2011 Hyundai Equus: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2011 Hyundai Equus as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Starting
- Tractor Beam Engage
- Dyno Test Video
- Interior Tour
- Nice Profile, No Brand
- A Note from the Chairman
- A Note from the Trunk
- Our Favorite Caption Part Two
- A Note From the Driver
- You Write the Caption
- 2K Milestone
- Track Tested
- It Remembers!!!
- Alcantara Headliner, Standard
- The New Face of Luxury?
- It's Got Your Back
- Our Favorite Caption
- You Write the Caption
- Ipad Owner's Manual
- This Is How I Roll
- Two View Back-Up Camera
- Don't Bother Calling Shotgun
- Mystery of the Folding Mirrors
- Broke Its Back
- Power Trunk Closer, Absent
- Love Riding This Horse
- What an Equus Fan Thinks
- Heated Steering Wheel
- Doppelganger
- What You Don't Get
- Brilliant Adaptive Cruise Control
- A Case for Bluetooth Streaming
- Service Department Valet
- Are They Buying It?
- Yes, Lexus Should Be Worried
- Showing You The Door
- Stonk-to-Dollar Ratio Win
- Chauffeur-Driven
- 2011 Hyundai Equus Is IIHS's Top Safety Pick
- That's Some High-Quality Mousehair
- Achoo
- Prius Approval
- The Luxo Barge And Burnouts?
- 5,000 Miles (Plus a Few Hundred)
- Straight Out of the 90's
- Nice Light
- Business Class
- Fuel Economy Update
- Limo Service
- Cheesy Startup Tune
- Suspension and Ride Quality
- Its Least Flattering Angle?
- Your Grandfather's Car?
- iPod Interface Still Needs Help
- What Might Have Been...
- Jumpy Throttle Tip-In
- Inconceivable!
- Stately Canine
- Now We Can RTFiP
- Seat Wear
- Searchable
- Instant Gratification
- The Future of Luxury
- Big Mouth
- Accommodating Seats
- The Timex
- In and Out
- CD Players
- Massaging Driver Seat Keeps Me Awake But Now I Think We're Dating
- The Manual Shift Gate
- Sport. Really?
- No Scheduled Maintenance Light
- Center Console Squeaks
- Service Experience, Part 1
- Service Experience, Part 2
- Service Experience, Part 3 Finale
- Subscription Based Maintenance Light
- Engine Stalled Out
- Steering Wheel vs. Jewelry
- Acting Up
- Milestone
- Coast Drive
- The Future Requires Batteries
- Lost in America
- 10,000 Mile Update
- No More Free iPad
- Cargo Nets
- Our Favorite Caption
- You Write the Caption Part Two
- No Radio Preset Buttons
- Poor Man's Rich Man's Weekend
- Retirement Party at Petco Park
- Down a Half Quart
- Chrome
- Bright Lights, Big City
- Power Rear Blinds
- Seat Bottom Length Adjuster. With Video!
- Dual Rear Window Switches
- ContiProCurbContact
- That'll Do
- Courtesy Feature
- Driver Controlled Passenger Seat
- The Quarter Window Dilemma
- Have you Seen One?
- Driver Seat vs. Backseat
- Hot Air
- So Glad You Didn't
- Peaceful
- The New Town Car?
- What the Value-Conscious CEO Drives
- Luxe Ambulance
- Face Time
- Beauty Contest
- Impressive
- Afterthought
- Just in Case You Wondered
- 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature Goes on Vegas Road Trip With the Girls
- A Good Guess
- Shut Up, Nav!
- Best On A Deserted Freeway
- Expandable Door Pockets
- Engine Sputter, Again
- Perfect for Airport Duty
- 15,000 Miles Behind Us
- A Vegas Thanksgiving
- Exclusive? Positively, Yes.
- Auto-Dimming Mirrors
- Vegas Trip, Accolades & Demerits
- 15,000-mile Valet Service
- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- L.A. Valets Aren't Fooled
- A Great Value
- Roadtrip Report
- Smart Money
- 18K Milestone
- AFLS Working?
- Fuel Economy
- Heated Steering Wheel FTW
- Testing the Temperature
- Headlight Fluid
- Selective Heating
- A Blank Stare
- Breaking the Barrier
- Bulletin From the Trip Computer
- Designated Driver
- We Modded It!
- More Than Enough of Everything
- Time Flies
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
Kids in Beverly Hills live a little differently. We're passing by the high school and the line of cars is something you'd see in a music video. They're all black. They're all enormous and they all cost more than a few years' tuition at a private school. There are SUVs, sedans, some full-size coupes and even a couple of towncars. The kids whose parents have last-gen German sedans and sub-lux Japanese cars walk a block north to hitch a ride. American cars? Only if it's an Escalade. And only if there's a driver.
But slotted between a sedan a dictator drives and an SUV a movie star drives is a 2011 Hyundai Equus. We don't stick around to see the kid hop into the reclining backseat (creepy), but that a Hyundai has made it to the front line of a high school in Beverly Hills is monumental.
It's as big a step, and equally as unlikely as Hyundai selling a $59,000 car. But there it was, and here we are with something like 17 feet and $58,900 worth of high-end luxury Hyundai in our long-term fleet for the next 12 months and 20,000 miles.
What We Got
There are no options on the Hyundai Equus, just two trim levels. You can get the Equus Signature, which we have. It seats five and has more standard features than, well, almost anything. Included are: 19-inch wheels, adjustable air suspension, lane departure warning system, adaptive cruise control, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, foglights, automatic wipers, a windshield wiper de-icer, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, sunroof, keyless ignition/entry, 10-way power driver seats (with massage), eight-way power passenger seat, a tilt-and-telescoping wheel, leather, Alcantara headliner, 60/40-split folding and reclining rear seats, power rear window shades, navigation, Bluetooth, a 17-speaker Lexicon surround sound system with iPod, satellite radio and six-DVD changer. Oh, and an Apple iPad in lieu of an owner's manual. Because, why not? For your $58,900 (with a $900 destination fee) an iPad seems like a nice trinket.
The other Equus, known as the Ultimate, only seats four, as it has a pair of reclining buckets with heating/cooling/massaging and a center console full refrigerator. The Ultimate also includes a rear-seat entertainment system, power trunk lid and forward-view cornering camera. That one runs $65,400.
Both of these are powered by a 4.6-liter, 385-horsepower (378 with regular fuel) V8 making 333 pound-feet of torque (324 with regular fuel) hooked to a six-speed ZF-built automatic transmission with Shiftronic manual controls. The EPA rates this setup at 16 city/24 highway mpg and 19 mpg combined.
Our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature is dressed in Black Noir Pearl paint with a cashmere interior and, as you already know, carries a sticker price of $58,900. We didn't pay that, though, as the manufacturer provided the car to us for 12 months.
Why We Got It
Scary as it seems to pay nearly $60,000 for a Hyundai, the strategy of average car companies going big is nothing new. Thing is, most of the time the carmaker will spend a few hundred million dollars developing, promoting and branding an offshoot sub-brand to differentiate the new expensive stuff from the old average guy stuff. It offers something aspirational, something special above and beyond the benefits afforded simply by the toy they've just bought.
Hyundai took the road less traveled here and instead of developing the next Acura, Infiniti or Lexus, simply built a fairly expensive luxury car under the Hyundai banner. Though it should be noted that the message was not lost on Hyundai; with all but the center trunk badge, a unique Equus badge has replaced the H logo on Hyundai's most expensive and ambitious project to date.
We're used to Hyundai scooping up market share in the compact and midsize segments, it's even stealing chunks of crossovers and, well, help us all if the company figures out how to make a minivan.
But skipping steps and running headlong into full-size luxury? Certainly the savings — a 2011 Mercedes S400 hybrid starts at $91,000 while the Lexus LS 460 starts closer at $66,230 — will sway some buyers; they didn't get rich for nothing.
But will it sway us? Will it ride like a luxury car? Will it get valets running as if it were a luxury car? Will it get those failed starlets prepping our coffee all wide-eyed and hopeful like a luxury car would?
We've got 20,000 miles and 12 months with the 2011 Hyundai Equus to figure out. First stop: Starbucks...
Current Odometer: 1,668
Best Fuel Economy: 22.5
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.5
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.4
This vehicle was provided to Edmunds for the purpose of this evaluation.
Follow the long-term road test blog for updates about our 2011 Hyundai Equus.
It plays a little song and performs a quick system check.
I live 41 miles from Edmunds.com HQ in Santa Monica. "No problem," you say, "That's about a 40-minute drive or less." Ha! That only applies when the freeways look like they do above — at 5:00 in the morning which is when I usually go to work. (It has taken as much a 2.5 hours if I leave my house at 7:00 am.)
A benefit to my oh-my-God-o'clock commute is that it gives me an opportunity to test/observe some of the road noise, wind noise, audio systems, and other quiet-time open-road goodies on our test cars like the 2011 Hyundai Equus's adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning system.
Like most radar-based systems, it allows you to set a following distance between "Absolutely Ginormous" and "I can almost tell you what color that license plate is." All of these systems are conservatively calibrated and, especially in Southern California, leave you wide open to those who would like to take away your safe following-distance cushion by diving in front of your car. The Hyundai's is no exception.
Of course, the Equus gently lifts off the throttle and even applies the brakes to maintain the prescribed distance regardless of the target speed you've also selected — sort of. As speeds decrease, however, the Equus's Smart Cruise Control does close the gap accordingly and opens it back up when you approach the target speed once again. Sometimes, however, I wish I could decouple the target speed and the following distance (and run it like traditional cruise control), but I believe the inclusion of the also-standard collision warning system that's also part of many of these smart systems wouldn't approve and would most likely be beeping and flashing like crazy.
The Equus's graphics are crisp and cool. The lane markers you also see are part of the lane-departure warning system that reads the lane lines and illuminates the graphic while it sounds a gentle alert should the driver fail to signal when
wandering
switching lanes. It doesn't have the steering-wheel jiggler like Mercedes-Benz has, nor the ability to nudge the steering (by applying a single brake) to maintain the lane position like Infiniti's system does. Luckily the default setting for lane departure warning is off, and you must select it with the press of a button.
For those of you interested, here's the complete list of all the standard features on our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature (with bolderized items that I feel are significant for what amounts to an entry-level model):
- 4.6L DOHC Tau V8 engine
- Six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC®
- Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS)
- Electronically Controlled Air Suspension with Continuous Damping Control (CDC)
- 19-inch chrome alloy wheels with P245/45R19 (front) / P275/40R19 (rear) tires
- Four-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and EBD
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with TCS and Brake Assist
- Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system with pre-collision warning
- Nine airbags: Advanced dual front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, driver knee airbag, and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags
- Electronic active front head restraints with power controls
- Electronic seatbelt pretensioners
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
- Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
- Smart Cruise Control
- High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights with LED turn signal indicators
- Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFLS) with auto-leveling
- Fog lights and automatic headlights
- Front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera
- Dual power-folding heated auto-dimming side mirrors w/ turn signal indicators and approach lamps
- Dual asymmetrical exhaust tips integrated with rear bumper
- Proximity key entry with push-button start
- Illuminated scuff plates, inside door handles and door armrest
- Premium leather seating surfaces and Alcantara® suede headliner
- 12-way power driver seat plus lumbar adjustment and 10-way power front passenger seat
- Driver seat massage system
- Heated and cooled front seats
- Heated, wood-trimmed and leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel
- Integrated Memory System (IMS) for driver-side seat, mirror and steering wheel
- Leather-wrapped dash and real wood interior trim
- Electroluminescent cluster (Supervision) with 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen
- Electronic parking brake with automatic vehicle hold
- Power windows with auto-down/up
- Navigation system w/ DIS and multimedia controller
- Apple iPad interactive owner's manual
- 608-watt Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround-sound audio system with 17 speakers
- iPod/USB and MP3 auxiliary input jacks and iPod connection cable
- XM® Satellite Radio & NavTraffic® with trial subscription
- Bluetooth® hands-free phone system
- Dual automatic temperature control with air quality system
- Windshield-wiper deicer, rain-sensing wipers and auto-defogging windshield with humidity sensor
- Electrochromic auto-dimming inside rearview mirror with HomeLink® and compass
- Acoustic laminated windshield, front and rear side windows
- Power tilt-and-slide glass sunroof
- 60/40 power reclining and heated rear seats
- Power rear sunshade and rear side-window sunshades
- Luggage net
- Premium-grade floor mats
- Premium-grade trunk cargo mat
- First-aid kit (PIO)
Dyno Test Video
Hey look what I found. A dyno test video of a 2011 Hyundai Equus that we tested last August. For some reason it's not hooked up to our full test of the car so figured not many people might have had the chance to see it. The Equus in the video is the Ultimate trim level four-seater (we have the 5-seater Signature) which has a rear-seat entertainment system, center console fridge, and heating/cooling/reclining bucket seats.
Our numbers were 321 hp @ 6,600 rpm and 291 lb-ft @ 4,950 rpm, compared to Hyundai's numbers of 385 @ 6,500 and 333 @ 3,500. You probably don't care about those but doesn't the car sound nice (00:42)?
Our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature has a very nice profile, with a slightly aggressive stance. The front overhang is short and the wheel to fender gap is pretty small. Those 19-inch wheels help in that regard.
I don't care for the face and butt, though. They both look like a mash-up of a Lexus LS and a Benz S.
Notice the word 'Hyundai' is nowhere to be seen.
Since Magrath is busy running Straightline and finding the perfect recipe for figgy dumpling bread, he has neglected to post about driving to my bachelor party in our Hyundai Equus. Yes, it was the second, mystery car.
As the Chairman, I felt it necessary to take control of the situation.
I suppose I should back up a few steps. The first time I saw an Equus on the road it was on the streets of Seoul, it was black and it was next to another new black Equus. They were everywhere, since like New York, Seoul is covered in black limousines carrying around chairmans and vice chairmans of this and that. So when it seemed only fitting that as the man of the hour, I should declare myself the Chairman and sit in the Equus' grand back seat on the way to Vegas with my buddy Chris next to me and Mike as our chauffeur.
Indeed, this set-up is ideal in the Equus. The Chairman could motor the front passenger seat (if its unoccupied) to its forward-most and folded-most position (yes, I didn't sit behind it, but in the event of an attack, a would-be assassin would assume Chris was the Chairman and murder him instead. You don't get to be Chairman by being careless).
I could also control the stereo, adjust the climate control, power up the sunshades and recline our seats — all of this is without the Equus Ultimate Package, which further adds a right-side La-Z-Boy footrest, ventilation, massaging, a rear-seat entertainment system, an armrest fridge and a butler named Chan-Ho. Many of those items are also available in the Mercedes-Benz S65 (well, the butler's named Fritz), the car I chose in Face-Off Bachelor Party Edition. As such, the Chairman lamented the omission of said package and alerted my chauffeur to my discontent. He turned up the radio to tune me out; I turned it down and continued my discontent.
Nevertheless, the Chairman must say that I was certainly impressed by the Equus. The ride and spooky-quiet cabin conspire to utterly shut out the world and the unsophisticated masses who must suffer the indignity of driving themselves. I can see why my contemporaries in Seoul find it appealing (though they can choose from a long-wheelbase model). However, I alerted my chauffeur that our Equus should have tinted windows. As it was, the damned paparazzi were able to take my picture.
Oh, I've just been told that was Mark and Kurt in the Countryman. Whatever, it should have tinted windows. Oh, even better, it should have curtains. But not lace ones, I'm the Chairman, not the Queen.
We'll have to see what Mike thought about what driving the Equus was like, but as the Chairman, I couldn't care less. As if the chauffeur's opinion matters.
It's dark, cramped and smells like a four-pack of Four Loko. What the hell happened?
Note: tire inflator kit less effective than crowbar.
Naughty pixies! I was almost afraid to choose a winner with so many mischievous comments.
Thanks to technetium99 for this week's favorite caption. And added props to him for some SCTV references.
Here are the others that made us grin:
WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHATTTTTTTTTSSSSSSS UUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!! (ralphhightower)
PARDON ME, WOULD YOU HAVE ANY GREY POUPON? (ergsum)
James Riswick: Canadian Man of Mystery (ergsum)
Cancel the trip - there's already a massage parlor in this car! (oldchap)
This is the "Safe Sex" version of the Equus, "The Trojan Horse". (ergsum)
The Korean Horse: aka Beware Canadians bearing gifts! (technetium99)
Ladies, here I come! (kdragon5)
The Canadian Stallion rides the Korean Equus (mrryte)
JRiz is being deported in style. (mrryte)
I've been thru the desert on a horse with no James (mnorm1)
jriz right before his Equus-ition. (questionlp)
Fun day in a Hyundai (felonious)
Take off, you hoser! (technetium99)
Oh, hai! (felonious)
Now available in the IL gift shop, the "Riswick Bobblehead". (ergsum)
Wanna Horse Around? (actualsize)
Pro: this car is not a stripper. Con: this car is not a stripper! (ergsum)
Blame Canada (e90_m3)
What was your favorite?
