{"id":523180,"date":"2010-04-11T07:14:38","date_gmt":"2010-04-11T11:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autoshow.autotrader.ca\/?p=13514"},"modified":"2010-04-11T07:14:38","modified_gmt":"2010-04-11T11:14:38","slug":"hyundai%e2%80%99s-full-size-equus-luxury-sedan-debuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/523180","title":{"rendered":"Hyundai\u2019s Full-Size Equus Luxury Sedan Debuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watch Out Lexus LS\u2026 Hyundai\u2019s Equus is On Your Tail <\/strong>
\nCanadian Auto Press<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t seem like all that long ago that Mercedes-Benz guffawed at the thought of the Japanese entry-level brand Toyota entering the luxury segment with its Lexus nameplate, followed quickly by Nissan\u2019s Infiniti brand and Acura by Honda.\u00a0 Mazda nearly came to the fore with its own upscale marque but sold its Millenia sedan under its namesake brand after much speculation, which is what Hyundai seems to be doing with its luxury models.<\/p>\n

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2011 Hyundai Equus<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

First it was the Genesis sedan and then, in performance at least, the Genesis Coupe followed.\u00a0 Now the Korean automaker is taking on those same Japanese premium brands and the Europeans that inspired it all with a full-size premium sedan of its own, the Equus.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve reported on the Equus a number of times before, even last year when it showed up at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in home market trim, but as for what will be available here it\u2019s all been speculation.\u00a0 Now we\u2019ve got the facts yet again from NYC where the car debuted this week in North American specification, and it\u2019s quite an impressive ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

The North American-spec Equus pulls most of its design cues from the much-loved Genesis sedan, a good thing.\u00a0 Just the same, it would hardly look out of place beside a Mercedes S Class or Lexus LS, with a fairly distinctive and quite large horizontally ribbed and centre-split chrome grille, LED-enhanced headlamp clusters, large fog lamps set into the sporty lower valance, Mercedes-like chrome finished rub mouldings on the bumpers, narrow turn signal indicators integrated into the side mirror housings, lower side sill chrome mouldings, and long and gracefully arcing side window cutouts enhanced with deep tinted glass.\u00a0 The taillights are Genesis-like, but also aren\u2019t unlike those found on the LS or 7 Series BMW, while chrome trim appliqu\u00e9s add richness to the overall design.<\/p>\n

Speaking of richness, the interior won\u2019t let any luxury car aficionado down.\u00a0 Supple perforated leathers and fine woods will ensconce occupants in hedonistic opulence, coupled with the latest infotainment hardware and capped off with a similar rear seating ottoman system as offered by Lexus in its top-line LS models and Maybach\u2019s much-revered super sedan, with room for two divided by a rear centre console with seat and audiovisual controls plus a mini fridge.\u00a0 The seats will also feature ventilation, heating and massage.\u00a0 Nice touches like an analog clock just below the large-screen navigation system add a little olde-world charm to the real world of modern technology, while audio sounds come via a Lexicon stereo system.<\/p>\n

The car should perform well despite a curb weight that\u2019s likely over the top, due to a 385hp V8 connecting through to a six-speed automatic transmission.\u00a0 Expect pricing to sit in the $50,000 to $60,000 range in USD, with a Canadian (CAD) MSRP slightly higher.<\/p>\n

Replacing the regular owner\u2019s manual will be a “multimedia tablet” device that should wow friends and neighbours.\u00a0 Just which aftermarket electronics company will supply the tablet is yet to be announced, although an iPad was shown on the big screen at the car\u2019s introduction, so it might get the nod.\u00a0 Not only will the tablet replace the owner\u2019s manual, not only offering a more manageable source of information but also capable of being updated regularly, the device will be able to manage customer\/dealer interactions such as service appointment scheduling.<\/p>\n

As Hyundai repositions its brand toward the entry-level luxury segment, it will also deliver a premium ownership experience that will not only include the new Equus, but also the Genesis sedan and Coupe, by only selling top models at specially chosen dealerships.<\/p>\n

If Hyundai\u2019s Genesis sedan is any indication of how well the Equus will perform and how impressively it will be crafted, Lexus and other premium brands had better keep a close watch.\u00a0 And the Equus appears even more upscale and better finished than the Genesis.<\/p>\n

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Watch Out Lexus LS\u2026 Hyundai\u2019s Equus is On Your Tail Canadian Auto Press It doesn\u2019t seem like all that long ago that Mercedes-Benz guffawed at the thought of the Japanese entry-level brand Toyota entering the luxury segment with its Lexus nameplate, followed quickly by Nissan\u2019s Infiniti brand and Acura by Honda.\u00a0 Mazda nearly came to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6383,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-523180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6383"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523180\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}