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- Genesis Model Year
- 2015
- Genesis Model Type
- 2G Genesis Sedan (2015-2016)
If you were too easily offended by Hyundai--yes, Hyundai--proclaiming its Genesis sedan could duke it out with the likes of Lexus and Infiniti, boy, are you going to be irked.
Come next year, Hyundai's taking it one step further. And bigger. And richer.
They're doing so with the 2011 Hyundai Equus, a long-legged relative of the Genesis that's already on sale in South Korea--and now, officially, headed to the U.S. market at the end of summer 2010. A rear-driver, the Equus shares the Genesis' architecture, its "Tau" V-8 engine, its ZF six-speed automatic transmission, and its newfound confidence in style, execution and mission.
This weekend at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours, Hyundai is giving the Equus a "soft" launch, as it starts to get out the word on its new flagship. Motor Authority was among the first to go for a short ride in the new Equus while prepping for the big classics displays at Pebble Beach.
With Ewanick at the wheel, we took to the streets of Monterey to see how different the Equus could be from the mechanically related Genesis--and how much of a threat it might be to the trio with the stranglehold on American luxury sedans: the BMW 7-Series, Lexus LS and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
(A confession: we may also have accidentally pushed Hyundai folks out of the driver's seat, and taken the Equus for a few miles' worth of driving. Yes, rude. We're not calling this a first drive for a reason--we road-test U.S.-market vehicles and this was a Korean-market prototype.)
From genesis to Equus
By now you know the story of how the 2009 Hyundai Genesis showed up in showrooms and took home a North American Car of the Year award and made other established luxury brands a little nervous. That successful launch has given Hyundai the confidence to go ahead with its even bigger Equus into what Hyundai vice president of marketing Joel Ewanick says is the "worst downturn in the car market ever."
Timing is everything, but the Equus has its groundwork laid by the Genesis, to some degree. Unlike Volkswagen--which launched the expensive Phaeton and priced it nearly twice as high as its Passat sedan, then pulled it from the U.S. market--the Equus has the Genesis as proof of its intent, and its qualifications. And like the Genesis, the Equus is likely to slot into its class, with a sticker thousands of dollars cheaper than its rivals.
The comparisons to the Genesis crop up repeatedly, and favorably. One look at the Equus and it's clear it's a bigger, more formal sedan. With a wheelbase 4.1 inches longer than the Genesis, the Equus also has lots more elaborate brightwork on its front end. Also, it has a hood ornament, shaped vaguely like a bird in flight. The last car we drove with a real hood ornament? The Rolls-Royce Phantom, and that Flying Lady is retractable. (Hyundai says the Equus won't come with a hood ornament installed--but it will make sure dealers have boxes of them, in case a customer wants to replace the emblem on U.S. versions.)
The Equus also sports a 4.6-liter, 375-horsepower V-8, and a six-speed ZF automatic transmission, same as the Genesis. The "Tau" V-8 is a strong piece, and quietly thrusts the Equus around Monterey without fuss. There's a 5.0-liter version in the works, the rumor mill suggests, but Ewanick can't confirm if it, or a long-wheelbase Equus, are in the product plan for the U.S. All-wheel drive? "Not now," is the best we could get.
To bring the Equus to the U.S., Hyundai has to tailor it more squarely to American tastes. Aside from cosmetic details like the hood ornament, that means revamping the sedan's ride and handling. The air suspension is likely to stay, but Ewanick says the tuning is "going to be more in that S-Class and LS area in terms of ride quality and handling...and discerning owners in that segment know exactly what that means."
Read more...
Come next year, Hyundai's taking it one step further. And bigger. And richer.
They're doing so with the 2011 Hyundai Equus, a long-legged relative of the Genesis that's already on sale in South Korea--and now, officially, headed to the U.S. market at the end of summer 2010. A rear-driver, the Equus shares the Genesis' architecture, its "Tau" V-8 engine, its ZF six-speed automatic transmission, and its newfound confidence in style, execution and mission.
This weekend at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours, Hyundai is giving the Equus a "soft" launch, as it starts to get out the word on its new flagship. Motor Authority was among the first to go for a short ride in the new Equus while prepping for the big classics displays at Pebble Beach.
With Ewanick at the wheel, we took to the streets of Monterey to see how different the Equus could be from the mechanically related Genesis--and how much of a threat it might be to the trio with the stranglehold on American luxury sedans: the BMW 7-Series, Lexus LS and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
(A confession: we may also have accidentally pushed Hyundai folks out of the driver's seat, and taken the Equus for a few miles' worth of driving. Yes, rude. We're not calling this a first drive for a reason--we road-test U.S.-market vehicles and this was a Korean-market prototype.)
From genesis to Equus
By now you know the story of how the 2009 Hyundai Genesis showed up in showrooms and took home a North American Car of the Year award and made other established luxury brands a little nervous. That successful launch has given Hyundai the confidence to go ahead with its even bigger Equus into what Hyundai vice president of marketing Joel Ewanick says is the "worst downturn in the car market ever."
Timing is everything, but the Equus has its groundwork laid by the Genesis, to some degree. Unlike Volkswagen--which launched the expensive Phaeton and priced it nearly twice as high as its Passat sedan, then pulled it from the U.S. market--the Equus has the Genesis as proof of its intent, and its qualifications. And like the Genesis, the Equus is likely to slot into its class, with a sticker thousands of dollars cheaper than its rivals.
The comparisons to the Genesis crop up repeatedly, and favorably. One look at the Equus and it's clear it's a bigger, more formal sedan. With a wheelbase 4.1 inches longer than the Genesis, the Equus also has lots more elaborate brightwork on its front end. Also, it has a hood ornament, shaped vaguely like a bird in flight. The last car we drove with a real hood ornament? The Rolls-Royce Phantom, and that Flying Lady is retractable. (Hyundai says the Equus won't come with a hood ornament installed--but it will make sure dealers have boxes of them, in case a customer wants to replace the emblem on U.S. versions.)
The Equus also sports a 4.6-liter, 375-horsepower V-8, and a six-speed ZF automatic transmission, same as the Genesis. The "Tau" V-8 is a strong piece, and quietly thrusts the Equus around Monterey without fuss. There's a 5.0-liter version in the works, the rumor mill suggests, but Ewanick can't confirm if it, or a long-wheelbase Equus, are in the product plan for the U.S. All-wheel drive? "Not now," is the best we could get.
To bring the Equus to the U.S., Hyundai has to tailor it more squarely to American tastes. Aside from cosmetic details like the hood ornament, that means revamping the sedan's ride and handling. The air suspension is likely to stay, but Ewanick says the tuning is "going to be more in that S-Class and LS area in terms of ride quality and handling...and discerning owners in that segment know exactly what that means."
Read more...
