Dema

What do you think? Is there any chance that certain S buyer will be pulled for this car? It looks really appealing. Although it isn't competitors of S600.

Nira_Lim

Performance:
385 BHP
0-60: 6.4 seconds

Consumption:
16City/24Highway/19Average

Price:
Starts somewhere between 50-60k

skrontz

It's competition for LS, not for S Class.

MichaelB.

^ A pal of mine owns our local Hyundai store and he said the same thing.

IDriveAnM5

Did anyone read the Wall Street Journal article about this car this week? Their sales model is very interesting. They imagine that the typical Equus buyer won't want to go to a Hyundai dealer and see this car along side their $10k run of the mill box. So, you call the dealer and they bring the Equus out to you for a private test drive. They don't really want the Equus buyer in the store.
Very interesting. Sounds like they might ultimately want to invest in a separate dealer network.

Or, put this way, the average Maybach buyer had no problem going into an MB dealer to order their car. Hmmmm...

oh, and it in no way has me waiting to buy one. I'm sticking with the S Class.

Jan AMG

The exterior design is a blend of S / Conti / LS

The performance is worse than expected

Trunk volume is only 472 L

Not sure about interior materials quality..

You get an iPad with users manual when you buy one .. hmm interesting but I'm not sure it will be enough to attract S-Class buyers

RoundTheBenz

It’s a beautiful vehicle but I don’t think I'll be trading in for one soon...

One thing though, it seems like every car out there these days has much better electronics, nav, etc. Most base model cars even come with Bluetooth to hook up your phone for example. I can’t believe that in a 100K car, you still have to buy an optional puck!

Rant over.

BootyHunter57

Very nice car. Hyundai is definitely doing their homework on these cars. Came wait to see one on the road

NH_Clark

I read the same article. I think the premise stands that Hyundai should look to do a separate showroom. I did find it interesting the whole "they bring the car to you for a test drive and pick your car up to bring it in for service".. kind of like keeping from an owner doing the "walk of shame" .. I don't think they need to do all that. Someone that buys this car does so with eyes wide open and is buying based solely on price.

jprescott

I have friends who are remarkably frugal (they claim practical) who drive RL's LS's and infiniti's. I think this will hit the spot for them. I personally think that nothing says "I have plenty of money but I'm cheap" better than the luxury Hyudai. Just sayin'

Red Marko

I must ask one question,
who has a better chance to pick up a nice chick,
the guy in Hyundai or Benz?

One more question, bit more important one.
How about head collision?

Quadcammer

1. if you need a benz to get girls, you have some personal problems.

2. it ain't an elantra. This is a full size car. You will be fine in a head on collision.

carsnob

These car makers don't get it. They imitate German cars and deliver a p.o.s. in comparison.There are BMW look alikes, and Mercedes wannabees. If you think like you look like you're in a Mercedes and that does it for you -- amongst those that don't know the difference -- then good luck to you. If you want performance/ safety/ excellent engineering /technoloical advances and quality goods, then cheap imitations are just fluff.
A cheap suit will always be a cheap suit.

epasc

Carsnob, I guess I am a car snob, too.

Every time I hear about some "mercedes killer" and then i drive it, I always return to my belief that Mercedes is the only "real deal" out there (with the possible addition of BMW) and that everything else is just a rough approximation, and falls short.

Quadcammer

or maybe they want a nice looking luxury car with good options at a good price.

not everyone needs to have the best in engineering and brand name at twice the price

jprescott

Agree. If you have money and wear Crocs instead of Birkinstoks, Levis instead of designer jeans and a cheap watch instead of an up brand Swiss, then yes this is the perfect car for you.

carsnob

Quite true... the car industry has come a long way in 10-15 years. Everyone in a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla gets power windows, a/c, airbags, abs brakes, added safety and lots of other features that were once only in the realm of Mercedes.

For the past 3 decades, Mercedes has led the way with safety and innovative features, and yes, not everyone can afford one. But for Hyunda fans, they have a club for posers and when you buy their imitation MB -- you just joined it!

emilner

They imitate, as Lexus did in the early 90's and while doing so they get to eat some of the luxury marques dinners. They will take some sales away from the Germans/Japanese, but more from the E class type buyer. No one who is actually looking to buy an S550 is walking away with a Hyundai...

jprescott

Good point. Anecdotes from forum lead me to think it is 7 series vs A8 vs quatroporte vs panamera vs Lex. etc. If you are in one of these and go Acura/infinity/ etc. It becomes an issue of giving up style and quality for " practicality". Is what it is. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Red Marko

1. I was referring more to a general audience.
I'm happily married (no chicks for me), I hope, you are happily married also.
2. I know, I'll be fine in head on collision, because you won't find me in Hyundai. Ever.
But, if I see you in Hyundai, I'll laugh at you.

As for Equus, nice shell, no proven substance.
Don't forget, you get what you paid for.

Jan AMG

Can't wait to see what Jeremy Clarkson says about this car

Nira_Lim

This car seems to take a bit out of all the luxury sedans out there...
Front sorta like an S class
Rear sorta like a 5 series with LS exhaust
Interior almost exactly like LS

skrontz

That's exactly what the problem with this design is: there's no main theme. It looks just like another generic large sedan. The interior of an S Class is hard to confuse with any other car. In Equus, the navigation screen looks like it came from a Lexus and the myriads of various buttons can come from any other sedan. No matter how good the materials are, the cabin does not give the look and feel of an expensive luxury cruiser. It's just another wannabe with no ergonomics in mind.

Corsa9000

AutoWeek reports that Hyundai's marketing strategy is to have a salesman come to you with the car for test drives and even sign the purchase/lease paper work at your place. The owner manual comes on an iPad and for any service, a Hyundai rep comes to you with a loaner Equus or Genesis, picks up the car and brings it back when done.

I am sure many people will like these added perks, but I agree the Lexus or Infiniti buyer is the target customer, not German luxury customers. Although the mid-size buyers like E Class, BMW 5 Series or Audi A6 customers might see the Equus as an opportunity to move up one class without paying a premium.

I have not driven a Hyundai ever, but it sure looks like they come a long way in 20 years. People used to say the same thing about Lexus too, calling it a Toyota but they captured market share quickly and have an excellent reputation. Germans even admit they learned a few lessons from Lexus on improving on NVH with their cars.

I for one will keep an open mind and won't dismiss them yet.

Taiwanese

Ferrari and Porsche woke up after Honda released NSX. Competition is good whether you buy a Hyundai or not.