Hyundai Equus 0-60 in 6.7 seconds

[Sal Collaziano]

This is not good. Not for the market the Hyundai Equus is competing in. The BMW 750i does it in under five seconds. The Lexus LS does it in 5.4 seconds.. And so do the rest of them. This is over a full second behind competitors..

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/equus/2011/videos/2011_hyundai_equus_fe_131.html

Hyundai should delay the release of the Equus until the proper drivetrain is ready. Releasing it like this is a BAD idea. This is NOT putting your best foot forward.

 

[Gambler]

This month's Motor Trend surmised basically the same thing. They found it to be underpowered compared to the others, but still a great value.

 

[ImInPA]

A simple change of gearing will resolve this. It is a shame they did not do this prior to releasing it to the automotive press for testing. By using shorter gearing than the 4.6, Hyundai mostly preserved the perfomance of the V6. A shame they did not think to do this for the Equus.

 

[wallymn]

this is a TQ issue, 333 TQ is too low for a car this size.... Really needs about 400-425....

Even the new 5.0 announced in another thread comes up short on Tq...

 

[ImInPA]

this is a TQ issue, 333 TQ is too low for a car this size.... Really needs about 400-425....

Even the new 5.0 announced in another thread comes up short on Tq...

Torque at the rear wheels is also dependent on the gearing. I think that if Hyundai put the V6 gearing into the V8 you would see 0-60 times drop below 5 seconds.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Other than gearheads, do most people really care whether it's 5.7 or 6.7 seconds? I mean a consumer in the market for a luxury car ala those mentioned?

I understand that MT and other mags have to do comparisons, but to me that extra second isn't as important as the number/placement of speakers or if I'm listening to 5.1 or 7.1 surround when playing a DVD-A, and I find reviewers frustratingly oblivious to those subtleties.

Besides, if I REALLY need that extra second to safely enter a freeway or pass a truck I'm probably a lousy driver anyway and don't deserve such a fine auto (any of the above, not only the Horse).

Btw, this isn't a knock on anyone here who does find this a deal-breaker or woefully pathetic on Hyundai's part. Just offering an opinion that might be different.

 

[G'elegance]

I fell in love with the Equus so i'm not sure how I ended up in a genesis lol. If I were to buy an Equus in the future it would be moreso for the look and style. IMH the Equus has one of the best looking interiors on the market. There is a youtube video comparing it to a $300,000 bentley.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Other than gearheads, do most people really care whether it's 5.7 or 6.7 seconds? I mean a consumer in the market for a luxury car ala those mentioned?

I understand that MT and other mags have to do comparisons, but to me that extra second isn't as important as the number/placement of speakers or if I'm listening to 5.1 or 7.1 surround when playing a DVD-A, and I find reviewers frustratingly oblivious to those subtleties.

Besides, if I REALLY need that extra second to safely enter a freeway or pass a truck I'm probably a lousy driver anyway and don't deserve such a fine auto (any of the above, not only the Horse).

Btw, this isn't a knock on anyone here who does find this a deal-breaker or woefully pathetic on Hyundai's part. Just offering an opinion that might be different.

Luxury is about excess.. If Hyundai wants to play in this arena, they need to keep up with the pack. I blast people all around the internet for laughing at Hyundai. At the same time, I must be honest and state when something is wrong as well.

I fell in love with the Equus so i'm not sure how I ended up in a genesis lol. If I were to buy an Equus in the future it would be moreso for the look and style. IMH the Equus has one of the best looking interiors on the market. There is a youtube video comparing it to a $300,000 bentley.

The Genesis is just your first step before you purchase the Equus next.

 

[msitter]

This will be addressed with the 5.0 and 8 spd trans. Shortening the rear axle ratio would get some of the quickness back but would probably have put the car into gas guzzler territory. I can't see how C&D got a Genesis to 60 in 5.3 sec and the 400 lb heavier Equus is at 6.7. Generally 100lb costs a tenth in acceleration so by those standards the Equus should still log in under 6 sec to 60. Do we have a ringer here in the original press fleet of Genesis sedans? As was mentioned above this segment is largely unaware of precise 0-60 times. The 750iL is quicker with the twin turbo V8 but you could have a custom twin turbo kit installed and tuned for less than the difference in price between the two.

 

[mikec]

I'm not surprised the Equus rear axle ratio wasn't tweaked to recover 0-60 times. First, the Equus is supposed to be more of a chauffeur based limo compared to the Genesis - it's less of a driver's car. No sloshing the drinks in the back seats or in the mini-fridge. Second, don't forget the Genesis isn't sold in its home market with the V8; only V6 engines are available. (the same V6 sold in the US, plus an even smaller V6) Why? Probably local regulations, etc... just can't sell vehicles that over-powered for fuel economy concerns (in Korea, in the US, or Europe), or tax reasons, or whatever.

BMW and Mercedes may have quicker versions of their biggest luxo-cruisers like the high-HP version of BMW's 7-series... but what fraction of the total 7-series market are the high-HP variants? I.e., how many 6 cylinder 7-series vehicles does BMW sell, regular V8 7-series, etc. compared to the high-HP version? I'll bet the high-HP version makes up only a few percent of the total sales. Hyundai doesn't (yet) have the market share to justify a special Equus that'll be just a few percent of the total Equus market; Hyundai expects the total market to be only a few thousand cars anyway. Maybe in a few years... remember, the Tau engine was designed with lots of potential in mind: direct injection, more displacement, supercharging... mmmm.... If the Equus sells better than Hyundai expects, maybe we'll see a Equus GT during the mid-cycle refresh in a few years. I'd like to see Hyundai grow to the point where they DO have the market for more variants of their entire product line... at this point though they're carefully dipping their toes into the luxury market pool.