To the winner:
You can select one of these three prizes:
- A Kia clock that sorta looks like the Stanley Cup
- GM Design Paperweight
- Flat Stig key ring
The thing about driving from LA to Vegas is that it's boring. Really, really boring. When I go I prefer to take the 9-hour trip through Death Valley because the extra time is worth not being bored. But when there's a bachelor party to make and two guys ( one of them groom-to-be-Riswick ) not wanting to spend 9 hours making a 3-4 hour drive. So we took the highway.
Now, the other thing about these drives is that, with normal people, the fight is over who HAS to drive...when it's between me and James, it's who GETS to drive. I happened to plan the cars for this and had the keys to the Hyundai. Posession is 9/10ths. I win.
And so, that's me driving our Long Term Hyundai Equus to Vegas. That thing on the windshield...it...uh...scares deer.
Here's what you need to know about people: Dudes are jerks. We're essentially just big children who've figured out cooler / more dangerous ways to be annoying.
Here's what you need to know about the Hyundai Equus: Rear seat passengers have control over ALMOST EVERYTHING. So for the first, oh, hour, of driving the passenger seat kept moving (Yep, the chairman controls that), the radio refused to find a constant volume / channel / mode and the sunshades keep going up-down up-down up-down. There's a way to limit these functions, but when you're doing exactly the speed limit on a road full of cops, fiddling with the menu isn't the best idea.
But beyond that, the Equus was born for these horrible stretches of open highway. Power is impressive and the ride is comfortable without being floaty. There's a level of high-speed control you just don't find in a Lexus. And speaking of high-speed control, did you know in the Equus you can set the cruise control to
over 110mph
exactly 75 mph?
The stability of the Equus isn't just reserved for straight-line stuffs, when big trucks or confused old ladies got in the way, there was virtually never reason to use the brakes, just a quick flick of the wheel and the Equus was in the next lane as composed as can be. Sometimes I'd do this to avoid the aforementioned lost soul looking for penny slots, other times, just for fun if The Chairman was getting out of hand.
But the best part about the drive was the Equus' front seat. Sure, it gets a lot of points for fancy-pants rear seats, but the heated / cooled / massaging front seat is great. Not too soft, not too firm, it's just right and easy to get in a comfortable driving position (near vertical seatback, hands at +-10-and-2).
A random surprising bit: Not once did I, as the driver, say "huh" in response to something said by rear seat passengers. Maybe they yell a lot. Maybe my hearing is getting better. Whatever the reason, hearing rear-seat passengers from the driver seat was never a problem. ::shrug::
This photo shows Automotive Editor James Riswick on the way to his bachelor party in the 2011 Hyundai Equus. Felonious suggested we use it for this week's caption contest. So have at it.
What is your caption?
We'll post our favorite this afternoon.
With staffers reeanacting "The Hangover" with Vegas runs in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus it didn't take long to rack-up 2,000 miles on the shiny new luxury sedan.
I've only spent about 100 miles in the car, but that was enough to confirm it's luxury chops. All the things you expect from a traditional top-line luxury model (power, refinement, comfort, high-tech features, silent running) it's got. In spades.
Of course it doesn't have the recognition of its primary competitors, yet. And I'm not 100 percent sure of the Spirit of Ecstacy-eque logo.
But I'm happy to drive it another 2,000 (or even 18,000) miles to make up my mind.
There is something extremely satisfying about throwing a luxury car like our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature through our battery of tests. Watching 4-6,000 pounds of comfortable cruiser accelerate, brake, slalom and skidpad is one of the better parts of the job. Sure, exotics and other sports cars are cool, so are lurid powerslides, but watching a luxo-barge — be it SUV, coupe or sedan — navigate the cones and the dragstrip is great. Like a big dog on a linoleum floor.
So, for protocol and fun, we took our Equus to the track to see exactly what this cruiser can do when pushed. Follow the jump for 0-60, quarter mile, slalom and skidpad results on our Hyundai Equus.
Vehicle: 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature
Odometer: 1,166
Date: 1/25/2011
Driver: Chris Walton
Price: $58,900
Specifications:
Drive Type: Front Engine, Rear-wheel-drive
Transmission Type: Six-speed automatic
Engine Type: Naturally aspirated gasoline V8
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 4,627 / 282
Redline (rpm): 6,750
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 385 @ 6,500
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 333 @ 3,500
Brake Type (front): 13.6-inch ventilated disc with four-piston fixed calipers
Brake Type (rear): 12.4-inch ventilated disc with one-piston sliding caliper
Steering System: Electric speed-proportional power steering
Suspension Type (front): Multilink
Suspension Type (rear): Multilink
Tire Size (front): P245/45R19 98V
Tire Size (rear): P275/40R19 101V
Tire Brand: Continental
Tire Model: ContiProContact
Tire Type: All-Season
Wheel size: 19-by-9 inches front and rear
Wheel material (front/rear): Chrome Alloy
As tested Curb Weight (lb): 4,530
Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 2.7 (2.7 w/TC on)
0-45 (sec): 4.5 (4.7 w/TC on)
0-60 (sec): 6.7 (6.9 w/TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 6.4 (6.6 w/TC on)
0-75 (sec): 9.6 (9.7 w/TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 14.8 @ 96.7 (14.9 @ 96.3 w/TC on)
Braking
30-0 (ft): 32
60-0 (ft): 129
Slalom (mph): 59.5 (60.5 w/TC OFF)
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.77 (0.76 w/TC OFF)
Sound
Db @ Idle: 40.9
Db @ Full Throttle: 72.1
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 60.5
Comments
Acceleration: Not too snappy at launch, but power builds rapidly as rpm climb. Very quiet — even at WOT. Smooth upshifts (man shift N/A due to auto-upshift override); good top end and still pulling hard across finish line. Managed a bit of wheelspin, but it only hurt the times; perhaps it was even punished by electronics.
Braking: Very consistent dist and pedal feel with one anomalous short stop. Seems to be okay with heat but did detect odor at the end. Not-too-terrible dive, zero wander and slightly soft pedal.
Handling: Skidpad: Only a teeny bit to be gained with ESC off and suspension in "sport." Either way, just as understeer begins, throttle goes away. Very good steering feedback telling me available front tire grip. Non-defeat ESC w/slightly larger envelope with it "off." Slalom: Feels far more capable and sorted than results indicate. This doesn't feel like a limo, but hitting cones w/rear tires reminded me. Very good turn-in, good "set" a little slow in transition, but steering remains effective. ESC wouldn't allow oversteer at exit — instead, seatbelt cinches and brakes start grabbing.
I've discerned perhaps the most critical feature in our new long term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. It's not 0-60 time or the number of seat adjustments or cabin decibels at 70 mph.
No, this is a unique feature that could put every other luxury car maker out of business.
You see, the 2011 Hyundai Equus...remembers when you put it in Sport mode!!!
I seriously almost had an accident when I got in the car the morning after driving it home, pushed the start button, engaged drive, started on my way to work, and then saw the Sport light illuminated!
"Wait a second, I haven't engaged sport mode yet. I haven't hit that button since yesterday. Oh. My. God!"
It seems almost every luxury and/or performance car these days offers some form of adjustable driver settings, but very few remember those settings once you shut the car off. This is especially true if the setting is more aggressive (i.e. Sport).
For instance, I can't really drive our long-term 5 Series in the default setting, because throttle response is too, well, non-existent. Seriously, I don't consider the car drivable until I've engaged the Sport setting. And because it always defaults to non-Sport after shutting the car off I have to hit that button every time I start the 528.
I'm pretty sure most cars default to, for lack of a better term, "limp noodle mode" because it's part of the EPA certification process. Whatever engine setting the car starts in is what the EPA uses when determining fuel mileage ratings. Because the Sport mode on the Equus doesn't change throttle response (or fuel mileage) Hyundai can let the car stay in Sport mode at start up.
Even better, the default throttle settings in the Equus don't make the car feel like it's driving out of molasses whenever you apply the throttle from a dead stop. That means there's no need to put it in Sport mode to "fix" throttle response. However, if you put it in Sport mode to tighten the suspension and steering response it stays that way until you bring it out of Sport mode...forever!
As Tech Sgt. Chen said, "It's the simple things in life you treasure."
Are there other cars out there with a similar, "remembered" Sport setting? I'm sure there are but I can't immediately recall them. Help me out guys.
I'm not crazy about some of the interior materials in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature.
A few of the plastics are a bit too shiny for a $59K vehicle.
But check out the gorgeous Alcantara headliner. Audi wants $1,500 for an Alcantara headliner (and rear package shelf) on their new A8.
However, it's standard on the Equus Signature trim level. Way to go Hyundai.
Nothing says old luxury like a big ol' Bentley/Rolls convertible. So I couldn't help park the Equus right next to it. Does it look anywhere near as stately or refined? Not really, but I would much rather drive the Equus than the Azure.
I've driven Bentley convertibles like this one and they're not exactly what you would call precise. Vague and barge-like is a more appropriate description. The Equus on the other hand is pretty maneuverable for its size. It can be a little too soft at times, but if you don't like the extra softness the "Sport" button gets rid of it pretty effectively. I'll admit to leaving off a few times and just enjoying the ride though.
Now would I rather have the Equus or the new, more modern Bentley Mulsanne? That's a different story entirely.
I've been anxious to drive Hyundai's luxury-play car for some time now. It's the vehicle itself, of course, but I also fell for Hyundai's marketing, including the iPad owner's manual and Hyundai's white-glove "At Your Service" program. That's where a valet from Hyundai drives to your house with an Equus or Genesis loaner and whisks your Equus away for its service. The valet also brings along a unicorn whose saddlebags are filled with champagne and foie gras. (OK, I made that last part up.)
Last night, the Equus was mine and I was thrilled. I went through the usual mirror and driver-position settings before leaving work. The seat-adjustment controls are on the door, as you can see in this Hyundai-supplied image (on the passenger-side door). They're as plain as day and totally intuitive, but in my case, habit and muscle memory trumped that. I reached for the controls on the side of the seat, where they reside on many cars. And that's how I accidentally turned on the Equus' massage feature.
In my fumbling, I apparently torqued up the lumbar support, too, so I got a rolling wave of take-no-prisoners lumbar, mid-back and shoulder pressure. For a few seconds, I could not figure out how to turn it off. Had I been expecting a visit from Inga the She-Rolfer, it would have been pleasant. But without preparation, it was a little — intense.
I intentionally engaged the feature again this morning, adding the heated seat and heated steering wheel for good measure. Ahh. Nice. But where are the controls for the sauna?
Thanks to jeremiah4 for this week's favorite caption.
Here are the others that made us leap:
At the auditions for the next trunk monkey commercial.... (technetium99)
It's a trap! (ergsum)
THAT'S the treasure?! (vt8919)
EVERYTHING is included, standard. (oldchap)
Jazz hands! (vt8919)
Mr. Magrath would later described what followed as a "sexy surprise". (dougtheeng)
So the hooker wasn't dead after all. (super_ongoy)
Equus. Now available with trunk monkey. (adamb1)
Smokey and the Trunk Bandit (ergsum)
Dirty Magrath, Crazy Takahashi (ergsum)
ninja > pirate (jacton)
The Avast and the Furious: Tokyo Miffed (ergsum)
I know karate, kung-fu, and 13 other dangerous sounding words! (vt8919)
I use this trunk for smuggling, but I never thought I would be smuggling a Takahashi. (technetium99)
A small trunk is no place for a tall bridge (e90_m3)
Rule number three - never open the package (Falconx84)
Don't worry, his Mark is worse than his Mike. (greenpony)
Tak Attack !! (blueprint1)
Im in ur trunk, mauling ur editor (sherief)
Rule 1: NEVER steal the towels at the Treasure Island hotel. (cjgt)
What was your favorite?
To the winner:
You can select one of these three prizes:
- two Ford USB flash drives
- GM Design Paperweight
- Story of Mercedes DVD
I couldn't resist using this photo in the caption contest. That's Associate Editor Mark Takahashi about to attack Associate Editor Mike Magrath.
What's your caption?
We'll post our favorite this afternoon.
Ipad Owner's Manual
So if you go to your Hyundai dealer and buy a 16 GB WiFi Apple iPad for $60K, you get an Equus for free? Wait, I think I got that backwards.
You do get the iPad with every Equus, but our 2011 long-termer has owner's books in the glove box. I couldn't find the iPad — maybe it's at a colleague's home.
You can download the app here.
Enjoy the video; maybe you saw it last night during the Oscars.
Seat heaters on. Sport mode on.
I like the seat heaters in the Hyundai Equus because they warm all the way up the back cushion. They get nice and toasty, too. I don't really care if my behind gets warm but I like the heated backrest. Ahhh after a long day sitting at my desk.
Sport mode was already on because, as Karl mentioned, the Equus lets it stay that way until you unselect it. It felt good, too. Warms me on the inside. The Equus drives like a large car. Sport helps it feel more manageable.
Have you seen any Hyundai Equus on the road?
Our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature has a useful back-up camera display with both trajectory and proximity guidelines.
It also has two available views: Back and Top. I tried using the Top view (bottom pic) and didn't find it useful. However, the all-around perimeter camera on our departed Infiniti FX50 was awesome. I was able to parallel park that puppy in a space not much longer than the vehicle itself.
But the Equus back-up camera Top view...how do you think you would use this? I suppose you could see the curb better.
It's simply not worth it in the Equus. In addition to its ample legroom, the armrest in the back seat features this extensive array of auxiliary controls. And this is without the optional rear seat luxury package that comes on the "Ultimate" edition.
Not only can you endlessly annoy the person sitting shotgun by moving their seat around, you can fire up your own seat heaters, raise the rear sunshade (there are side window shades as well) and adjust the radio station and volume. Even if you don't feel the need to play with the gadgets, the seats themselves are comfortable enough to fall asleep in.
Such an elaborate and comfortable rear seat setup used to be reserved for the long-wheelbase versions of the big German sedans. Not a bad package to find in a $59,000 sedan.
Our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature has power-folding, heated, and auto-dimming mirrors with embedded repeaters, standard. I like power folding mirrors for parking in tight spaces, or street parking. How many times have all of us seen an old POS rolling with a mirror dangling from the A-pillar?
I was initially befuddled by the folding mirrors on our Equus. When I would return to the car, sometimes they would be folded, sometimes they wouldn't. So I RTFM'ed.
There's a switch to fold/unfold near the mirror adjust, of course. The mirrors can be operated ~30sec after engine is turned Off or to ACC. But it turns out the mirrors can be folded when you press the door lock button on the smart key within 4sec after locking the doors by pressing the same switch. And they can be unfolded by pressing the unlock button on the smart key within 4sec after pressing the unlock switch. So press lock/unlock, then press again for the mirrors to fold/unfold.
I guess I never noticed until I walked back to the car. Mystery solved.
(Hit the jump for a short video of the mirrors.)
Not really. Thought I did, though. Kept pressing the Back button on the multimedia button pad as though it were a Home button (it's not) until it got stuck. Once parked, managed to jam a credit card into a gap and pry it back to its normal springy position. A small reminder that the Equus, nice as it is, isn't primetime luxo just yet.
The button and the action feel a little cheap to begin with, as do many of the dash, console and panel materials. It's all in the right place, the presentation works, and the rotary multimedia controller — falling right to hand as your wrist dangles off the armrest — is really the only way to fly. But everything just looks and feels a bit too knocked-off. Nothing is quite shiny, polished, smooth, brushed or thick enough.
But it's so close. Hyundai is probably only one producer (in this case, maybe an interior designer) away from releasing its masterwork. Only one Rick Rubin or George Martin away from its landmark Sgt. Pepper's or OK Computer. So close.
For one thing, the Equus hauls. The 385-hp V8 brings its mass to bear in a hurry: 6.7 seconds to 60 mph in our tests. And you feel it. Not in a lumbering, uncoordinated way, but more like a rolling boulder picking up steam. A solid metal mass in motion. You could let off the throttle and this horse would probably coast to Colorado.
And dead quiet. This car is so acoustically-treated, so well-damped from the outside world, that it reminds me of riding a Japanese bullet train. You get the same sensation on the shinkansen: just the slight hum of machines at work under thick layers of rubber, air, and acoustic isolation. Slight wind whistle off the windows. A quiet, dreamy hum punctuated by the occasional rising pitch of acceleration.
Which makes the Equus not for everyone, particularly drivers who rate sensory engagement with the road as one of life's pleasures. This likely includes you. That said, if you already own THAT car and simply want a pillowed path through the highway drudgery, the Equus can hang with nearly any of the top novocaine cruisers.
What you save on sticker, you'll pay for through inferior fit and finish, sure. And at $60,000, I don't think I'd want reminders of that every day. Especially priced so close to an M56, or with a new XJ within sight. But not counting Hyundai out at all. It's already changed the family sedan game. The more discerning luxury segment is obviously another nut.
Our long-term $58K 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature doesn't have a one-touch power trunk closer. To get that feature, you have to spring for the $64,500 Equus Ultimate, where it's standard.
