2011 Hyundai Equus starts at $58,000

[Sal Collaziano]

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Hyundai, Luxury

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

Hyundai has released pricing information for the all-new 2011 Equus, and the full-size luxury sedan we drove earlier this year, will start at $58,000 in Signature form. Option up for the top-tier Equus Ultimate and the sticker swells to $64,500. So what does the extra $6,500 nets you?

• 50/50 split rear seats (four-passenger seating) with reclining function
• First-Class passenger-side rear seat with leg support and a massage system
• Cooled rear seats, a rear-seat entertainment system with an eight-inch monitor
• Thermoelectric rear center console refrigerator
• Rear-seat power up/down head rests
• Rear-seat illuminated vanity mirrors
• Forward-view cornering camera
• Power trunk lid

All 2011 Hyundai Equus' features Hyundai's new "At Your Service" ownership experience, which includes a plethora of service options ranging from valet pick up and drop off to the use of a Hyundai Genesis while the Equus is in for service, not to mention no-cost maintenance for five years or 60,000 miles. Every authorized Hyundai dealership will play host to an Equus Champion; a product expert who is available to answer any questions about the car. New Equus owners also get to enjoy an Apple iPad in place of the traditional owner's manual.

The 2011 Hyundai Equus will begin arriving at select dealerships this December and you can get all the details in the press release after the jump.


Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Equus: First Drive



Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL [Source: Hyundai]Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Equus starts at $58,000

2011 Hyundai Equus starts at $58,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Whoa, Nelly! That's a big bucket of oats for the same engine, tranny, and sound system I'm currently driving. Yeah, air suspension would be nice. But but not $15K nice!

At least now I know what my next car will be: another Gen.

 

[ctrcbob]

OK guys. I'M A COMPUTER DUMMY, and I admit it. It takes all I got to be able to post on this (and other) BB's, and to look up stuff in various web sites.

I don't want an Ipad vice an owners manual. I WANT A REGULAR OWNERS MANUAL!!!!!!!!!!

When I buy a new car, I always read the owners manual cover to cover.
Always! I have no problem with the "large heavy owners manual" that sits in my glove compartment.

I hope that Equus offers a regular owners manual for those (like me) who are computer dummys.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I think the iPod is going to be configured so that it's as easy as turning it open and turning pages.. It's not going to be difficult like a computer..

Otherwise, I think Hyundai could have started the Equus at $54k for the Signature and allowed it to top out at $60k for the Ultimate for two reasons:

1. It's the first year. Impress the media and everyone else with an "over the top" (sort of speak) inexpensive Equus.
2. Charge $65k for the Equus when it gets the 5.0 liter engine.

To me, the 4.6 lacks the power needed for a heavy car like the Equus. Still, it's not bad - but I'm afraid Hyundai is going to charge $70k for the Equus Ultimate when that 5.0 does come around. And that will just be too much considering the Lexus LS starts at $65k.

 

[Vlad92]

Being a fan of leasing (especially at this price point) I wonder what the residual and money factor will look like? Will we see a repeat of that great 24 month lease they had on the Genesis when it first came out? I would think a combination of high residual, low money factor, a discount (Family Circle Pricing?), and a couple grand down could yield a reasonable lease payment.

What do you guys think... is $500 / month attainable?

 

[msitter]

Whoa, Nelly! That's a big bucket of oats for the same engine, tranny, and sound system I'm currently driving. Yeah, air suspension would be nice. But but not $15K nice!

At least now I know what my next car will be: another Gen.

Not a fair comparison. That is to say that a BMW 750i is not worth the $23k extra that BMW routinely gets over the price of a 550i. Same engine, trans and sound system and not even air suspension standard.

