symbol is generally expected.

I'll agree with the others in this thread that the design on the Equus makes me ask "what's that supposed to be or mean?" and that I don't find it particularly attractive. I do prefer the horizontally oriented grill slots compared to the vertical-ish ones of an earlier picture; I know many folks prefer the vertical ones. That's styling - you'll rarely get 100% agreement.

mike c.

 

[etatauri]

I have mixed feelings about the badge and ornament. Both are significantly different in design in the current market so I think it will do well in distinguishing itself so that is a plus. They both look gaudy, but in a Maybach kind of way where it kind of gives the car an 'This is my logo, deal with it' kind of attitude. That being said my major qualms about the design is that I'm not sure what the connection between a bird and a horse (Equus) is. It's as if there was a team that design the logo and there was a team that came up with the name and they never talked to each other. Both have a somewhat luxury feel to it, but there is no cohesion or common theme. If I had to choose between the ornament and the logo I'd probably go with the ornament, but this is kind of like choosing the better of two evils. I like the Equus name, but I think they need to come up with a different badge. But then again, there are other luxury car makers that sell cars based on their reputation alone despite how ugly, unnecessary and overpriced they are.

By the way thank you Mikec for clearing up that hood ornament safety issue. That totally makes sense after you posted your reply.