I was originally going to carp about how a one-touch power trunk closer should be standard on the lower level Signature. But a little research revealed that for the Equus target vehicle, the Lexus LS460, you need to pony up for the long-wheelbase L model to get it standard. It's optional on the short-wheelbase LS models.
Hmmmmm. It seems like Hyundai benchmarked its competitor's specs too well.
In any event, for those who think one should use his own biceps to close the trunk: we're talking luxury cars here, not some used Ford 500 purchased off the rental car lot.
Complaints? I have more than a few about our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. Many of them concern the quality of the interior materials (additionally, many of the interior materials need improvement.)
But dynamically, I love this car. It's a highway cruiser, for sure. But the ride/handling balance is excellent, one of the best I've experienced in this segment. In Sport mode, the Equus has a flat, controlled ride, with superb impact control. A standard electronic air suspension (optional on the Lexus LS) is responsible for the ride quality, as is an electronic continuous damping control system (CDC).
The 4.6L V8 makes a smooth 385 hp, with a top-notch transmission. The ZF 6-speed auto, with available manual mode, has superb shift timing (in Sport mode) with no shift shock.
If Hyundai would upgrade the interior during the minor change of Equus, this thing will be a real thoroughbred.
"I heard you guys got an Equus," my friend Matt said. I knew what he was getting at. He wanted me to bring our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature by his ice cream shop in West LA. So last night I stopped by. Apparently he was so excited to see the car that he squealed and ran out the door, causing his customers to wonder if something was wrong. But once outside, he walked up to the Equus slowly, checking out its lines. "Those chrome wheels make it look cheap," he said.
I unlocked the doors so he could explore it and immediately he went for the backseat, which made me laugh because that just showed he was more concerned about how it felt being driven around rather than driving it.
Matt liked the feel and comfort of the seats and that they were power-adjustable. When I asked him why he was so interested in checking out the Equus he said that he had seen it in Korea but had never been inside of it and was excited when he heard it was coming to the U.S. "I think it's pretty incredible that a Korean car company is making a $60,000 car and is trying to compete with Lexus and high-end German companies," he said.
So what did he think of it? "The fit and finish is beautiful. It reminds me of a Lexus LS and that's a good thing." However, he was disappointed that once he got in the driver seat he couldn't find the massager. "It shouldn't take this long to find the massager."
As you know, I love all things heated. After the jump, watch a video tour of the heated steering wheel in the Hyundai Equus.
P.S. If you're wondering why we're putting our videos after the jump, it's for our Android users, who are having problems with video on our mobile site.
So I brought our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature to the car wash the other day...
Ha. Fooled you. Or maybe not. But in profile our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature looks a lot like a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, right down to the rims (pointed out by 1487.)
Do you see the resemblance? Perhaps I was just intoxicated from the fumes of the Equus' Alcantara headliner.
Anyway, if we weren't jealous enough, the owner of the Flying Spur was simultaneously getting his Conti GT washed.
We're all in the wrong business.
I took the posh Hyundai Equus to the posh Bristol Farms supermarket yesterday, where everything is overpriced but the quality of the food is exceptional.
As I returned to the car with a cartful of groceries, I pressed the trunk button on the key fob and heard the "pop" of the unlock and then remembered the Hyundai Equus Signature edition does not have an automatic opening trunk lid. On a car with pretensions of Grey Poupon-ism, you'd think the convenience of an automatic trunk lid would be standard. I guess something had to be saved for the Ultimate edition.
This got me thinking about what we're missing by not having the Ultimate Equus. Both versions have the same powertrain and safety features, so the difference is in the features.
What We Didn't Get
- Forward-view cornering camera
- Power trunk lid
- Adjustable 50/50 split rear seats with power reclining function (instead you get adjustable 60/40 power reclining rear heated seats)
- Cooled rear seats
- First-class right rear seat : leg support and massage system
- Rear seat power adjustable (up/down) head restraints w/ manual tilt and wing-out butterfly adjustments
- Fixed rear center console storage
- Rear console refrigerator
- Rear illuminated vanity mirrors
- 8-inch LCD screen, interface with rear DIS integrated control on rear fixed center armrest; DVD player, HVAC, Audio control from rear seat
A forward-view cornering camera would be cool but I'm not really interested in the other things. Just give me my power-operated trunk lid.
Which features would you want?
Perhaps you've read my praise of our Infiniti M56's Intelligent cruise control. If not, the CliffsNotes version follows.
Although not a substitute for simply paying attention, the Infiniti's system does eliminate a great deal of pedal pushing. Same thing for the Equus' active cruise control system. I didn't have a chance to test whether or not it will bring the car to a complete stop and then reaccelerate to a preset speed, but I was close.
I relied on the system to bring the car down to about five mph and then return to speed. It's also a bit better in certain traffic situations than the Infiniti. Say, for example, when someone jumps out of their lane and reduces your space cushion to the car in front. The Equus is less prone to heavy braking here when it's not needed, but will still use the brakes enough to reestablish the gap.
Nice.
More details as I have a chance to experiment.
This was my first weekend in the Equus — out of the trunk, at least. I've gotta say, I really like this car. For a minimum savings of $10,000 compared to a BMW 7 Series, I think I might actually take the Equus. To me, it's just smart money. Sure, depreciation will get you, so maybe one coming off of a lease in a few years. There's just one problem I have with the big Hyundai…
No Bluetooth streaming audio. I know, some will argue that this feature is not relevant. Some will say it's headed for the scrap heap. Let me explain why I wish I had it.
That's my iPhone on the right. It's protected by a Vapor Extreme Metals case made by ElementCase. You see, I have a penchant for well-made and beautifully designed objects that are incredibly inconvenient. This case is CNC machined from a solid block of aircraft grade aluminum, skeletonized to be nearly weightless. Then it's bead blasted and nickel anodized. I think it's gorgeous. But some reports say that it degrades signal quality. I don't care, I hate talking on the phone anyways. But the section that's channeled-out for the dock is only big enough for the iPhone cable that comes with the phone.
That's a problem for Hyundai and Kia cars that use a proprietary cable that is too fat to fit.
OK, fine, it's a problem for idiots like me that bought this case.
But I like Bluetooth streaming audio, and not just because it's a fix for my case issue. Being able to keep my phone in my pocket or backpack seems right for this day and age. Cables seem so last millennium. I realize that I can't browse through my music collection, but I usually set it to shuffle anyways. Plus, I have a tendency to forget my phone in the car when it's in the center console. Of course, being able to charge the phone at the same time is handy, but maybe cordless charging will make it into vehicles as an OEM feature someday.
I suppose if I actually owned the Equus, I'd shave down the iPhone cable to fit my stoopid case. It's not the strongest argument for Bluetooth streaming, but I think it's a great feature nonetheless.
What say you? Flash in the pan or the way of the future?
At 4,000 miles, we haven't had to take our 2011 Hyundai Equus in for service yet but check it out. We wouldn't have to as Hyundai offers a complimentary valet delivery service where the service department will pick up your Equus for warranty, maintenance and service repairs, for 5 years/60,000 miles. So contact them through your fancy iPad app and they'll swing by to pick up your car and drop off a courtesy car, probably a Genesis.
Again, this is Hyundai. Geez, I remember when I had a Hyundai Excel and when my dad and I took it in for service, the sales guy convinced him to trade up to an Elantra. I guess once you get an Equus, you can't go higher than that.
No doubt about it, the Equus is pretty convincing. I took it out to lunch today and was struck by how genuinely high-end it feels — deluxe materials quality, quiet cabin, plush ride. But are people ready to be convinced? There's been lots of talk about whether luxury-car buyers, who can be a status-conscious bunch, would be willing to open their pocketbooks for a lowly Hyundai.
Well, it looks like the Equus is winning some fans; Hyundai reports that its flagship sedan is outpacing sales objectives. First-quarter sales for the Equus stand at 728 units — enough to give the model a six percent share of its segment, according to Hyundai.
Be interesting to see if the car continues to win new converts in the months and years ahead.
I'm not usually looking for a soothing ride. I want feedback, road feel and even a little noise when I'm behind the wheel. But every so often I get in a situation when all I want is a smooth, quiet ride that doesn't get in the way.
Such was the case this weekend as I crisscrossed L.A. in search of various motorcycle parts. All I really needed was a good navigation system and some peace and quiet so I could call stores/sellers along the way. I picked the Equus and never regretted it.
Sure, the Equus has a "Sport" button and all, but I think it feels just fine in the normal setting. Everything on the freeway melts away underneath the air suspension in the standard setting and road noise is minimal. It reminded me of the last Lexus LS I drove. The Equus may not have the brand recognition of the big LS, but it sure feels like one from behind the wheel. That's a good thing for Hyundai. There are plenty of Lexus buyers who could not care less about the brand and simply want nothing more than a smooth, serene ride. If Hyundai can get a few Lexus buyers to try the Equus, there's a good chance they won't go back.
There are some things (quite a few things, actually) that the Hyundai Equus gets right. I happen to like the doors.
The wood looks decent, the plastics are dense and nicely grained, and I dig the quilted thing they've got going on with the leather. My elbows appreciate the fact that all the contact points feel appropriately soft and cushy.
What do you think of the car's door design?
A few of us have criticized the Equus interior. A few of have praised it. I rode the Horse home last night and still found the materials a little downmarket for its class. Repeat, for its class. The leather doesn't feel as rich, the trim pieces slightly underweight. Even the multimedia controller feels a little simple. Not fragile, just too light. Then again, I wouldn't last in product planning; I'd ask for a solid billet disc thick as a hockey puck.
But none of that mattered once I got on the road. What mattered was that the ambient world just kinda disappeared outside of this black hulking mass of noise-cancelling headphone. There's mechanical music, but it's off in the distance. The Equus even paired my phone while I waited at a light (at least one other automaker, also starts with an H, wouldn't let us do that).
And when leaning on the pedal with an open shot to the highway, those interior gripes seemed petty. All you need for a tired drive home, I've decided, are good seats, a good stereo, and a stonkin' V8 (well, a 4.6-liter at any rate). The rest, it's gravy.
Well, maybe not the adaptive cruise control. The Equus radar love seems pretty outstanding. No major braking events when someone jumps in your lane (they do and always will, at least until you get your hands on a Navy laser). Just a nice quick decel and a return to form.
But this thing's got motor. Compare its 0-60 to the LS460 all you like. Doesn't matter. A burly eight with 333 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm, surrounded by a feature-loaded quiet room, a well-mapped infotainment system, and gets 24 mpg highway - not a lot of reason Americans shouldn't like this car.
So the question just becomes, do you spend $60k on a Hyundai? Nearly 800 people this year already have. And data from our colleagues at AutoObserver shows more people are thinking about the Equus. Last month, its consideration among luxury shoppers fell only a couple of percentage points below the Audi A6. And 7% more were leaning to the Equus over the Infiniti M56.
It still lags plenty far behind with those set on a 5 Series or E-Class, but, interestingly, since January more than 7% of Lexus LS and 6% of combined Jaguar XF/XJ shoppers have cross-shopped the Equus.
We've rattled on at length about what a great value this car is. You'll spend $8,500 to option up an E550 with the same nav, killer audio, heated seats and adaptive cruise. An LS460, meanwhile, starts in the mid-$60k's. Add the Comfort Plus package and adaptive cruise and you're in the 70's.
I've decided my judgments on the Equus interior are those of a feeble mind and a sedate right foot. Big motor wins.
Friday night my nephew and a friend were in town. I told them I'd pick them up after work. Now, because I work at Edmunds, I'm the cool aunt. So, I got the following text:
You wouldn't happen to be driving an R8 or GT-R would you?
No, Hyundai Equus.
Oh sweeet.
So, I guess the Equus is cool with the kids. Well, they're not actually kids; they are in their early 20s. But they enjoyed playing with the controls in the back seat while I chauffeured them around L.A. They remarked on the car's comfortable, high-quality interior. They wanted to know what it could do on the highway, what kind of power it had. And they mentioned that they'd never seen another on the road or at their workplaces. One works at a casino and the other in finance.
It's taking the Hyundai Equus some time to catch on with the luxury crowd. Have you seen any on the road?
Photo from IIHS
The large and luxurious 2011 Hyundai Equus scored high marks ("Good" for front, side, rollover and rear crash protection) in the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety's tests earning it the title as a Top Safety Pick. Are you surprised?
Hyundai brass took the opportunity to point out that "the Equus affords buyers state-of-the-art safety for protection in most crash situations" and that it's "a desirable luxury vehicle with quality engineering and world-class safety features."
Suffice it to say, the fact it comes with standard electronic stability control, among a bunch of other safety features, helped those poor dummies sustain minimal damage.
A photo doesn't do it justice, but take my word for it, the headliner in the Equus is pretty plush. A better descriptor would be "sumptuous." It's dense and soft, like a rug you want to walk on barefoot. Looks durable, too.
Little things like this mean a lot in the luxury-car world so it's nice to see that the Equus has this covered.
What does the headliner in your car look like?
We have an open floor plan in our office so we all sit together as one big
germy
happy family. For weeks now, we've all been sneezing up a storm. No one is actually sick but we're tired of saying Bless You.
Do you think it could have anything to do with this canyon of pollen I drive through every day? See video:
That's part of the Ballona Wetlands. (It's also now a designated tsunami evacuation route.) Good thing most modern cars have a clean air filtration system. Or at least, a recirculation button.
How's the pollen count in your area?
The Hyundai Equus got a very exuberant thumbs-up this morning from a guy driving a Toyota Prius, his hybrid plastered with ACCESS OK stickers.
Hmmm...not sure if approval from a Prius Nerd should be viewed as a good thing or a bad thing for the big, upmarket Hyundai.
Rear-wheel drive and a 385-horsepower V8. Sounds like a recipe for burnouts.
Except this mammoth Hyundai needs some real prodding to break those rear tires loose.
Go straight from brake to throttle and you'll be lucky to get a chirp, even with ESC off, because the Equus is hesitant off the line.
Overlap brake and throttle a bit, then release the brakes and it'll light up the rear tires for maybe a second.
Get more aggressive with the power braking and you can, in fact, do a nice rolling burnout. But since the Equus shifts for itself, even in manual mode, you need to keep track of the revs so it doesn't shift to second gear. Do it right and you can leave a nice, long pair of black stripes.
Why is this important information? Because burnouts are fun. And they're even more hilarious when the car you're doing them in is a giant, near-$60,000 Hyundai sedan.
So we missed the Equus's 5,000-mile mark by several hundred clicks. Here's where the odometer rests this very second.
It's taken roughly 2.5 months to arrive at 5,300 miles — easily enough to put us past 20,000 miles in 12 months.
She's still smooth as ever.
I stirred up a baby's hornet's nest last time when I pointed out that our long-term Nissan Juke has a big, ugly airbag seam atop its IP (dash). Yeah, not that big a deal on a $26K vehicle. But I don't think this is appropriate on a $60K luxury sedan like our Equus. Really: what other luxury car has this?
It gives the dash a "straight out of the 90s" look.
Another reason for Hyundai to flush the Equus' interior and keep the great chassis and powertrain during the Minor change.
I noticed this evening that the Equus uses LED interior lights which are not only bright and efficient but also produce a pleasing color temperature inside the car. They're less yellow than traditional incandescent bulbs. Here you can see the even, white light they produce.
Same thing here. These photos were shot at dusk relying largely on the interior lights to illuminate the Equus's interior so you can get a good sense for how even the lighting inside the car is from the LEDs alone.
These images are directly off the camera with no reworking of any kind. I shoot on auto white balance and (you'll have to trust me on this one) the images accurately duplicate the color balance inside the car.
This is a subtle detail, but one that I truly appreciate. Chrysler began using LED lights in certain models a few years back. However, in most of those cars, the light is focused in small areas — too intense here and not present there. In the Equus, there's exactly the right amount of light, it's the right color and it's everywhere.
Win.
Unfortunately, our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus is the Signature version, not the Ultimate.
With the latter ($64.5K vs. $58K for ours) you get:
- Cooled rear seats
- First-class right rear seat : leg support and massage system
- Rear console refrigerator
Like a G6, baby!
The Equus missed Caroline's fleet-wide fuel economy list earlier this week, so here are the details as of today.
It doesn't happen often, but last week this resident leadfoot managed to record the best fuel economy the Equus has seen to date — a 24.6-mpg average over 126 miles across the California desert — even included a few blasts to, well, "higher" speeds.
And if that doesn't excite you, well, fine. Doesn't really excite me, either.
But here are the best, worst and average.
Best: 24.6
Worst: 10.9 (during testing), 11.6 ("normal" driving)
Overall mpg: 17.2
Over the weekend I had my mother and mother-in-law visiting, and I ended up spending a fair amount of time driving them around town for shopping and various errands. Our long-term Equus was a hit thanks to its smooth ride, palatial back seat, effective automatic air conditioning, satellite radio (60s on 6!) and big trunk. Put a suit and tie on me and I might as well been a limo driver.
