desant89

Ok, so having pretty much every car I have wanted for the past 20 years I will go with the comparable ones. I am a person who likes smoothness more than sporty in a sedan. I have a 750li which I liked. I kept it for almost two years, then drove my 07 S550 which was a no brainer as the Bens was a smoother less sporty ride. Well the extended warranty is about up on the benz, and owning 3 of them right now, I know you cannot own one without a warranty....

So I keep reading around searching for my next car. I am a realistic guy. I have an sl55 ,and a GL450. I can get what I want to an extent. I keep reading 66k for that (Equus ultimate)? Do people not have brains anymore? When does anyone pay MSRP for any vehicle? Let's move on...

I go to Hyundai dealer, they have 3 2013's and a 12 leftover. There have been zero changes to the 2013 over the 2012. I know I can get the new 66k version for 58. However, I like the 12 cause it is White, and the Ultimate. Long story short, I paid 54500.

I can tell you this. I thought about another S, but since they have not changed hardly at all other than the lights, I would feel like I bought the same car again inside and out. I could not do it. I get tired of things which may be why I have been through over 40 cars, and just turning 40 myself.

As for the Equus, only been a week, but I have not one regret. Car drives creamy soft yet has power. I know everyone says it's a carbon of the Lexus, but I took a lexus LS460 home on two occasions overnight, and did not like it. So the drive is not the same. The amenities are amazing. Honestly no complaints yet. I will not get into reliability cause having both, MB, and BMW are not the most reliable vehicles. And to top it off, a 5 year service plan covering wiper blades to brake (tires only exclusion). Ok, now let the bashing begin.

ImInPA

I am a big fan of Hyundai and both the Genesis and the Equus. How does the interior stack up? With only 11k on my S, the seat leather looks brand new. I have seen other vehicles where the leather is very quick to crease and wrinkle. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts after you have had more time in this vehicle. The rear seat of the Equus in the ultimate looks amazing in photos and Wards rates the V8 as one of the best engines. I have had a V8 Genesis as a rental, and other than the ride being "slightly" busy over bumps, it was a first class ride. Almost as big as the S-class, but, priced more like a high end C or low end E. Amazing. If I were MB, BMW, Audi, Infinity, or Lexus, I would not be sleeping too soundly with Hyundai's determination.

desant89

Drivers seat very comfortable. Cannot comment on leather yet, but I have to see if there is some kind of warranty there. The leather does not feel cheap to me, but who knows in time. Of course the recliner is not a big deal unless the kids mess with it or you have some 5'8" friends but it is a cool gadget. I love gadgets, and it is full of them. I just seen last night that it has a "brake hold" option like my 7 series had. Not a huge option, but yet another one. Fridge gets ice cold, again, who needs it, but it is there. I could not find a reason not to do it after driving it. I have two other MB so I am not against it. This car just has much more for me at this point.

Quadcammer

lack of full leather option for the interior ruins it for me.

otherwise they are quite nice.

desant89

Full leather? Such as where? I'm not sure my S had any more leather than this car does.

Quadcammer

full leather in the S-class includes the dash, door panels, and parcel shelf.

Designo cars and the v12s have this as standard. I'm not sure if its an option for a standard S

marthyh

First and last.. Good luck with the Hyundai. I will stick to my Benz ;-)

absent

First of all,congrats!
Equus is not trying to be better then SClass ,gets awfully close though.
A lot of car for the $$$......

desant89

I agree. I still own two MB, but haters will still hate. I just could not do another S class yet due to no real changes. In 3 years, if the Equus was worth zero, it would match the loss I would take on a new S class after 3 years of ownership.

Amazingly, I am enjoying the hell out of it. Once you get past the name, it's all there!

walt2810

Congrats. Style is nice and it's a full size sedan.

Mr_Clifton

If or when an accident happens, I'd rather be in a Benz than in an Asian tuna can, just my 2 cents. I don't care how much bang for the buck you might get, in my personal opinion buying a Hyundai is like getting a Rolex from Chinatown instead of getting the real deal

I've maintained all of my Benzes out of warranty and if you are willing to dig in and do work yourself, it's more than manageable. Especially if you don't have ABC or a V12

Hope you enjoy it, I'm not hating, I'm just saying I'm never going to make the same decision as you

xrayaz

I have no problem with the Equus and it does seem like a good value for the price. My problem is that the outside is a bit blah and seems to lack the presence of my "S". It will be interesting to see how the reputation etc holds up over the next few years.
Michael in Arizona

ImInPA

Mr_Clifton: While I too would rather be in a Benz, I like that Hyundai is doing what they are doing. Much like Toyota did with Lexus. I think it makes the market more competitive, and, it forces the stalwarts to keep on their game. We all make out better with more market competition. There is a new generation coming on the scene and they do not remember the rusting early Datsuns, Toyotas, and Hyundias. They only know them as good cars today. It is nice to know that someone, who might not be able to afford the Top-shelf brands, does not have to go to the basement to get a finely built rear wheel drive platform car. It helps keep the legacy alive.

desant89

I agree with the styling although it is growing on me. I am in total shock at how many people have asked me about the car already in my first few days of owning it.