 

[msitter]

BMW 750i base $84k, Mercedes S550 base $94k, Audi A8 base $75k, Lexus LS460 base $66k. None of these are the long wheelbase version that approximates the Equus or as well equipped nor a roomy as the Equus at $58k. When they are brought up to the level of the Ultimate the 3 Germans will hit $100k+ and the Lexus passes $80k. When put in perspective the Equus is a bargain at the price Hyundai is asking.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

BMW 750i base $84k, Mercedes S550 base $94k, Audi A8 base $75k, Lexus LS460 base $66k. None of these are the long wheelbase version that approximates the Equus or as well equipped nor a roomy as the Equus at $58k. When they are brought up to the level of the Ultimate the 3 Germans will hit $100k+ and the Lexus passes $80k. When put in perspective the Equus is a bargain at the price Hyundai is asking.

I couldn't agree more. My compo was with the Gen 4.6, as I've never "aspired" to the cars you cite. The Equus actually continues the "affordable luxury" concept started by the Gen, but targets the highest class this time.
Anyway, if I were shopping the above cars I'd have to consider the Horse. But I'm not, so the $15K bump puts me back where I am (quite happily).

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Don't forget the Jaguar XJ. It starts at $73k.. Both the XJ and A8 can be configured with a 1000+ watt stereo system. I like the sounds of that... No pun intended.

 

[sarge]

OK guys. I'M A COMPUTER DUMMY, and I admit it. It takes all I got to be able to post on this (and other) BB's, and to look up stuff in various web sites.

I don't want an Ipad vice an owners manual. I WANT A REGULAR OWNERS MANUAL!!!!!!!!!!

When I buy a new car, I always read the owners manual cover to cover.
Always! I have no problem with the "large heavy owners manual" that sits in my glove compartment.

I hope that Equus offers a regular owners manual for those (like me) who are computer dummys.

I'm computer literate, relatively speaking, but I am a gadget dummy. When I buy a new cell phone, I most often learn to make and answer a phone call, store and retrieve numbers from the phone book, and retrieve voice mails. After that, I lose interest in learning all the new features, so they go wasted.

My current new phone is an iPhone. I honestly have never once had to read the manual. The operating system is as intuitive as it gets - I know how to use every feature, without having had to "learn" anything. It has one button, everything else you accomplish by touching some place on the screen. The on-screen controls look and function very much like their analog counter-parts on other everyday devices.

The iPad (from what I've read) is essentailly an iPhone, only larger. I know from my iPhone that reading digital books can be very much like reading the real things. You "turn" the pages by dragging your finger across the page, just as you do with a real book. I'm a reader, and I didn't think it possible to get comfortable reading a screen instead of a printed page - but I did. I especially like the built-in context sensitive search functions. For instance, try going to the index of the Genesis Owners Manual and searching for the page that instructs how to program the Home-Link remote. Contrast that experience with the same search in an ebook. Type in "Home Link", hit enter, and the correct page appears on the screen.

Considering the added benefit of instant access to 100s of thousands (literaly) of very useful, often free applications, I'll take the free iPad. Heck, if you don't like it (and not everyone will - there is something satisfying about having a printed manual), print the online version of the Owners Manual, sell the iPad for $400, then have the printed manual professionally bound.

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[chompra]

I have been using an iPad since they came out. It is a wonderful device, and Hyundai has done a remarkable thing by using it as a tool of Equus ownership. I would hope that they come out with an application so that the iPad can be used by Genesis owners also.

 

[DavidNJ]

I agree, the price is steep. As a current Mercedes and Infiniti owner and a past BMW owner, let me say, the Hyundai dealer isn't in the same league. Both the dealership itself and the sales and service experience aren't the same. Additionally, some of those brands have a bit of prestige and reputation. With a Hyundai, if there is a gripe, you the owner need to explain it. Size does not add value; if it did a Lincoln Town Car would sell for $150k. One look at the label and the viewer's impression is that it is $30-40k car, not a $60-70k car. This problem has hindered Audi for years, and probably killed off the Infiniti Q45.

I thought Hyundai may have priced it as more of a value model, competing with Infiniti Ms and BMW 5 series. By the time you equip those brands to enter that price range they generally equal or exceed the Equus features.

Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed.

P.S.
I've visited two Hyundai dealers several times and saw the Equus at the NY Auto Show. One dealer was better than the other, but he was 25 miles away!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

In regards to price, I do agree that it's a little steep. But not very.. I would have started it at $55k and let it rise to $60k initially.. When the 8-speed transmission and 5.0 liter engine came into play, I'd raise the price to where it is now...

Otherwise, as a Hyundai Equus owners, you don't have to worry about the sales and service experience. It's all done at your home or whichever location you prefer.

I think the Equus looks like an expensive car. It's just a little underpowered compared to ALL the other players in the segment.

I agree, the price is steep. As a current Mercedes and Infiniti owner and a past BMW owner, let me say, the Hyundai dealer isn't in the same league. Both the dealership itself and the sales and service experience aren't the same. Additionally, some of those brands have a bit of prestige and reputation. With a Hyundai, if there is a gripe, you the owner need to explain it. Size does not add value; if it did a Lincoln Town Car would sell for $150k. One look at the label and the viewer's impression is that it is $30-40k car, not a $60-70k car. This problem has hindered Audi for years, and probably killed off the Infiniti Q45.

I thought Hyundai may have priced it as more of a value model, competing with Infiniti Ms and BMW 5 series. By the time you equip those brands to enter that price range they generally equal or exceed the Equus features.

Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed.

P.S.
I've visited two Hyundai dealers several times and saw the Equus at the NY Auto Show. One dealer was better than the other, but he was 25 miles away!

 

[msitter]

There are badge snobs that will never be convinced that there are better values available. To them the three pointed star or the roundel are badges of honor that say look at me and how much I paid for this car. As far as the dealer experience, I think my wife has had plenty of that with her BMW. Since my purchase of the Genesis, I have not had to "experience" the dealer. Her BMW is the reason I don't have one myself. I heard the same talk back in 1989 when those high priced Toyotas came out. There will be skeptics for sure but if Hyundai sticks to the plan I am sure they will succeed. Most of the motoring press have been pretty impressed with the early first drives of the Equus. I don't think they will have any trouble moving the 2-3000 units this year. That is a pretty modest goal.

 

[Ncgo4]

I attended an Equus open house today at in Charlotte. They had one of the top line "Ultimate" units on display. It was open and we were able to sit in it and crawl all over the thing.

It is an amazing automobile. The fit and finish is superb. The list of standard goodies is inexhaustible. Any comparison to the Genesis is silly. It's significantly larger and much more sophisticated. The back seat is huge. The driver controls are very well positioned and quite intuitive.

This thing is an electronic wizard's car. There are electronic things that never seem to end. The comparison to a 7 series BMW is dead on but only if you mean the fully loaded version. The car does not have any options. I repeat, no optional equipment at all. It's all there, so if you have about $58,000 (plus tags, title, etc. and you want a big car) this is the vehicle you want.

The Ultimate? If you can get your wife or girlfriend to put on a short skirted uniform and wear a fancy hat and let you ride in the reclined back seat, then go for it. Otherwise, it's so over the top its crazy.

I'm shopping for a new car and am looking at the 535i, the E350 and the M37. This is the best deal, hands down. It's cheaper than any of the others if loaded and still 50% more car. I'm just not sure I want to drive something this big and luxurious. My friends would all figure it was an ego trip. Hard to explain that it was just cheaper than the 535i.

 

[LasVegasGenesis]

I do think the initial pricing is still a value when compared to the market. I do agree with our Blog Host that the initial price for the Signature should have been $55K. This would have allowed for a natural price progression upward when the 5.0 is offered. Interstingly when the question of lease cost was raised in the Equus think tank, mid $700 was mentioned if I recall. This is totally in line with cars in the high $50s to low $60s. I will be replacing my Genesis with the Equus but would feel slighted by not getting the bigger engine. If the lauch is planned for December, has anyone read or heard about when the 5.0 will be offered? For me it will be worth the wait.