Both moms were very surprised to learn that the Equus was a Hyundai. I'm sure if I had just told them it was a Lexus they would have been none the wiser.
Every time you get into our Equus or turn off the engine, it plays a tune and shows an animated graphic on the gauge cluster display. Having been driving the car for a few days straight now, I must say that the tune is getting on my nerves. You can hear it in Donna's startup video from a couple months ago. It sounds like a rejected theme from Windows 95 or, as carguy622 commented in Donna's post, "I'm starting a car, not a digital camera circa 2002."
Now, before you fire off about me being a moron or before Hyundai PR sends me a politely worded "you are a moron" email, I shall note that yes indeed one can disable the tune. But it's not something easily accessible in the Equus' main menu commands. Instead, you have to read the manual to find out how to do it and then perform a specific sequence of button pushes that could have very well been taken from a secret cheat move in Tekken 6.
More fitting for the Equus' luxury status, I think, would be a customizable startup sound where you can add your own through the USB port. Ringtones for your car — maybe that's the next frontier.
I'm pretty impressed with the suspension setup and tuning on our Hyundai Equus. There's no question that it's the smoothest riding car in our long-term fleet right now. Around town, it absorbs small bumps and potholes quite well and keeps occupants comfortable. But there's more to it than just that.
On the highway the ride is still pretty supple. Yet the Equus feels secure at speed, and the soft suspension tuning isn't detrimental to handling — sweep into a turn and the big sedan remains stable and pretty flat, even if the tire grip is modest. Basically, you get old-school Buick comfort but without the nautical body motions. You can also firm up the suspension tuning a bit with the Sport mode.
Credit is no doubt due to the car's suspension design, which includes air springs and adaptive damping. The air springs allow for an adjustable ride height. It's hard to detect what the Equus is doing with ride height, but it's certainly doing something as I've noticed the body move a bit and can hear the air compressor activate once I've exited the vehicle. As the driver, you only have control for raising the ride height at low speeds (say, for a bumpy dirt road). Interestingly, the owner's manual notes that the Equus also has a lower suspension position, but it's automatically applied only at speeds greater than 100 mph. I guess that'd be the "autobahn" mode.
I'm looking forward to reading our own Dan Edmunds' eventual suspension walkaround post.
From most angles the Equus is a pretty credible and convincing luxury car. Nice leather, glossy wood, elegant design.
But the center stack is, in my opinion, its weakest link.
Materials quality there just isn't as impressive as you'll find in something German — most of the elements found in this region of the Equus look rather plasticky and lightweight. And overall, the design of the center stack just strikes me as being more ordinary family sedan than high-dollar luxury cruiser.
However, I do kinda like the font and layout used on the display screen, so there's that. What do you think of the car's center stack?
I was dropping my daughter off at school today when one of the other parents saw me and the Equus in the parking lot. "What do you think of it?" she asked immediately. Now, sometimes people ask this question without actually knowing what kind of car it is. Thinking she probably thought it was a Lexus or something, I asked her: "Well, do you know what it is?"
To her credit, she replied: "It's the new top-end luxury car from, well, I forget ... Kia?" Umm, close enough. Anyway, I told her that it's quite nice and I've found it to be roomy, comfortable and quiet. She paused for a moment, and then retorted: "So what's it like driving your grandfather's car?"
Ouch.
There is a kernel of truth here as I doubt I fit the target demographic Hyundai has in mind. My hair isn't gray enough, my 401K isn't funded nearly well enough, and I'd much rather play a round of disc golf than regular golf.
But "your grandfather's car" infers driving a car similar to this. That's not what's going on with the Equus. I've actually come to like it quite a bit. Mostly, it just seems like an honest car. You get in it, you drive it, and it gets the luxury job done. It's not pretentious like an S-Class or 7 Series. But nor do the driving dynamics wander too far off into isolation, as can happen with a Lexus.
I guess my highest compliment for the Equus would be this: It seems like an old-school Acura, if Acura had ever built a real full-size luxury sedan.
About two years ago I wrote a post about our long-term 2009 Hyundai Genesis' clunky iPod adapter. Well, I could pretty much copy and paste that text and apply it to our 2011 Equus. Not much has changed. Seeing as the two cars share the same infotainment interface, maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
The main issue is that there's still no way to quickly scroll through an artist or song list. Many other iPod interfaces in cars these days let you fast-forward scroll or jump to certain letters. In the Equus, it's a laborious process that involves spinning or pushing the main controller wheel up or down for each display page. Heaven help you if you want to get to ZZ Top, as you can't go backwards from A to get to Z.
Also, as Mark noted last month, there's no Bluetooth audio streaming in the Equus.
Are these huge issues? No. But when I'm paying $60,000 for a car, I'd expect better.
The Hyundai Equus is a very imposing car, especially in black. Numerous times, I've noticed cars in front me getting out of my way or thinking twice about moving into my lane. It has presence.
But, it's not especially good looking. Both the Equus and Genesis were clearly designed at a time before Hyundai's current "Fluidic Sculpture" design language was enacted. The Sonata, Tucson, Elantra, Accent and forthcoming Azera all speak that language and are without a doubt distinctive and in most cases, quite attractive.
What might have been had the Equus also been a fluidic sculpture?
This is a fine engine, this 4.6-liter V8 in our longterm 2011 Hyundai Equus. It's velvet-smooth, speaks in hushed tones and has plenty of punch.
It's got this fussy throttle calibration, though, that could be better.
When you're navigating commute traffic in slow-and-go conditions, you notice it the most — there's a tip-in delay that's followed by a whole lot of sauce delivered at once. This latter characteristic is probably intended to make the Equus feel enormously powerful, except it's too exaggerated and makes the Equus unnecessarily jumpy instead. That's not luxe, after all.
The throttle "gain" aspect is purely a calibration issue that's easily changed, were Hyundai so inclined, but I'm not so sure the tip-in delay is as easily remedied.
Mind you, none of this throttle action in the Equus is as obnoxious as that of our BMW 528i.
I never thought I'd see the day when I'd prefer a Hyundai to a BMW. But here we are. Just on throttle response alone, the most recent BMW 5 and 7 Series have broken the deal. And it's not even as though the Equus' response is particularly fantastic, either — Hyundai just managed NOT to screw it up like BMW has. In my time in the big Hyundai last night, I only found one complaint: the display.
The picture above looks great, right? Last night, it looked more like the dimmed version below. With the sun at my back, that display became a mass of grey. I thought it might be the day/night setting, and I was partially correct, it was set on "night." I put it in "auto" mode but that only changed the map — the rest of the menus were still hard to read. I checked the brightness, too, increasing it from its middle setting to full bright. But it the screen was still hard to read.
And this had me a little confused, because other Hyundais I've driven did not have this problem — something for the guys in Korea to think about for the next round of changes. That said, I'm certainly more willing to put up with the screen than a hesitant throttle or rough shifts.
At the risk of being one of THOSE people who always shows you pictures of their pets, kids, etc., here's another one of my dog Mya but this time enjoying her ride in the 2011 Hyundai Equus. She obviously had ample room to get in and out compared to the Fiat 500.
Buckling her in was a cinch as the seatbelt latches were easily accessible, protruding from the seats. We made sure to lower the rear sunshades so she could see out the windows. And when she started panting a lot, I just turned on the rear A/C for her. Gotta love those backseat features. Perfect for a dog, especially the kind that are hand-fed filet mignon and drink water bottled from the Alps. Looking at that above picture I feel compelled to buy Mya a pink Swarovski crystal collar. Hmm.
Scott was talking to some Hyundai people the other day and reminded them we never received our owner's manual/iPad. They thought they had already sent it so they shipped one to us right away.
Here is video of Scott demonstrating some of its features:
Looks pretty nifty. We'll dive into its contents in the coming days.
2011 Hyundai Equus Signature
7,372 miles
MSRP: $58,900
2011 BMW 528i
12,405 miles
MSRP: $60,050
One good thing about the Hyundai Equus coming with an iPad containing the owner's manual — well, two good things.
One is that you get an iPad.
Two, is that you can search the owner's manual for keywords. Nice.
I mentioned in my last Equus post that the big Hyundai gets my vote over our long-term BMW 528i on its throttle response alone. Above is a graphical representation — courtesy of the iPhone Dynolicious app — of what I'm talking about. Compare that to the BMW's after the jump.
Notice how the Equus starts pouring on the power within the first quarter-of-a-second? The BMW doesn't start until the halfway mark. It doesn't seem like much, but behind the wheel, it feel like an eternity. I like the Hyundai's snap off the line — it's as if it trusts my judgement to launch off the line, rather than second-guess me.
To the uninitiated, it can be a little jumpy. After a little practice, though, I found that a light touch is all that's needed for a smooth glide from a stop. Shifts are generally smooth, unless you're really on the pedal — then, it gets a little rough. And that's fine by me.
So far I've been praising the 2011 Hyundai Equus with faint damn.
It's the quintessential Hyundai, a round-up of affordable technology in a package that's an excellent imitation of something else. In this case, we're talking about a kind of entry-level Lexus LS sedan, which is no bad thing, believe me.
But now I think the Equus is better than this. It's actually at the leading edge of luxury car design, a gesture toward the future. Though maybe this is for reasons that we haven't entirely expected.
First, there's a renewed appreciation for value among luxury car buyers, just like with every other segment of car buyers. There's a continuing appreciation for excellence and refinement, but what you get for your money is clearly an even bigger deal than ever. As a result, Hyundai's strategy of selecting only the key attributes of a luxury car and incorporating available technology only when it becomes affordable makes more sense than ever.
An entry-level luxury car at an affordable price has become more desirable than the latest, greatest thing. This has always been true to a certain extent, but now we're seeing more luxury car buyers with this outlook.
Second, the poor relative value of a dollar in the international marketplace means that foreign carmakers can't afford to bring the latest, greatest thing to the U.S. because no one can afford to pay what the technology really costs. We're still seeing plenty of high-tech sedans, but the trend is toward cars like the new BMW 5 Series, which simply downsizes the features and attributes of the 7 Series (and even the basic mechanical platform) at a more affordable price.
Luxury at the right price is the message of the Equus, just as it actually once was for Lexus 20 years ago. It's the right thing for American luxury-car buyers now just as it was then. Right now, Hyundai is shaping our luxury-car future.
Hyundai not only is the new Honda, it's also the new Lexus.
The trunk of our Equus has a big, wide mouth, which of course makes for easy loading. You've also gotta love that flat loading floor, which wrings maximum utility from the available space.
Speaking of space, the Equus' trunk is among the roomiest in the segment. Follow the jump to see how it measures up to trunks in the E-Class and 5 Series.
CARGO CAPACITY
BMW 5 Series: 14.0 cubic feet
Hyundai Equus: 16.7 cubic feet
Mercedes-Benz E Class: 15.9 cubic feet
Our long-term cars get passed around from editor to editor like collection baskets at a church. This plus the fact that our editors come in many shapes and sizes means that we often find ourselves having to adjust the seating in our assigned cars.
The Equus couldn't possibly make this process any easier. As the controls suggest, you can adjust the seat back, the seat bottom, the cushion atop the seat bottom, and the head restraint. I also like the fact that the controls are located on the door, within easy reach.
In a previous post, I blathered on about my love for analog clocks in vehicles, such as the one in our long-term Infiniti M56 (or the nice AMG IWC model below.)
In turns out that all analog clocks in cars are not identical, as evidenced by this cheapo piece in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. Simple and elegant I like, but this thing looks one of those disposable clocks with double-sided tape that you stick on your desk or in your closet.
It's just another thing that has to go if Hyundai were to scrap the interior of the Equus, and remodel it to equal the excellent powertrain.
A friend riding in back noted that the Equus has humongous door openings, and it's true. Combine those gaping apertures with the car's generous front and rear legroom and what you have is a sedan that's very easy to get into and out of.
My friend was having some knee problems, so he appreciated the fact that the Equus makes ingress and egress such a low-drama bit of business.
I imagine ease of access is something that's mostly a concern for those with mobility issues. Is it something you consider when evaluating a vehicle?
This weekend I felt like going old school with my music. So, I listened to some CDs that I haven't loaded onto my iPod.
This coincided with my friend buying a dirt cheap regionless DVD player before the manufacturers stop making them. Some companies have stopped producing DVDs and it's only a matter of time before the DVD player goes the way of the 8-track. He has a lot of movies in this format and wants to be able to play them on something.
It got me to thinking about when car manufacturers will stop putting CD slots in cars. In the rare occurrence that we find a new car with a tape cassette deck, we act like we discovered dinosaur bones in the car. Most manufacturers now assume you will listen to music on your iPod or similar player, or use the car's hard drive (which are also falling out of fashion), or just listen to the radio.
So, what's your best guess, how long do you think manufacturers will continue to put CD players in cars?
After a particularly grueling few days of work I was driving home the other night and found myself getting sleepy. So, I rolled down the windows to let in some fresh air, hoping it would perk me up. But I was on the freeway and the air was smelly so I went to plan B. Crank up the music and sing along. But if I did this all the way home, I'd end up with nodes and a raspy voice.
Then I remembered the Equus has a massaging driver seat. I accidentally switched this on once (the button is on the left side of the seat bottom) and found it pretty creepy. But I remember a Hyundai representative telling us this function was good for long road trips. It refreshes the driver and helps him stay awake.
It's very strange at first. It's pretty aggressive and works its way up and down your back. And it reaches pretty low on the spine. It woke me up for sure. Then I kind of got into it. But I found if you keep it on too long, it ends up relaxing you and then you're stuck with the same problem.
Have you ever tried massaging seats? What's your take?
The manual shift gate in our Equus is on the passenger's side. It should be on the driver's side.
Tell me why I'm wrong.
We like cars that retain settings after after a key cycle. And the Equus does just that. It remembers you turned Sport mode on yesterday and leaves it on when you start the car today.
Now if it actually made a difference in the way the car drives I'd be really excited.
This weekend I realized two things about our long-term 2011 Hyunday Equus.
1) It has no scheduled maintenance light, which is odd and a bit disappointing considering this sedan's price point.
2) According to the Hyundai's iPad Owner's Manual it should have been serviced at 7,500 miles. That was 841 miles ago.
Oops. We'll get the Equus serviced this week and let you know how it goes.
The center console lid on our 2011 Hyundai Equus squeaks. We'll have the dealer take a look at this at its next service appointment. Video after the jump.
Scott reminded us last week that our 2011 Hyundai Equus doesn't have a warning light for scheduled maintenance. So we know it's time for service. And Caroline outlined the Hyundai "At Your Service" maintenance program awhile back. So we know that we don't even need to step foot in the dealership to have the service completed.
But so far, the process of scheduling an appointment isn't as easy as the advertisements suggest.
According to the ad, we can download the Equus Owner Experience App to our Equus iPad, use it to find our nearest authorized Equus dealer and schedule an appointment with our fingertips. Not quite. Here is a quick screen-by-screen tour of the process:
The dealer locator worked fine once the app recognized our position. Tap the dealer of choice and its information displays at the top of the screen. Just hit "schedule an appointment."
From there it takes you through the standardized scheduling protocol. We chose LAX Hyundai, our nearest dealership, first.
Add in the appointment details.
It is nice that the Hyundai recommended service items are made clear before the appointment is even scheduled. Hard to upsell extra maintenance if the information is right in front of you.
Note the transportation prompt. At Your Service offers a valet service and free loaner vehicle. So we tried to change "dropoff."
But under the 'dropoff" menu there isn't an option for pick up from your location. Maybe it was just this dealership, we thought. So we tried another one.
At Southbay Hyundai the app didn't offer the Equus as a selection on its options list. So we couldn't even get to the scheduling prompts.
Nope, nowhere to be found. Good to know we can schedule an appointment for our XG, though.
So after fooling around with the app for 20-30 minutes we were back where we started. The car is still due for service and we still don't have an appointment. Looks like we'll have to go old school and pick up the phone.
When we last visited the subject, our 2011 Hyundai Equus was still due for service. We tried using the iPad app but it didn't work out for us. So we picked up the phone.
Even though the app didn't list Cormier as an option, our first call was to Cormier Hyundai since we've had good experience there in the past. "Sorry, sir. We aren't a certified Equus dealership yet. Would you like the phone numbers for certified dealers in your area?"
Cormier directed us to Southbay Hyundai. "My service manager handles all Equus matters and he is currently out of the office," the service rep on the phone began. "Can he call you back this afternoon?" Southbay didn't return our call. But we gave them one more chance with a follow up call the next morning...
The service manager at Southbay picked up this time. He was extremely courteous, "When would you like us to pick up your vehicle? Yes sir, whenever is most convenient for you. Ok, we can pick it up tomorrow morning. When would you like it returned? I ask that you please allow us about 3 hours to service, wash and vacuum your vehicle. Great, see you then. Is it ok for me to call you later this afternoon to confirm pick up details? My valet will deliver a Genesis for you to drive while we have your car. Will that be acceptable?"