Somehow I don't picture folks expecting to be chauffeured around as Motor Trend or Car and Driver readers. Most of them probably aren't too concerned with numbers.

mike c.

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[RLREILLY81]

This month's Motor Trend surmised basically the same thing. They found it to be underpowered compared to the others, but still a great value.

Have to put in a little rant and its not directed at you just the idea that everyone keeps throwing around about Hyundai.


Sadly when you are looking at the competing market that the Equus is trying to get into, great value isn't important. If someone is looking to buy a BMW 7 series or any of the other cars, are they really worried about saving 30k? They have money to blow and want to be in a car that says so.

The concept of great value in the market works amazingly well for the Genesis market because people, like myself, who wouldn't be able to afford a luxury car can now get one. This catches people interest and, while its not the case, Hyundai would have been able to get away with making the Genesis a lesser vehicle then other cars its market.

While I know that my reason for buying of, I want to have a luxury car but really cant afford one, isn't why other people bought theirs. I tell you that mentality wont work when you are talking about the high end market. Even if the Equus was as good as the 7 series or the Benz and I had the money to spend I would buy the name every time because once people hear its a Hyundai they will think of an Accent. Why do you think we all changed badges on their Genesis, just because they look nicer?

Sorry for the rant

 

[Sal Collaziano]

RL is right. In this market, price doesn't matter. If you want to play here, you'd better be prepared to fight hard. The media is going to make a laughing stock of the Equus being, by far, the slowest of the pack. It's like hitting the most home runs ever but having an asterisk next to your name.

Hyundai should have waited a few months instead of bringing a butter knife to a sword fight.

 

[Gambler]

While you guys may be right, I have to think some people look at their finances and what they can afford vehicle-wise. While in the past somebody with 60k might look at an upper end 5 series, they can now get something like the Equus which would run them 80k+ if they were to purchase a Mercedes S or BMW 7. The question is, how many people set themselves a budget in the 60k range?

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

RL is right. In this market, price doesn't matter. If you want to play here, you'd better be prepared to fight hard. The media is going to make a laughing stock of the Equus being, by far, the slowest of the pack. It's like hitting the most home runs ever but having an asterisk next to your name.

Hyundai should have waited a few months instead of bringing a butter knife to a sword fight.

Me: "I'm thinking of moving up to the Equus".
Buddy: "What? Are you nuts? It's a second slower than a BMW".
Me: "So you think the BMW is worth $3000 more per 1/10th of a second"?

May not float your boat, Sal (and others) but all else being equal (or close) the one second isn't "excess". It's nitpicking.

(And as a baseball fan I can assure you there are no asterisks in the record books.)

 

[ctrcbob]

This is not a race car. As for those 0 to 60 times, I always tell the guys that are talking about "how fast" their cars are,

"OK, you want to race"?

"We will start out that this stop light and the first car to Los Angeles wins".

To me, 0 to 60 means nothing.

 

[msitter]

I started out to buy a 550i. That was what I had made my mind up to get. The Genesis was not really on the radar at that point. When the Costco deal came up I decided to investigate. That lead to this site and the Hyundai Think Tank site. After reading the posts here and taking a test drive It became a contest with me to see how low a price I could get between the circle and Costco. I saved $28k over the BMW and for the type of driving that I normally do, the BMW is no better than the Genesis and I am that much better off in this uncertain economy. If I was doing track days, the BMW would be better Most people who ride in comment on how nice it is and I have no feelings of being inadequate when I go to dinner or anywhere else. I think with the depreciating assets in most 401k plans, more people will forgo the cache of the badge for good solid value.

 

[kayroe]

The more that I think about it, Hyundai should not have came out with the Equus at this time. What they should have done is to upgrade the Genesis to have everything on it as the Equus, including three mode air suspension and power trunk. The Equus is not going to sale very well here in the states. Performance is missing from the Equus. When the time comes that the performance is added into the equation, the price incentive will be gone.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

On one hand, you guys who disagree with my line of thinking are correct - because MOST people don't care about 0-60 times and performance in general. On the other hand, people who buy premium luxury sedans DO. Believe me. Maybe you're just not used to dealing with them.

 

[RLREILLY81]

And the other part of it is, as was posted in the Equus video, its not as luxury as the others in the class. Like I said I may be wrong but if I was spending the money and pulling up at the country club, valet, or where ever else people in $80k cars are seen I would want something that says "look at me" not having someone asking "what kind of car is that?" to which you tell them and they snicker because of branding.

As a former yacht club bartender and valet in my younger days, I have learned that the people that buy cars in that price range care only about out doing each other. IMO

 

[Sal Collaziano]

As a former yacht club bartender and valet in my younger days, I have learned that the people that buy cars in that price range care only about out doing each other. IMO

That's mostly true - though there are plenty of people who realize an intelligent buy. That's how Lexus has succeeded. The LS460 is a good deal less expensive than the S550 or 750i - but it's still considered a prestigious vehicle that not everyone can afford. It still says, "I made it".