MotorWeek Road Test 0-60 in 6.1 Seconds

[YEH]

All seats fold, adding nicely to the Equus' generous 16.7 cubic foot trunk space. Based on the Genesis sedan platform, the Equus is powered by the same 4.6-liter variable-timing V8, good here for 385 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque. Power moves to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic with manual shift mode. On the track, our Equus charged from 0 to 60 in a fast 6.1 seconds, and cleared the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 99 miles per hour. Equus feels powerful off the line, but not overwhelmingly so. Power delivery builds nicely, and is quite smooth. Shifts, too, were smooth, but a little slow. Driving dynamics are governed by front and rear multilink geometries. And the electronically-controlled air suspension with Continuous Damping Control includes height-adjustable and driver-selectable Sport mode. And through the cones, with Sport mode on, the Equus feels acceptably capable, and trimmer than it actually is.

Understeer is always present, as is a fair amount of body roll. The steering is light and linear, but with little feedback. We give it better overall marks than the Lexus LS, but it doesn't come close to the caliber of a German sedan. Equus stopping power is solid. With large vented discs at all four corners, the 4,500-pound Equus managed 60 to 0 in a good 127 feet. So, while overall, Equus performance seems unremarkable, as a first effort, it's still very notable. On public roads, the Equus is more than competent. It's very quiet and smooth, maybe a little too smooth. There are no ragged edges about this car's performance.

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt3009a.shtml

 

[Sal Collaziano]

0-60 in 6.1! Now that's better.. Not great - but satisfactory to me.. Now I really wonder what the 5.0 liter version will do. But, really - 6.1 isn't that bad. The BMW 750i did 5.9 until just this past year. So this really isn't bad at all...