Later that afternoon the phone rang as promised. This service experience started out shaky. But it is moving in the right direction now. Let's hope it continues that way.
Now for the final chapter of the 2011 Hyundai Equus service trilogy. If you recall, our first roadblock was the iPad app glitch. Our second was an unreturned phone call. In the end Hyundai's "At Your Service" program redeemed itself, more or less...
The service manager at Southbay Hyundai, Kelly, called us in the morning 30 minutes prior to our scheduled pick up time. "My valet, Carlos, is leaving our place now and headed to you." The dealership is 18 miles from our office. In a normal town, this might leave plenty of time, but in LA it means we didn't see Carlos until about 30 minutes later than planned. Traffic was cited as the reason. While we completely understand the perils of traffic, we think the service manager should have considered that before promising a pick up time.
Carlos arrived with a black 2009 Hyundai Genesis loaner. He, like Kelly, was incredibly friendly. We made some small talk, "This is our first one," he mentioned, "We had another gentleman schedule pick up of his Equus but he ended up bringing the car into the dealership instead." The process was simple. We showed some ID, signed some paperwork and exchanged keys. Then we watched Carlos install a plastic seat cover and paper floormat, climb behind the wheel of our Equus and head off. Very professional.
Traffic management was not a consideration on the return either. Kelly called to inform us that the service was complete and the car en route to our office just 15 minutes prior to our previously agreed upon return time. He, too, blamed traffic. The Equus reached our office 60 minutes later than originally planned. Although phone calls (and our own knowledge of area traffic) suggested how late the car would be, we were still disappointed. Fortunately, we didn't have anyplace to be. When the car arrived, a still courteous Carlos, left us with a copy of the repair order and was on his way.
"At Your Service" is free for 5 years or 60,000 miles. We paid nothing for the oil change and tire rotation and car wash. The squeaky center console was repaired (hinges were lubed) under warranty. An open recall for the fuel filler door was also performed. So what did we take away from this experience?
- The app doesn't work for scheduling service.
- The guys at Southbay Hyundai are incredibly polite.
- Don't promise a meeting time if you can't deliver.
- This valet service has the potential to be a great feature.
- We still can't believe the Equus doesn't have a maintenance light.
Total Cost: None
Total Days out of Service: None
When Mr. Oldham wrote about our Hyundai Equus not having a maintenance light, I was stunned. I know maintenance lights are relatively recent, but I knew of a 1994 Honda Accord that had one. It couldn't be that complicated to put one in an Equus, right?
Still in denial, I went down to the parking garage and tried to see if I could find a maintenance reminder buried somewhere in the car's menu or for a mention of it in the owner's manual. No such luck. More and more, it seemed true that the Equus does not have this basic feature.
Next, I began to look at the records of Hyundais we've had in our fleet (two Sonatas and a Genesis). It turns out that those didn't have maintenance lights either. Not having this valuable reminder had caused us to let service appointments slip past their due dates or — worse — miss them altogether. Failure to service your vehicle within the proper interval can sometimes have nasty warranty-voiding implications.
Finally I contacted a Hyundai spokesperson and asked why the automaker didn't provide maintenance lights in their vehicles. This is was Hyundai's response:
"Our new Blue Link telematics system, introduced on 2012 Sonata, Hybrid, and this fall on Veloster, has a maintenance alert function for owners. This system will alert customers of any maintenance needs in a number of ways, depending on customer preference: in-car notification, email alert, text alert, or via the customer's account on myhyundai.com. Blue Link is rolling out on all Hyundai models on a progressive basis, as soon as telematics integration for the specific vehicle program allows the upgrades. For Equus, due to its unique electronics and telematics development program, Blue Link will be added in early 2013. Many other Hyundai models will receive Blue Link during 2011 and 2012, as soon as possible."
OK, so rather than install a simple mileage-based maintenance light, Hyundai instead chose to go the subscription-based-service route, like OnStar. A key difference between those two is that GM cars still have an oil life monitoring system, regardless of whether you've kept up your OnStar subscription.
Hyundai Blue Link has three tiers. According to the Web site, the "Maintenance Alert" is available on the mid-tier "Essentials" package. New cars will come with a three-month complimentary trial period. But what happens after that? If you want to continue to get the in-car maintenance alerts, you'll have to renew your Blue Link subscription at a cost of $179 for one year, $315 for two years, or $448 for three years.
To be fair, the Blue Link Essentials package is more than just a maintenance alert. The Essentials package also has features such as a stolen vehicle recovery and slowdown, recall advisor, remote vehicle start and voice text messaging. But if your main concern was the maintenance alert, it is going to cost you.
In the meantime, Hyundai owners can keep using the low-tech maintenance reminder in the upper left corner of the windshield. We were impressed that our dealer actually wrote down the correct mileage for the next service (rather than the typical 3,000 miles we've seen at other service departments). And if the sticker happens to fade in the sun, you can always use our DIY solution.
Last week I parked our 2011 Hyundai Equus on this hill. The angle of the picture is not exaggerated, this was a steep one. The Equus sat for about an hour before I returned.
When I climbed inside and pressed the start button it fired up just like any other time. But an instant later it began to sputter. The coughing lasted 4-5 seconds at which point it stalled out completely. I pressed the button again and the Hyundai started right up, only this time it remained on.
Not another peep since.
I can only speculate as to the cause of these scratches on the steering wheel of our 2011 Hyundai Equus. My guess is jewelry. And based on my guess, the steering wheel lost.
I love driving our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. It has a smooth ride and an excellent powertrain. But much to my dismay, I had two electrical glitches during Carmageddon weekend.
In the first instance, editor John Dipietro and I had just finished some bike dreaming at Bartels' Harley-Davidson when the volume on the Equus puked. The radio was active, the volume level and knob worked, but no sound emitted from the speakers, as if it was muted. We tried everything including changing the source to iPhone, cycling the engine On/Off, and even the dreaded RTFM! No joy.
Frustrated, we decided to grab some chow while we decided the Equus' fate. When we returned and started it up...Ta-Da! The radio was working normally and did not fail again. Huh.
Later in the weekend...
Later in the weekend I tried to enter the driver's side door using the door handle and smart key in pocket. It wouldn't open. I tried pressing the button on the exterior door handle as on some vehicles this unlocks the door. But on our Equus' this locks the door, so of course this didn't work. It tried re-locking from the key fob and pulling on the handle with smart activation. After that I tried using the key fob unlock switch directly. Still no luck. At this point I noticed that the other doors on the car did indeed unlock.
So I opened the passenger door and tried to unlock the driver's door with the armrest switch. This also failed. So I finally reached across from the inside and manually flipped the driver's door lock. It had simply stuck, for whatever reason.
Neither of these two problems recurred for the rest of my weekend time with the car, but these events, combined with Schmidt's recent stall out, make me wonder about the long-term reliability of our Equus.
There is something interesting about watching all those zeroes turn up. The first time I ever saw 100,000 miles, it was in a Datsun 1200 on a little road in the Absarokas on the way into Yellowstone National Park.
But the 2011 Hyundai Equus did not hit the 100,000-mile milestone in Montana. It was 10,000 miles in Los Angeles.
Actually I was on my way back home from San Francisco at about 11 p.m. and turned off on Sepulveda Boulevard (at 42.8 miles, it's the longest street in Los Angeles), hoping for some colorful place for a picture right as 10,000 miles came up. Instead it turned out to be a coin-operated carwash near the intersection of Sepulveda and Manhattan Beach Boulevard.
Manhattan Beach is a pretty nice neighborhood. Vasek Polak made his fortune just down the street in Hermosa Beach by selling Porsches to aircraft engineers and used to have a showroom filled with Porsche racing cars. There's even some big John Cerney artwork that advertises the nearby Volkswagen dealership along the San Diego Freeway, a nice bookend to the way this trip to Monterey and San Francisco started out.
Yesterday was a good day. To reward myself, I picked our Hyundai Equus to shepherd myself to and from Oxnard for a Michelin Design Challenge dinner. At the dinner, I found redemption and validation for all of the decisions I've made over the last 25 years. While I generally don't live with regret, the "what ifs" in my life have always been in the background. No more.
On the way home, I took the coast route. Pacific Coast Highway between Oxnard and Santa Monica is a wonderful stretch of road that provides a driver with beautiful scenery and plenty of time to reflect. And at that moment, the Equus was the perfect car at the perfect time.
Its quiet cabin let the music permeate my brain unfiltered. The big V8 engine delivered effortless power that I likened to a modern highrise elevator – smooth, linear and unstoppable. The ride was fluid without being floaty and gave me the impression of low-level flight instead of driving. It all allowed me to get lost in my thoughts and look forward to the road ahead.
All of this can be said of the top-tier luxury sedans, for sure, but the Hyundai managed to accomplish this at a fraction of the price of a Bimmer or Benz. Some may consider the Equus a knockoff of the established German sleds, but Hyundai created something that is on par and on point. Car snobs would likely turn their noses up at it, but I'm convinced that the vast majority wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the driver's seat.
(Note, like with most issues with the Equus, this entry firmly belongs in category: Equus, subcategory: first world problems)
Last night in the Equus, one of those silly questions came up that only comes up in the first few thousand miles of actually owning a car. It was something trivial that I don't even remember now. Something about capacities or fuses. It's unimportant and was quickly replaced by "Oh man, this has an iPad as an owner's manual. Awesome!"
Except, not awesome. The battery was dead. I figured I'd have to plug it in to figure out what needed figuring out. Except that my iPhone was plugged in and I was kind of into what I was listening to. Whatever, the Toasters could wait. So I plug it in and, like any i-product, it took a while to get enough charge to start. It's here that I start wondering what would happen if, say, the issue I was Ring TFM for was electrical? I'd be lost!
Redundantly, Hyundai provides a real, enormous, leather-bound owner's manual too. That's nice, but with both in the car, there's precious little room in the glove box. More accurately, they don't actually fit. Slamming the glove box and hoping for the best seems to work, though.
Saving a bunch of paper, leather and space and putting a second iPad/pod dock in the glove box seems like an easy fix for this expected problem.
(Also, it's damned near impossible to take a picture of an iPad inside a car. Might as well just replace it with a mirror.)
Well, it's a big country. Sometimes you don't end up where you expected. I'm not sure this is because I pay too much attention to navigation systems or too little.
This is how I came to be in the Hyundai Equus at Blackwell's Corner, the place where James Dean stopped for a quick snack on the way to his appointment with fate on the other side of the hills to the west back in 1955. And no, there were no comments from bystanders about the startling resemblance between the Equus and Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder.
It all started with setting the destination on the Equus's navigation system, which is like playing 20 questions with a bad girlfriend.
Left (too late!) on a Friday afternoon for a run to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Can make this trip almost blindfolded a couple of different ways, but was expected for dinner and wanted to ensure the quickest elapsed time and a running update on my ETA for the people who were wondering when I'd arrive. Plus CalTrans had shut down a lane of Interstate 5 in the Central Valley, potentially choking the flow of traffic on a busy departure day for northbound travel.
But it's hard to get this across to a navigation system. Like a bad girlfriend, it starts with a simple question ("Are you busy this weekend?"), and you know the true purpose of the line of questioning will only be revealed much later, when you're suddenly cornered into giving your final answer. It's like a cross-examination in a courtroom drama that you know will lead to the electric chair.
In this case, the navigation system already has in mind the way it wants you to go. You know it'll get you there, even though you'll always be wondering why it's chosen the particular route. But in this case, it would likely choose a route that everyone else would be taking too, putting me into the thick of traffic.
My only hope seemed to be to pick out a kind of alternate route, which proved to be pretty easy in this case since I knew the ground. Except making the map the right scale for choosing an alternate route (big) and the right scale for selecting highways (small) is not easy with an electronic display. And then you have to trick the navi into choosing way-points along the route in order to set the electronic logic on the right path.
It's not easy, another reminder that navigation systems are better for shuttling around a city than rocketing across an open stretch of country.
In the end I crashed together an overly complicated route that pretty much ended up no quicker than the one that the navi would have picked on its own. It shows me again that the computer plays 20 questions with us because it knows we'll just pick the wrong answer otherwise. In this case, my enthusiasm for any route that incorporates the word "cut-off" led once again to disaster, just as it did for the Donner Party back in 1846.
I tried to evade the backup on Interstate 5 by going north on U.S. 99 through Bakersfield, then cutting across to I5 again on the Shefter highway (it goes right by an airport where James Dean won a sports car race with his Porsche 356), instead of the usual way on CA Hwy 46 (Dean's route toward Paso Robles on that fateful weekend). I was headed to the Lerdo Highway cutoff, which runs past I5 right next to the SCCA's Buttonwillow Raceway.
So I'm running through the endless groves of pistachio and almond trees on the west side of I5 at a good rate (we might not know where we're going, but we're making good time!), and I can't help noticing that the navigation system says the road ends not too far ahead instead of cutting across to CA Hwy 33 as I expected.
And finally there I was at a stop sign with a road right in front of me that seemed to stretch to the horizon toward Highway 33 only the navigation system tells me that it didn't exist. This happens all the time with any navigation system, of course, since roads seem to be built quicker than the map database is updated, especially in rural areas.
So I went ahead after a moment of reflection and sure enough found Highway 33. Used to be so lonely out here that Bob of BAE (Bob's Automotive Engineering) Turbos said he touched 200 mph in his turbocharged Ferrari 512BB back in the 1970s. Actually it's still pretty lonely. But even after cutting up to Blackwell's Corner at a good rate of speed, it became clear that I wouldn't be making dinner in a timely fashion, so I stopped to call the guys in Monterey.
On the upside, the James Dean signage was another opportunity to admire the artwork of John Cerney, which is everywhere between here and Monterey. I remember it first in 1986 as a tableaux of 1950s cars on the front of that old barn along CA Hwy 68 between Salinas and the front gate to Laguna Seca Raceway. The barn is still there, only the scene changed first to a typical California roadside produce stand in 1997 (I have an art print of it) and now to a kind of mock advertisement for vegetables.
You're more likely to see Cerney's numerous giant figures in the fields along Highway 101 between King City and Salinas, as well as The Farm, which is at the intersection of Highway 68 and the cut-off (there's that word again) to the Spreckles facility, which once was the capital of the local sugar beet industry. Cerney's work can also be seen in Arizona, plus the advertising signs for the Volkswagen dealership here in nearby Manhattan Beach seem like his work.
So there it is again. I look for a short cut and find myself gawking at random roadside attractions along the way. Someone should keep track of stuff like this. Oh, that's right, they do at www.roadsideamerica.com.
Last week our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature turned a milestone, its 10,000th mile. We've been driving the car since February, so the Equus is on schedule to do 20,000 during our 12 month test.
So far durability has been excellent. The Equus has need no service or fixin' with the exception of its scheduled 7,500 mile service which was courtesy of Hyundai. No charge.
As far as fuel mileage, we've been averaging 17.6 mpg over the entire 10,000 miles.
Well, that was fun while it lasted. According to USA Today's Drive On blog, Hyundai is killing off the Equus' iPad-based owner's manual for the 2012 model year.
Hyundai Spokesman Jim Trainor said that the iPads were only intended as a one-year promotion which is why every Equus comes with a real owner's manual in the glove box. (Well, for that and when the battery dies.)
The digital version will still be available for download, but you'll have to supply your own tablet.
Does this matter at all? Was an iPad ever the tipping point for the purchase of an Equus?
Here's an informal poll: Do you ever use cargo nets?
Sometimes I find them useful. But it depends on the way they are configured. The way this one lays flat doesn't seem very practical to me. Maybe for something shaped like a pizza box. Or I could fold it over and use it to hold grocery bags.
But most of the time I just don't bother using the nets at all, no matter what car.
What do you do?
Thanks to technetium99 for this week's favorite caption. Here are the others that make us giggle.
Will the Equus "produce" enough sales to be successful? (ergsum)
That's what I call Headroom (noburgers)
It's how we cabbage roll. (ergsum)
A lot of car for only a little cabbage. (ahightower)
Luxury for less cabbage (blackngold1000)
The guys at Hyundai put their heads together and produced a fine luxury sedan (deanoflas)
A scene from the vegan Bond movie "From Romaine With Love". (ergsum)
A scene from the vegan Bond movie "Live And Let Endive". (ergsum)
Kimchi, anyone? (_feloniousmonk)
Equus me, your lettuce is hanging out. (jstandefer)
Baggage? Oh, I thought you said cabbage. (ed124c)
Hyundai slaw what was needed and put their heads together. (snipenet)
Looks like another front bumper crop (stpawyfrmdonut)
Lettuce get the heck out of here! (sherief)
One is tossable and one isn't (stpawyfrmdonut)
I'm nuts over this Equus. (technetium99)
Equus: Don't leaf home without one. (stephned1003)
You've never heard of the Hyundai Equus? It's the car that made the Arugula run in less than 12 parsnips. (ergsum)
You should see my wife's melons. (wshuff)
What was your favorite?
To the winner:
You can select one of these three prizes.