As for Safety, we all know MB is tops, but this also has a top crash rating. It does have accident prep systems that apply brakes, roll windows up, tighten belts etc. like my S did in addition to lane departure and some things that I did not have previously. Now if they work correctly is another story. Hopefully I never find out.

As for maintaining, I past that point in my life. when I was younger I did everything. Now with a family, it just seems as there is not time for anything as it is.

Again, I love Mercedes. I love my GL and plan on having it for years as I do my SL. Just saying once I opened myself up and got past the name, I could not justify another S. If you like creamy, floaty type of ride( definitely different than the Lexus) over a feel of the road or slight sport, there is no comparison. Again, two totally different rides. This is the type of ride I was after when I bought my S to begin with. In a few years, I may get another S who knows as I change frequently, but I cannot knock this car for sure.

desant89

Oh, and I agree that this is great for all of us. MB, and the other top dogs will be feeling this. I know there are doubters, but I think it's coming. If this catches on, we should all see better deals coming. Look at the Kia K9.....They are not all going to flop like the Phaeton did.

I read one thing about Hyundai not branding that actually made sense. Hyundai gets all of the young people who need to buy cheap cars. The start with Hyundai, and love it as that is all they know. Then we grow up, and can afford better things. Now they can remain loyal to that single brand that can accommodate them at any level rather than leaving when it is time to step up. I'm up in the air on that theory, but wanted to share as it's the only one that makes sense to me.

Mr_Clifton

I agree 100% This is only going to make car makers more competitive and the consumer is the real winner. These very well could be extremely safe cars, I guess I'm looking forward to hearing about people walking away from horrifying accidents and reporting back MB has a lot of firsts, like 3 point seatbelts, SRS airbags, ABS brakes... and a lot of them debut in the S class, which is why I have a loyalty to their safety

I definitely do understand about having a family and not really wanting to use the time you have to wrench your own cars. I'm 32 currently and just starting a family (first baby on the way, due September), so you'll probably see my opinion change. Or maybe the diaper changing will drive me mad and I'll be spending more time in the garage

All my opinions aside, I like reading this kind of stuff. Glad you are enjoying the car desant89. Maybe you can post some pics

desant89

Mr Clifton, I agree with everything you are saying. We are the winners if this lasts.

Congrats on the baby. I am sure most will chime in here, but you are definitely in for a change. Enjoy the young years where you likely can get to the garage for a bit.

I will take some pics and post them. Of course it is snowing here now so I will wait for a better day. I too love these types of posts. I have been reading my butt of for the past month trying to decide what to buy. And now I am curious to get more seat time so I can post some more data regarding my experience whether good or bad.

fstshrk

I looked at the Equus but lack of all-wheel drive is a deal-breaker here in the frozen north.

If they come up with an AWD version, I may be interested in a couple of years.

My only concern with Hyundai is that the dealers don't know how to treat owners of luxury cars (at least my dealer doesn't) well. Maybe other dealers in bigger cities are better at this.

jadeethan

Good luck with the car..it's a nice car...

This company has come a long way and they deserve some credit..take a look at face lifted one:

Venom_AMG

You have great taste in cars Desant89. I had a sl55 and s600 at the same time before and loved both until the warranty was about to expired so both went bye bye. I replaced them with a Gl450 and Corvette. Now that my gl450 warranty is coming to an end, I find myself looking at another S550. I contemplated BMW, Audi, Lexus, and also Hyundai. Problem with Hyundai was I just could not see myself driving it even with all the great little gadgets it had compare to the other cars. ( also 50k savings). It most likely is the status mentality I can't get over. I think that goes the same for most S and mercedes drivers on this board. I congratulate you on being able to break the barrier and purchase that Hyundai. Enjoy in great health.

desant89

It was tough to get over the name. However. Nobody knows what it is. It's crazy. Then when I tell them, they think I'm lying. I am living this car. Not kissing my s class at all right now. I know it sounds crazy. But I like it more after every drive.

J666

Should have waited for either the next gen S class or the '14 Equus as it looks 10x better than the current model. I hope you have many trouble free miles!

desant89

I think if all goes well, I will trade up for a 14+ model in a couple of years. By then I should know all I need. Warranty was expiring on S so I could not really wait

Venom-AMG

Where do you reside desant89? I'm in Los Angeles so everyone knows what Benz/BMW/Hyundai is around here

desant89

I'm in Southern NJ. I have not run into another one yet. Not gonna say I have never seen one before, but 500 miles later on mine and have not ran into one.