- Top Gear Season 14 (Blu-ray only)
- MOPAR t-shirt (size M or L)
- Imported From Detroit t-shirt (size L)
Michael Jordan took this picture of our Equus on a road trip. And a few of you asked me to use it in the caption contest. How could I not?
Lettuce see what your caption is.
We'll post our favorite this afternoon.
The Hyundai Equus does not come with radio preset buttons. To get to the presets of each individual radio mode (AM/FM/XM), you must ...
1) Get to the mode's main screen (pictured after the jump) by pressing either the AM/FM or XM button that surrounds the multipurpose knob.
2) Push the multipurpose knob left
3) Twirl knob to Presets menu item
4) Press the knob
5) Twirl knob to your desired preset.
Contrast this with the system of cars that keep their radio preset buttons...
1) Press desired radio mode button.
2) Press button 6.
If in certain GM vehicles or other with a mode mix/match, skip step 1.
Yes, I could do it with the steering wheel buttons, but that's not especially efficient, either. Now, this lack of preset buttons plagued the original iDrive and every MMI-equipped Audi that came along until the A8, A7 and A6 added the little touch pad (not that either is an especially ideal solution). This also isn't limited to cars with a knob-screen system. Jaguar and older Lexus, for instance, use a touchscreen that has virtual preset buttons in its audio menu that disappear once you go to another screen.
I prefer the redundancy of Mercedes' COMAND or whatever Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti call their systems. Sadly, though, it looks like in the era of navigation systems and fancy electronics interfaces that regular old radio buttons are disappearing. I'm sure someone's going to say "But I like a clean-looking dash!" or "Who the hell listens to the radio any more? I'm cool because I use Panda Live Streaming Newcaster 4000 using the Wombatunes iPhone app."
Well, I listen to the radio (still the easiest way to hear new music) and when I do, I want to quickly change the channel. The Equus doesn't allow me to do it.
If I was a rich man (cue Topol), I'd undoubtadly own some sort of large flagship luxury sedan with a giant engine. Say a Mercedes-Benz S63 or a Jaguar XJ L Supersport. All those features, all that grandeur, all those different ways to move, cool, heat and massage my butt. I'd drive it to work and I'd drive it on a whim to Portland for some Voodoo Donuts with Niebuhr and Takahashi riding in the back (Magrath inevitably wouldn't respond to my instigating text message and will consequently be left at home).
However, I'd also need a sports car for the weekend when I'm feeling frisky. Aston Martin DBS, Mercedes-Benz SLS or even a BMW 1 M (oh how I loved that). I shouldn't have to describe what I'd do with those.
Sadly, I am not a rich man.
Although the Hyundai Equus would not literally be purchased by a poor man, it's certainly what you'd call a "poor man's" rich man car. It has all the size, bells and whistles as those grand flagship sedans, but at a fraction of the cost (and engineering excellence). There's also the fact that I don't actually own it, so there's that.
As such, I embarked on a poor man's rich man's weekend. I drove the Equus home from work on Friday, impressed friends with its back seat on Saturday, and come Sunday morning parked it in the garage in favor of something frisky. In lieu of an Aston Martin DBS, I had to settle for a circa-Brosnan Bond choice instead: my Z3 2.8. It was still a whole lot of fun and certainly encourages me to work harder for the day when I can have a real rich man's rich man's weekend.
What would be your two rich man's weekend cars?
Some friends and I made plans weeks ago to go to San Diego this past Sunday for the number retirement ceremony for MLB's current all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, followed by the Padres/Marlins game. There would be four of us, and since the two rear-seaters are six-footers, I didn't want to mess around with midsize cars like our 528i (which I know can be cramped in back) or the M56. So I picked our 2011 Hyundai Equus.
Spending last week in Seoul made me more enthusiastic about driving the Equus because this is the top home-market car there. Sonatas and Optimas are for regular people (and taxi drivers), but the Equus is the limo for dignitaries, and there are plenty of decade-old first-generation cars still on the road and still looking dignified. They're all painted black like our long-termer.
We set out for San Diego early Sunday morning. Right away, I noticed the suspension's preference for floating and bobbing over expansion joints and ruts. I switched to the Sport damping mode to see if that provided a little more control, but it just seemed to make the ride harsh. So back to normal mode. Yeah, the ride's floaty, but it's pretty comfortable, and 250 miles later, it was still pretty comfortable.
I can't say I'm surprised, really. The Equus' chassis tuning is likely a product of South Korean driving conditions: terrible traffic in Seoul, combined with really smooth, toll-subsidized highways once you get out of the city. You don't really need a lot of precision to take care of that.
Meanwhile, everybody in the rear seat was happy. "Make sure you say in the blog that the 'Korean Royalty Car' has plenty of legroom for two six-foot men in the backseat," one of the occupants advised. Done.
Although our car's 4.6-liter V8 feels a little shy on low-end grunt, there's certainly enough torque here for easy passing. Occasionally, the six-speed automatic was slow to figure out what I wanted under part-throttle, but flooring it generally yielded the desired result.
Oddly, there was a lot of wind noise coming into the cabin, most of it concentrated on the front passsenger side, as if the door or window isn't sealing properly. Hmm. Road noise wasn't bad at all for a car with P245/45R19 front and P275/40R19 rear tires.
The navigation system accurately guided us to two restaurants and the Padres Parkade, letting us know on which side of the street we'd find our destinations (something that doesn't happen in our long-term 528i). Interestingly, the nav system recommended against using the Highway 73 tollroad on our way out of Orange County — thus helping us pinch every penny like a good Hyundai should.
While we were in San Diego, the Padres retired Hoffman's number — 51 — and the event was well attended by various Padres' legends, including Tony Gwynn, of course. In some kind of poetic injustice, Hoffman's heir, current closer Heath Bell, blew the save but salvaged the win as the Padres defeated the Marlins in 10.
I checked the oil yesterday in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus, and the level was down at the low mark on the car's analog dipstick. However, that is absolutely *not* seen in this photo, because by the time I'd finneagled (phinaygulled?) My First DSLR into my other right hand while still holding the dipstick in my other left hand, gravity had caused the bead of oil to run down to the full mark (and I didn't notice until I pulled up the images on my computer). But trust me, it was at the "L" mark! Or don't trust me, because what do you care, you're never going to own this particular Equus.
So I needed to add oil. As usual, the iPad owners manual was not charged, so I reached for the analog version of the Equus manual, which includes two main volumes (one for the car, one for its cabin electronics), plus numerous supplements. Conveniently, the back of the main book tells you exactly which kinds of oil you can use and even refers you to the specific pages of the owners manual where you can go to get more information. This is incredibly handy.
It turned out we had some of the appropriate 5W20 on hand at the office, but I couldn't find a funnel. This was too bad. You see, althought the dipstick and oil fill point are located right near the front of the engine compartment to minimize your reach, the filler mouth is smaller in diameter than I'd like (I should have taken a photo... sorry) and it was hard to pour the oil in without slopping it over the sides. I did a fair (but not good) job of wiping it up.
Chrome wheels with black paint: Yes or No?
Personally, I'm no fan of chrome wheels. Period. But I'll take black and chrome any day over yellow and chrome.
You?
A night out on the town in the Equus really brought out some of its strong points. A cruise down Sunset Boulevard allowed me to enjoy the smooth the ride and how the big sedan accelerates with authority when called upon. It really hits all of the marks that, at least for me, define a luxury sedan.
The Lexicon sound system is equally adept at delivering clean, crisp tones as well as rock out with some thumping bass. The cabin is quiet as a crypt, allowing for whisper quiet conversations. As much as I like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, I would probably spend my own money on the Equus. Some might say the depreciation is a killer on the Hyundai, but really, the Benz gets dinged pretty hard once you sign on the dotted line, too.
As for the people who think the badge is a deal breaker, I say, get over it. When I see someone driving either an Equus or Genesis, I think to myself, "there's a smart shopper who knows the value of a dollar."
Of course our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature has rear seat window blinds. Duh, it's a luxury car; this has been mentioned before here. But Hyundai doesn't make you raise and lower the blinds manually, as if you're hanging wet laundry on the clothesline. Please.
The blinds are power operated, using the same switches that raise and lower the rear windows. The operation cycles between the shade and window. Press down to lower the shade, then again to lower the window. Same for up.
Genius.
Hit the jump for the spectacular vid of the power rear blinds in action.
Here's a feature my wife noticed while driving the Equus earlier this week. Her legs are considerably shorter than mine. That fact, in combination with her need to recline the seat somewhere past vertical, gives us wildly different driving positions.
Similarly, long-time fans might remember this favorite from the way-back machine in which readers advised her on seating postion. I fired back. It was funny. Or at least it is now.
Anyway, her femurs are short and so is her torso. So she jacks the seat up to the ceiling and — where possible — minimizes the seat bottom length. That's a feature the Equus executes effectively by moving the entire seat bottom under the seat back. Here's how it works:
There are probably four inches of adjustment here — more than that of most other cars which offer this feature. Also, it allows a one-piece seat bottom, which is preferable.
Nice.
When I posted the fab video last week of our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature's power-operated rear sunshades, eagle-eye reader wizard8873 noticed the dual rear window switches.
"Do I see two window switches back there? If so, can each side open/close the other window or is that separated for the window/sunshade for the rear passenger?"
Damn this guy is good. I assumed that each of the dual switches separately controlled the window and shade for that side of the car. They don't.
As wizard keenly surmised, each switch controls either the left or right side rear window and sunshade. And both left and right rear passengers have the dual switches and control of the both sides of the rear windows and shades.
This is a unique feature I have never seen in any other vehicle. But is this useful for the semi-rich Equus owner?
I suppose you could lower the opposite window to vent the rear seat without mussing your hair...any other ways to use this?
I discovered this weekend that our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature's wheel and a median curb cannot peacefully co-exist. The damage is just cosmetic, as the tire is not leaking and the car tracks straight with no vibration.
To err is human; (for Vehicle Testing Manager Mike Schmidt) to forgive is divine.
This post won't mean much to anyone who hasn't dealt with rear-facing child seats. But those who have will marvel...
...at the photo.
There's actual space between the seat back and the baby seat.
This is the arrangement when the front seat is positioned for my wife (who's 5-ft, 4-inches tall), so it's not pressing the limits of seat travel by any means. But you can see the space available. And I should know when to be impressed having squeezed this massive contraption in far too many cars.
This brief video shows how the Hyundai Equus moves the steering wheel so you can get in and out of the car. When you shut down, the steering wheel lifts out of your way. When you start the car, it moves back to your driving position.
It remembered my driving position even though I did not set myself up as driver 1 or 2. I didn't use the memory settings at all.
Thumbs up.
Love them or hate them, the only thing agreed upon here is that you, our readers, love discussing them. We're talking about the all the power convenience features on our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. Reader cjasis used the technical term, "gizmos."
Another gizmo on our Equus is the inner power passenger seat adjust switches. From the driver seat you can adjust both fore/aft and seatback rake. I suppose you can use this to give more comfort to the Samsung executive in the rear seat, or to prepare your front seat passenger for some good times at Make-Out Point. How do you say, "The Gentleman Function" in Korean?
Anyway, the most interesting thing about this string of posts, as observed by reader texases, is that our Equus is now in the same discussion circle as the Lexus LS, BMW 7, and Benz S-Class.
As texases said, it's quite the compliment!
As you can see, our Equus has a rather odd rear quarter window. Too small to see much out of and too big to do away with, it just sits there with no good reason to exist. It's not like you need more window area either as the main rear window is quite large on its own.
So why is it there? Not sure. It could be some kind of regulatory issue, or maybe Korean businessman have a high incidence of claustrophobia. It's a marked contrast to the Rolls-Royce Phantom which purposely closes out this area to give rear passengers more privacy. I think I would prefer it that way, too.
I'll be the first to admit that Los Angeles is a crazy place and the cars we see here are, unfortunately, not representative of most of the country.
For example, in the last week I've seen more Bentley Mulsannes than I have new Ford F-150s, more Ferrari 458 Italias than Chevy Cruzes and more Toyota Prii than, well, pretty much anything. But I haven't seen an Equus.
When the Genesis first came out they were everywhere. It seemed that a good deal of people jumped on that train, including a number of car services in the Beverly Hills area. But no Equui.
Are they in your area?
Schmidt already alerted you to the premature driver-seat wear in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus. Not only is the light-colored leather discolored, it's loosening up. When I took the Equus to San Diego a couple weeks back, I noticed that the wear is especially obvious compared to the backseat, which still looks like new.
We had the same thing happen in our long-term 2007 Azera, but that car cost half as much. I understand the importance of cleaning and conditioning leather in a car you're going to keep for 10 years, but imagine if you'd leased an Equus and had to deal with this... hello, excessive wear and tear charges. Might not be a bad idea to give some thought to switching seat suppliers.
As I got ready to drive home last night in the Hyundai Equus, I adjusted the climate controls to my usual liking: 67 degrees, air flow mode on bi-level allowing air to my face and the floor, and vents positioned the way I like them.
But as I was driving I kept feeling heat around my waist. I checked to make sure the seat heaters were off. They were.
Someone had dialed the rear passenger vent to hot. And that hot air was curving around my seat and hitting me.
As the driver and therefore queen of the car, I should have been able to adjust the controls from the front seat. But the back seat passenger is king in the Equus. I call treason!
I was there when the CEO of Hyundai North America, John Krafcik, brought the Equus to our office for us to drive. It was a big deal. Hyundai was emerging as a threat to other auto makers and they expanded their vision to the luxury market. People were taking notice.
The Equus is a solid vehicle. The risk Hyundai took in creating this vehicle made them a big target for failure and criticism. Having the perspective of being in the prototype the day Mr. Krafcik stopped at our office, I'm so glad one element didn't make it into production.
This winged.... thing.
Mr. Krafcik mentioned there was an internal debate on whether to keep it or not. The wings on the domestic Korean market Equus' are prominently featured, but I'm glad the conservative voices of taste within Hyundai N.A. won.
Hyundai has done amazingly well in recent years with revitalized product. With the Equus, they're looking to gain a lot of respect as a true player in a segment dominated by the "benchmark" European and Japanese brands. In my opinion, this detail might have been a reach too far for North American buyers. I honestly believe many potential buyers would have laughed at the wings if it remained in production.
Am I being too much of a snob? Would you mind seeing the wings make it through to production? Or do you agree with me and think North American buyers would scoff at the wings?
After a long hard day, it's nice to get into the Hyundai Equus for the drive home. The interior is peacefully quiet and the ride is smooth and confident. I remember our former long-term Genesis also had a very quiet cabin.
After years of being an Acura owner, a brand not known for its sound insulation, I appreciate a gentle ride. My Integra sounds like a skateboard by comparison.
When I was at the car wash with the Hyundai Equus yesterday I spotted a black Lincoln Town Car and a big black Mercedes. They all sort of blended together as the big black boats.
With the Lincoln Town Car officially out of production as of this year, could the Hyundai Equus take over its luxury limo duties? Will it be shuffling executives to and from the airport? Will it be the choice of senior prom teens in the future?
Is the Hyundai Equus the new Lincoln Town Car?
Edmunds and Chief Executive, a magazine and Web site for top-of-the-heap business guys and gals, have put together a list of the top five work cars for CEOs. The unranked list leads off with the 2011 Hyundai Equus.
"The Hyundai Equus makes a statement about money, but one about value, not excess," say writers William J. Holstein and Michael Jordan, who is Edmunds' executive editor. "Hyundai has become a brand that's about smart spending — a message today's CEOs understand all too well."
Jordan and Holstein say this about the Equus: "Think of it as all the things that you like best about the full-size Lexus LS sedan—quiet ride, effortless driving, lots of comfort, and convenience features—and a price that makes you think of Costco."
I've never spent $65,400 at Costco, but I understand the point they're making about the Equus. It's a lot of car for the price. I've met a couple CEO types who might drive one — if they weren't quite so status conscious.
The other four cars on the list are not quite what you might expect, if your image of a CEO is a Trumpish cigar-chomping guy who barrels through financial districts in an incredibly expensive gas-guzzler. The Equus's stable mates on the list are the 2011 BMW 335d ($44,150), the 2012 Chevrolet Volt ($43,390, from which you subtract the $7,500 federal tax credit), the 2011 Audi A8L 4.2FS ($113,975) and the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid ($101,745).
If you were a CEO, (even better — if you actually ARE a CEO, and a cigar chomper to boot), what would you drive as your work car?
I did that thing that a lot of us guys do when you start ticking off the years of your third decade: a seemingly innocuous awkward movement that generates a searing, blinding pain at the base of your spine, leaving you crumpled and broken for hours afterward. I'd love to attribute it to some kind of masculine effort around the house - shifting the fridge, moving heavy boxes out to the garage, reaching to rescue a litter of kittens from the cypress tree off the balcony.
Nope.
It was nothing so much as a limp, white-collar injury sustained when leaning over at a bad angle to place my laptop manbag on the floor. Driving a hoppity new Z4 into the office was less enjoyable than it could've been (kind of sedate in first gear, but pretty great once the new turbo two-liter's rotating mass gets some legs under it), and after a day of moderating Advil intake, the Equus seemed like the only proper convalescence. The 212-way seat adjustments allowed me to practice the moves I will eventually master as an old man, complete with a string of expletives.
The massage feature sounded good at first, but its mechanical kneading - welcome on almost any other day - just amplified the pain. The heated feature was also nice until I realized my butt was on fire, while my spine was just warm. Still, I much appreciated the Equus' soft ride and the burly V8 that sped me quickly to a proper home remedy.
I tend to think of the Equus as having a very conservative look — you know, like a Lexus LS. And from most angles, this is true.
But I caught sight of it head-on over the weekend, and for the first time, I really soaked up all the details. When viewed from that perspective, it's not as conservative as I'd imagined.
There's a lot going on with that face. You've got those chrome accents under the headlights. You've got those LED strips right under the lamps. It's busy, but I like the way it all comes together.
From me, there's a lot more visual excitement there than you'll find in the mug of the LS, shown below. But I can certainly see where some might find the Hyundai's front view to be something close to garish. Chrome plus LED lights can elicit that response in people.
What say you, regarding the Hyundai's mug — exciting or garish? And which do you prefer from the front — Hyundai or Lexus?
My friend, Cheryl, is one of those work-until-you-drop types, and when she sends out an e-mail proclaiming that it's time for a visit to her favorite day spa in Los Angeles, you know that she really needs some pampering. My husband and I decided to go for the hot-stone massages, mediation music, cucumber-infused water and all the copies of Esquire and Cosmo you could ever want to read. I volunteered to drive, and I thought the limo-like Equus might be a good candidate for spa coach. It was indeed.
Cheryl is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, but found the back seat of the Equus plenty roomy, even with my 5-foot, 10-inch husband sitting in front of her. With his seat in its furthest back position, her knees still didn't touch. With an iPhone paired (a quick, intuitive process), we had the right music for the drive, and let Cheryl play around with the backseat-driven volume and selection controls, just for fun (then we locked her out). The back-up camera was helpful in the spa's small parking lot. The car's navigation system chose a good route home after lunch, and the Equus' V8 had more than enough pickup to get us around freeway slow spots. The ride, in front and back, was comfortable without being spongy.
Cheryl wasn't familar with Hyundai's company makeover in recent years, and she was impressed with the look, ride and depth of features in the Equus. "Hard to believe it's the same company that used to sell little boxy cars," she said. She texted her husband (who was driving home from Arizona in a rented 2011 Cadillac CTS) to report that she was being ferried around in a $60,000 Hyundai, complete with all the luxury bells and whistles imaginable. It took just a second for him to quip, "It's still a Hyundai."
And that's the problem: No matter how fine the Equus looks or how laden with goodies it might be, some people are not going to perceive it as a great luxury value, but as an upstart econobox with delusions of grandeur. Is that fair or accurate? No, but perceptions aren't objective. The Equus — perhaps more than any other Hyundai model — has its reputational work cut out for it.
Thankfully I was given the keys to our Equus recently when I had friends and family in town. My first guest to get into the Equus was my friend Brian. My wife and I picked him up from the airport.
My friend is a tall dude, 6'3". My wife offered him the front seat, but he knows she gets car sick quick. He politely declined and got into the back seat. "Niiiiiiiice, Scott." he exclaimed as he closed the rear door. "You know that I can only have the best."
My wife started to move her seat forward, but my friend quickly begged her to stop. He had enough leg room. My wife is not short by the way. She's 5'10". My friend had plenty of room to stretch out and relax after being crammed up in coach for the past four hours. Score one for the Equus.
Later that weekend, my sister and family showed up. While my family is not as tall as my friend Brian, the Equus still was able to deliver. For my family, specifically my two nieces, it was the draw shades. On a drive back to my house after a long day out they were able to pull the shades and take a comfortable nap in the back seat. Score another point for the Equus.
Normally I'm not into the large luxo-boats, but I loved the Equus and what it was able to do for me and my family. I'll sound like a broken record, but I think people just have to get over the idea that it's a Hyundai. It's hard to dismiss the value you get out of the Equus.
Driving the Equus a few nights ago, I felt this plastic tab behind the wheel. Whoa - the Equus has paddles? It doesn't. Nothing happened when I pulled on it. Until I wandered to the edge of my lane and the beeping started. The icon and the acronym took a few seconds to sink in.
Then I just wanted to know why Hyundai buried this fairly glossy, luxo feature on its steering wheel, activated with a little neglected appendage hanging out the back. Sad little warning system. Maybe next gen you will be promoted to the front of the tiller with the cruise and audio controls. If you show enough ambition, maybe you'll get a spot inside the multimedia info roster.
Attention bratty little brothers or, as the case may be, bratty chairmen, turns out if someone is sitting in the front passenger seat, you can't mess with their positioning from the backseat controls. So, nyah. (As a big sister I can appreciate this.)
I may not have gotten lucky in Vegas this weekend but I did count my lucky stars in scoring our 2011 Hyundai Equus for the trip with the girls. Four plugged-in girls with all their high-tech gear, carryon luggage, road trip snacks, and still room to accommodate our loot from a quick stop at the outlets.
Needless to say, the luxurious Hyundai made that dreary slog of a drive to and from Sin City surprisingly bearable. As the driver I appreciated the plush ride; comfortable seats; XM's 1st Wave station; really quiet cabin, save for the occasional car-aoke sessions; and the cruise control on those rare traffic-free instances on the I-15.
Usually when I drive to Vegas, I just want to get there. Don't want to dilly dally and sightsee along the way. But with the Equus, I didn't mind so much. (The photo above was shot at the abandoned Rock-a-Hoola Water Park in Newberry Springs.)
My only lament is that I didn't realize the massage controls were just on the side of the driver seat til I was back in L.A. getting the car washed. D'oh! (More on that later.) A chair massage would have come in really handy during that 540-mile round trip. Argh! My bad for not breaking open the manual...or just noticing the controls every time I got into the seat.
In any case, hit the jump to read what my passengers thought of the Equus.
Unlike James Riswick and his best man on their trip in the Equus to Vegas, my backseat passengers didn't mess with the rear-seat controls. My friend Esther did recline her seat and consequently was unconscious for most of the drive.
Lindsay, on the other hand, is more of an upright sitter in general so didn't have use for the controls. She wasn't crazy about the vents in the back, though. It was a bonus to be able to control the climate from the backseat but that controlled the temperature and fan speed for the whole cabin, and not just the rear.
Everyone loved the comfortable seats and the ample legroom. "When you get out, you don't feel like you've been smooshed up and driving for hours. Cuz it's so comfy, like sitting on a couch," said Lindsay.
Another noted feature was the screens on the rear windows. Perfect for keeping out that oppressive Nevada sun as well as feeling like a VIP rolling into Vegas.
As for how the trunk did? "The trunk is astonishingly roomy. Perfect for as many people as it holds," said Esther. So I've no doubt that Takahashi was very comfortable back there during his Vegas roadtrip with Riswick and Co.
And FYI, the average mpg for the trip was 20.8, mostly highway miles. Like I said, I didn't really use cruise control all that often because of traffic but I didn't drive faster than traffic either for fear of the many 5-0s that patrol the I-15.
True story: It's always fun to play stump the neighbors with long-term cars, especially the Equus. I'd just exited the Winged Stallion when a couple of the ladies who live in my complex pulled up to park. "Oh wow! Nice car," one said. "Your wife must love all these cars you bring home."
Not really, I explained. Unless it's of the super-functional (minivan) or super-cute (Mini) variety, they're all pretty invisible to her. Even the cush-lux Equus.
"So what car is that anyway," one of them asked, staring at the hood badge.
"Give you a couple guesses," I said.
"A Bentley," one offered.
And just then I thought I could hear someone, somewhere within the Hyundai enterprise - probably in the ad agency or PR department - peeing themselves with glee. Because that's the perception they're all working towards, right?
Al Austria took the rad Flying Spur photo, and Warren Clarke shot the fine Korean steed.
A great way to pass the time on any road trip, especially a tortuously boring one like the one to and from Vegas, is to do some karaoke. But with our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus, if you're using the nav, it's best if you figure out how to shut off the voice guidance before you hit the road.
I neglected to plan ahead and so as me and the girls were belting out the best of Britney, the nav lady would cut in to let us know that we had half a mile till our exit. It was especially annoying when I couldn't figure out how to just delete the route. I had plugged in a route to L.A. when we were about to leave Vegas since I wasn't sure which way to go to get on the freeway. (For some reason, none of our smartphones were getting a signal to look it up on Google Maps.) In any case, once I found the freeway, I didn't need the nav lady anymore.
But I couldn't figure out how to turn off the guidance just from scrolling around the nav menu. In most cars I've been in, finding "Delete Route" was usually just one click away from the main screen. Or at least in a really obvious spot. Not so here. My passenger/DJ was already too busy with queuing up the next song to sing so I couldn't ask her to RTFM.
So we just suffered through the intermittent interruptions and sang through them as best we could but naturally there was a lot of yelling at the nav. "Dammit, lady, you ruined the best part!" "OK, we got it, veer right, now shut up!"
Sure enough, I finally figured out how to turn off the lady...the next day on my way to work. You hit the Nav button, scroll to the destination and there's a little arrow on your destination. It's not very obvious that this is where you go to delete the route. You then hit the enter button and that opens up another menu where there's a "Delete destination" option. That's all.
By the way, my passenger kept thinking that the nav screen was a touchscreen, thus all the fingerprints in the above picture.
Driving our longterm 2011 Hyundai Equus is a serene experience subject to a few qualifiers. First, there's the tomblike silence. This is a very quiet car even at superlegal speeds. Out on the open freeway it just gulps down the miles.
Not only is this thing quiet, but it's impressively robust when it comes to crosswinds.
Throw in even some light freeway traffic on this serene drive and the Equus' adaptive cruise overreacts, as many of these systems do. No problem, you reach for the button or switch or setting to disable the adaptive component... and find nothing. You R the FingM for twenty minutes and find squat there, too.
Not being able to defeat an annoying "feature" that's been overlaid on an otherwise ubiquitous vehicle subsystem (i.e, the cruise control) is kind of the opposite of luxury.
Also, speaking of fussiness, the singsong chime that tweeps when you start and stop the Equus is hokey. All it does it cheapen the vibe.
Hyundai's Department of Unnecessary Features should consult with the NVH guys on how to better do their jobs.
Do your door pockets do this?
I parked our 2011 Hyundai Equus for the past 48 hours. This morning I climbed in and pressed the start button just like I had anytime before. The engine sputtered to life, chugging and wheezing for 4-5 seconds, at which point it finally established a healthy idle. You may recall this happened once before.
Last time this occured I was parked on a slanted road in 90-degree temps. And last time the engine stalled completely following the sputter. This round, it did not stall, only stumbled. The Equus was parked on a perfectly flat surface. Temps were a cool 59-degrees. I don't have an explanation. I can only tell you it started just fine every attempt before and after this one.
What's with the picture, you ask? Well, I couldn't find my camera in time to photograph the flashing engine light, so this is what you get.
I was volunteered for airport duty the other day, so I made a point to grab the keys to our 2011 Hyundai Equus. The Equus is great as an airport shuttle.
It kept me comfortable while I sat in the cell phone waiting lot (of course, the seat massagers helped). The trunk opening is huge, which makes loading suitcases easy. And the back seats offer significantly more legroom than that coach seat you sat wedged into for the past 4 hours.
With 15,000 miles of good road behind us, we have not had any major problems with our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature.
In July we reported a creaking sound from the floor console lid hinge and it was taken care of at our first regular maintenance. At that same appointment they made a repair to the fuel filler door as outlined in a TSB. This service was made super easy by Hyundai's "At Your Service" valet feature which is free for the first 60,000 miles of Equusing.
Mike has reported two instances of the engine sputtering at startup but it has not happened enough for us to rush it to the dealer.
Do any of you drive an Equus? Tell us about your experience.
Yup, I'm going to Vegas again. Yeah, I know, I was just there a couple of weeks ago. But this time I'm going with my family, so no bottles and loud music. Instead we will be doing some good eating, walking around, and perhaps see Cirque Du Soleil.
I'll be rolling in our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. It will be interesting to see what my family thinks of this car, as their image of Hyundai is firmly entrenched in the 80's.
I'll report the trip fuel economy when I get back. Anything else you're interested in?
And for those of you who take family vacations in Vegas, what is on your To Done list?
I spent a few days over Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas. I took our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. Not only was the Equus a great highway cruiser (more driving impressions later this week), it got a lot of attention from the Vegas resort valets.
Most of the valets liked it, asking questions and giving it some long, admiring looks. Additionally, a couple of them told me that it was the first time they had ever seen one. That is amazing considering that:
- The Equus has been on sale since Dec 2010
- Vegas valets have parked nearly every vehicle ever made
Unfortunately, that exclusivity is at least in part due to less than brisk sales. Hyundai moves about 300 Equus' a month, with 2011 year to date sales of 2,568. Compare that to the Lexus LS, with sales of about 600-900 a month, and 7,558 units year to date. (data courtesy Edmunds.com Pricing and Analysis team.)
But since the Equus is, for the most part, a great car, let's be positive and say Yes, the Equus is an exclusive vehicle.
The Vegas valets think so.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday week I drove my own car which is more than ten years old. It has no modern features on it whatsoever. It also sits very low on the road and I get blinded by headlights from all sorts of vehicles behind me.
That's why it was especially nice to get into the Hyundai Equus Signature. It's full of modern features as you know. But the one I appreciated most last night was the auto-dimming side mirrors. They do a great job of blocking out the glare while still giving you a clear view of the cars behind you.
Have you ever driven a car with auto-dimming mirrors?
It turns out that our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature and the city of Las Vegas both elicited some contentious discussion earlier this week. But that's why we have this Long Term Blog. And Orlando, FL, for those Vegas Haters. Back to the Equus.
I really like the Equus, but it's not perfect of course. Allow me to break it down.
Accolades:
- Excellent power (385 hp) from the 4.6L V8. Climbing grades was a breeze. Passing on the grades happens as if you're on the flats.
- Superb ZF 6-speed auto transmission: excellent shift timing and no shift shock.
- Great ride quality in Sport mode: controlled with almost no floatiness
- Power rear sun shades are very convenient for crossing the hot, sunny Mojave desert.
- Excellent Navi with up to date traffic reports
- Huge trunk. Plenty of space for the luggage of 3 or 4 people on a road trip.
Update: For the Vegas trip I got 21.1 mpg over 600 mi. Over the entire long holiday weekend I achieved 20.8 over 900 miles. Not bad.
Demerits:
- It's hard to read that Navi display with polarized sunglasses (also a problem it seems on many other vehicles).
- No Navi Point of Interest (POI) name search once you're in a category, such as Hotels. You have to scroll down a long list of names — a pain.
- Wind noise. There is a bit from the driver's window and a ton on the front passenger side.
- No power trunk closure. Nitpicking? No, this feature should be included on a high-end luxury car.
- No caller ID on incoming Bluetooth phone calls. I was surprised by this. And like Tyler Durden, if I don't see a name, I don't answer the phone.
Overall, the Equus has an excellent powertrain and terrific chassis, and is only an upgraded interior away from being truly competitive in the luxury segment.
How much do I like the Equus? Assuming I could afford to buy one (which I can't), after this Vegas road trip I have gone from "Probably not" to "Just maybe..."
Southbay Hyundai paid a visit to the Edmunds offices to pick up our 2011 Hyundai Equus yesterday. The Hyundai "At Your Service" program was a bit shaky the first time we tried it. We were the first Equus owner to take advantage of it from Southbay Hyundai so the kinks were still being straightened.
Well, I'm here to tell you that they have figured it out. This service experience was incredibly easy. To go along with being exceptionally polite and communicative, these guys are now quite efficient. We scheduled the service 2 days in advance. The valet arrived within 20 minutes of the proposed time, which was forgivable. We signed some paperwork, he left us a loaner Genesis and he was off.
The valet returned 4 hours later, which was about 30 minutes sooner than promised. We were pleased with the timeliness. The service included an oil change, tire rotation and various inspections. All work was done free of charge. And there was a handwritten thank you card from the service manager on the seat. A nice touch.
Our first experience with At Your Service ranked a 7 out of 10. Average. This time I'd give it a 9, and that is primarily because there were no supermodels involved. Want a 10? Find a way to incorporate supermodels. Nevertheless, we will definitely use this dealership again.
When the car board came around to me yesterday, Mike Magrath said "If you haven't chosen yet, the first three presets in the Equus are set to holiday music." I immediately signed out the Hyundai. Mike and I share a love of Christmas music and have been counting down the days to the SiriusXM seasonal stations. I love the classical station. But they also have traditional, contemporary, country, a Hanukkah station and more.
My iPod is full of holiday cheer. My favorite albums are A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio and A Partridge Family Christmas Card (don't judge me).
What's your favorite Christmas song?
One Saturday night a few years back I was out with a fairly large group of friends. About 8 people. We were heading from a totally unreasonable penthouse condo with 360-degree views of L.A. and up to the unreasonably stupid Sunset strip for dinner. We took two cars: My buddy took his brand new CLS63 AMG and I had a press S65 AMG. It wasn't a bad weekend.
We got to the restaurant — one of those places where you can't tell if it's a club or a restaurant or some sort of illegal fur-trading business from the outside — and the valet station was jammed. CLS guy pulls up, tries to slip the car shuttler a $20 and gets turned away. I've got a way with people sometimes so I figure I'll try it. The valet SPRINTS to the S-class, opens the door and asks if I mind if they park it out front. I agree only if they will park my friend's CLS, too. Magically, there was a spot available this time.
After the valet took the key he ran inside and told the hostess we were coming in and they had a table ready for us in seconds. It was one of the craziest things I've ever seen and made me both hate and love L.A. more than I ever had.
What does this have to do with the Equus, though?
Well, a similar thing happened this weekend. I had some friends over and we wanted to grab a bite to eat and they suggested Hollywood. :::sigh::: We got to the spot and tried the valet but they were full. I tried to talk my way in but the guy was having none of it. I rolled down the window to chat him up but he just waved me along, "Full. Full!"
Now, there's no telling if a better car would have reserved me a spot that night (it would have) but it was clear that the valets around L.A. don't care that the Equus is a large car bargain and that it's got a great highway ride and that, even with the Hyundai badge, this thing still looks pretty mean. It's not a BMW, Mercedes or Bentley and thus it just doesn't register.
We skipped the stupid "fancy" place this time around and got tacos from a place with self parking in an alley.
It seems that among our readers there are as many detractors as there are admirers of our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature. Of course you can count me in the latter group.
Those detractors point to several things including sales figures, company reputation, and a number of other reasons. One thing that surprised me is that some derided the Equus for being cheaper than its competition, while others thought the Equus wasn't cheap enough.
The Edmunds.com Pricing and Analysis team prepared this table showing sales and transaction prices for Jan-Nov 2011 year-to-date of your favorite luxury sedans.
Surprisingly, the Equus had fewer sales than both the Audi A8 and the Jaguar XJ.
And from these transaction prices you can see that the real-world price of the Equus is substantially less than its competitors. But is that price low enough?
Commenting on my previous Equus post, louiswei wrote: "Lexus did was to make a 90% W126 at 60% of the price and they did that with a NEW BRAND and an INDEPENDENT DEALER NETWORK. I think most of us would agree that the Equus is pretty much 90% of the aging LS but is it at 60% of the price? Obviously not because that would be $45,000 and that's where the Genesis 5.0 starts at."
So is the Equus 90% of a Benz S-Class (or LS)? Should it cost no more than 60% of its price?
I don't know the answer to either of those questions. (From these transaction prices the average Equus is 57.5% of the average Benz S-Class; 84.3% of the LS.)
What I do know is that while the Equus is not quite the equal of these other sedans (not yet, at least), at under $60K, it's a great value.
Over the weekend I took our longterm 2011 Hyundai Equus from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz and then on to Emeryville in the Bay Area. In total I covered 834 miles, making it the longest trip I've yet taken in this big ground-pounder.
Like all cars, the Equus isn't perfect. Its combination of size, silence, price and features is remarkable, but it hasn't yet fully nailed the details of the luxury car experience.
Observations (and trip fuel economy) after the jump.
Long trips like this one involve lots of cruise control use. I've previously gone on the record as not being a fan of the adaptive function of the Equus' cruise control system.
On this trip I found another aspect of the Equus' cruise about which to gripe — it slows you down when the freeway turns. It goes like this — if the car detects an arc in the freeway (via the stability control system's lateral accelerometer), it shaves your set speed. The higher the g-level, the more it trims your speed.
The idea behind this "feature" is to protect you from, apparently, ever experiencing any lateral g force. Unfortunately, freeways turn, yet I still want to cruise at the speed that I set. That's why I set that speed.
There are other cars that have a similar speed-trimming function, but the Equus' is easily the most conservative I've driven. Even the gentlest curve in the road results in a downward speed adjustment. Like the adaptive function, it needs an off button. Just go the damn speed I told you to go.
Beyond that, the Equus' huge, huge chairs front and rear drew lots of praise from my passengers. Heated rear seats that recline, and more than enough leg- and headroom for 6'3" dudes? Talk about luxury.
The path to Emeryville from Santa Cruz involves many twisting roads and freeways, some of which are somewhat bumpy. The Equus is definitely not at home on these roads, but probably not for the reason you think. Despite its size — and it is colossal — it actually doesn't feel as ponderous as its dimensions suggest since the steering is pretty quick. Instead, it's the steering's lack of feel coupled to laggardly throttle response and a discombobulated ride quality that gives the Equus fits here. The air suspension just isn't up to the task of dealing with managing roll angles while also absorbing bumps. Also, bump steer. Bump steer! In a luxury car! Weird.
One thing about quiet cars is that the smallest non-quiet thing is more easily noticed. There's a wind rustle from the passenger A-pillar area that was observed on both legs of the trip. Could be the mirror, too. Anyway, it stood out, so I figured I'd mention it.
Total trip fuel economy (mostly freeway; 80-ish mph cruise, very light cargo): 21.1 mpg
There was a bit of a dust-up last time when I posted about our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature and its competitors' sales figures and transaction prices. Some of our readers felt that when it comes to these luxury sedans, value is not really part of the equation: you get what you want and feel good about it.
Well Hyundai not only believes that there are buyers in this segment that want value, they are actively targeting them in this new commercial that I saw last night.
In the ad, an affluent couple attending an event at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC pass up valet parking to take a free space across the street. And why wouldn't they (or you)?
Of course a lot of people would valet park instead, especially if they have a fancy car.
But if you're the type who would take the free space across the street, then perhaps you should consider the Equus, which really is the smart money alternative to expensive luxury sedans.
(Equus valet parking commercial on the jump.)
I happened to be parking our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature just as showed 18,000 miles on the odometer. It appears this car goes on a lot of road trips because we still have a couple months left and there's little doubt we'll make the 20K hurdle. I'm about to take a drive up to Big Sur this weekend, so I'll be doing my part.
This weekend, I took a trip to Big Sur. If you've ever made that drive (and I highly recommend you do) you'll remember that Highway 1 gets pretty curvey north of Ragged Point. As the sun was setting, the Xenon headlamps turned on automatically, thank you. But as most high-end lighting does, I expected the crisp-white beams to follow my steering input. Either the Equus's AFLS (Automatic Front Lighting System) is on the fritz, or the degree to which they react is too small because I couldn't detect any curve-following illumination. Just to be sure, I pressed and pressed again the AFLS OFF button and there seemed to be no difference. We'll have it checked out next time the Equus goes in for service.
Besides an average of 21.5 mpg (and a 23.3-mpg best over 282 miles), I have a few more things to report on the Hyundai Equus Signature after a 759-mile drive to Big Sur and back. Jump with me...
The ride is as it should be for a car like this: creamy-soft and isolated without feeling at all nautical. It's also very quiet. There was a short debate before I left as to the ideal car for this trip: the Equus or our Infiniti M56. The Infiniti promises a sportier experience (that might be more rewarding on Highway 1), but to be honest, the Equus was more than capable enough — even without using the Sport button. Without even really pushing it hard, the car is powerful enough and confidence-inspiring enough to utilize the few passing zones. I'm glad I chose the Hyundai. Finally, perhaps it's because the Equus is still a relatively rarity on the road, but I caught more than a few people checking it out; walking around the car and pointing. I really like this car, with one exception: iPod/iTunes interface. Now I realize that at some point manufacturers have to "freeze" development on a car to get it to market, but this flagship sedan should offer a better digital interface (in terms of the info it provides and the navigation of folders) than it does.
Oh, and while driving past the power plant in Morro Bay, I'm always reminded of "Animals" by Pink Floyd...
December mornings in Big Sur tend to be chilly, so besides the standard, heated seats in the Hyundai Equus Signature, I was happy to use the heated steering wheel — also standard. It took only a few seconds for the warmth to start, and it's a whole lot safer than sitting on your hands.
After yesterday's experiment with the seat heaters in the Chevrolet Volt, I tested the highest level in the Hyundai Equus.
Turns out the seat backs of the Equus are hotter than the seats cushion, The temperature on the back was as high as 135 degrees F. in spots. That's pretty hot.
Click through for the video...
Looks like that shadetree mechanic I told my mom to stop going to might've been onto something: Our 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature appears to be running dangerously low on headlight fluid. We're down to only a few drops!
On a more serious note, there's now a very fine spread of water drops in the passenger side headlight of our Equus. Not fog, but actual drops of water.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to see if the Equus' steering wheel heated all the way around.
Nope. The heating elements are only in the leather areas, and that's just fine, since most people don't (and shouldn't) have their hands at the 10 and 2:00 positions. In the unfortunate event that the airbag triggers in an accident, you'll end up punching yourself in the face (literally adding insult to injury). But it is a little strange when turning the wheel when you go from hot to cold and back.
On a side note, that sucker gets hot. Not just warm, but freaking hot. If you're the type that wears gloves, you'd surely feel the heat through them.
This was the less-than-informative screen I was presented with last week in our Equus.
At first I thought it might be a helpful reminder to quit looking down and focus on the road. Then I came to a stop, turned the car off and then on again, and nothing changed. The white screen of death just sat there staring back at me.
It was the first glitch I remember seeing in our Equus which has a fair number of miles at this point. Thankfully, it was a temporary one as the screen came back to life the next day. No one has reported a similar problem, so for now I'll consider it an isolated incident.
Probably it should have been the portico of a restaurant in Manhattan Beach or a hotel in downtown L.A., but instead we reached 20,000 miles in the Hyundai Equus on the long grade on the other side of the Colorado River at Blythe, climbing up that steep wash into Arizona. About mile 8 actually, although there was no place to pull off until Big Dome Road. More evidence that I can take a crappy picture with even the latest Samsung Skyrocket cell phone.
I'm an American, so when the holidays come, I go out and drive up and down the country in order to see people that I barely know.
Sadly, for me this involves driving across Interstate 10 through the Mojave Desert from Los Angeles to Phoenix. This stretch of desert through California is spectacularly uninteresting, as if someone had enclosed a very big litter box with a few gravel piles from the local lumberyard. It's a relief to get to the Arizona side, where the volcanic geology and high desert flora seem like a garden in comparison.
I have made this trip many times and there are no conclusions to be drawn except from the trip computer.
It's about dead on 400 miles from door to door for me, and you can just about make it on a single tank in the Hyundai if you're willing to push it, but it's just too tedious to do it in a single burst. So I always fill up in Desert Hot Springs, both there and back. Take a break from holiday traffic for a few minutes.
Here's what the trip computer said when I got there:
281.5 miles; 73 mph; 26.0 mpg, 4.0 hr.
Coming back the other way, the speed average went up to 75 mph, but still got 26.0 mpg.
Nothing else to report, perhaps because the tedium of this part of the Mojave beat it out of me. It ranks with my least favorite stretch of highway in the U.S., right there with Interstate 80 through Nebraska. Or Interstate 80 through Pennsylvania for that matter.
There are a few things that will end an automotive journalist's career. I would think getting a DUI is right at the top of the list. When I do enjoy an adult beverage, it's pretty much always in my neighborhood; within staggering distance of Casahashi.
When I head out for other areas, it's either a cab or a designated driver. Saturday was my turn behind the wheel as the DD and our long-term Hyundai Equus was a great choice for the weekend.
As expected, the smooth ride and roomy interior were the best parts of the DD car. Also, I appreciated how quiet the cabin remained, allowing me to hear the conversations, even after being blasted by the speakers in the bar. For my passengers, I think the amount of control bestowed upon the chairman's (right rear) seat was the big hit.
One passenger decided my tastes in music were far too whiny for the night, so he switched the stereo from my iPhone to some techno station on satellite radio. It sounded like a car alarm to me. After a seat change on the way home, another passenger remembered he could adjust the front passenger seat from the back. Hilarity ensued, but only briefly.
Other cars that might pass the DD test include our Audi A8. I'm sure one of the minivans would be good, too, but really, that's no way to hit the town. Next time, I get to be passenger.
Our Equus has been with us now for a year, but before it leaves, we got Hyundai's permission to do some modifications to its oh-so-dull Chairman-in-Seoul livery.
I think the result is pretty subtle and Texans in particular should find it quite tasteful ...
Like it??? Ain't it classy? Hook 'em Horns?
Yeah, if you believe this, I should probably warn you that the ghost of Richard Nixon is right behind you.
Seriously, dude, you looked? Lame.
Any way, this thing was parked down in our garage last night. It's monumentally epic when you start thinking about it. Buying an Equus to begin with is a rare event. Then painting it bright Hook 'em Horns Orange is a profound juxtaposition that takes some real cojones. Then slapping on matching UT dubs to top it all off ... priceless. Could you imagine trying to sell this thing?
It's like serving Kimchee at Big Daddee's Roadhouse BBQ. It's so ridiculous I love it.
Owning a giant luxo-barge like the Equus is an exercise in excess. There's a little bit more of everything in this car. Not because you need it, but because you want it.
The trunk is a good example. I can't really think of many situations where I would need all the space available in the back end of the Equus. In this case, I tossed in a week's worth of groceries and a few shopping bags without even thinking about it. And there's still half a trunk left. Maybe I should have gone golfing too.
I guess when you have big bucks to spend on a luxury sedan you have big suitcases too. I'd say the Equus will swallow them as good as the next luxury car even if it doesn't have fancy multi-pivot, gas-charged hinges like its German competition.
We bid our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Signature a forlorn "AMF" (Adios My Friend) two weeks ago.
I was the last staff member to drive it, taking it the night before it was picked up and returned to Hyundai Motor America.
For me it was the final chance to experience that smooth and powerful 4.6L V8, the near-perfect shift-timing of the ZF 6-speed auto transmission, and that solid chassis with its excellent ride quality.
Sure, the interior had many opportunities for improvement. That didn't keep me from being one of the Equus' biggest fans here — and I'm not a Hyundai cheerleader by any means (I thought our Sonata was vastly overrated.) I enjoyed our Equus because it was a great car, and I will miss it.
And with its departure after an entire year with us, it was another reminder of how quickly 2011 passed.
Time flies.
Hit the jump for the elegant Equus video, "A Poetic Capture."
Wrap-Up
Hyundai has made a name for itself by offering huge value. The 2011 Hyundai Equus is certainly huge, but it's harder to call it a value given its nearly $60,000 price tag. That's what made it such an intriguing long-term test. Well, that and the fact that the Equus is yet another attempt by Hyundai to beat the Japanese at their own game.
Executive Editor Michael Jordan explained, "The Equus is the quintessential Hyundai, a round-up of affordable technology in a package that's an excellent imitation of something else. In this case, we're talking about a kind of entry-level Lexus LS sedan, which is no bad thing, believe me. Luxury at the right price is the message of the Equus, just as it was for Lexus 20 years ago."
So it was with this perspective that our long-term test of the new-to-North America 2011 Hyundai Equus began. Was this the next LS? Should the luxury sedan arms of BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz be concerned? And how will value-priced luxury hold up to 12 months and 20,000 miles of testing?
We Want That One
Hyundai offered just two versions of the rear-wheel-drive Equus: the base Equus Signature and the loaded Equus Ultimate. Both trims shared a 385-horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. One of the more notable differences between the two is the rear-seat configuration. The Signature uses a standard five-passenger setup while the Ultimate foregoes the middle seat for a four-passenger setup. We chose the Signature over the four-passenger Ultimate largely for convenience. Most standard features spanned both trims anyway, so we were able to maximize the test without compromising passenger space.
Included in the $58,900 MSRP of our Signature was an extensive list of standard equipment that delivered on the luxury theme. Creature comforts ranged from the 17-speaker Lexicon sound system to seat massagers. There was an Alcantara headliner, leather and wood trim throughout. Some elements we were especially eager to test, such as the proximity-sensing cruise control, dual-mode electronic air suspension and perhaps above all, the full-service valet for our maintenance needs.
Interior Reflections
In Black Noir Pearl our Equus looked sharp. It had staggered 19-inch wheels and tires. The front grille was understated yet stylish. But if your eyes missed the lone Hyundai badge on the trunk, seeing only its Equus-specific monikers, they may be deceived into believing it was anything but a Hyundai. As the new niche player to an established luxury market, this wasn't a bad approach.
Inside the cabin the Cashmere leather seats caught our attention first. One editor quipped, "A light interior. I hope this wears better than some of our past long-termers." We would keep a close eye on it during the test.
Automotive Editor Dan Frio said of the first time he drove our 2011 Hyundai Equus, "I kept pressing the Back button on the multimedia pad as though it were a home button (it's not) until it got stuck. Once parked, I managed to jam a credit card into a gap and pry it back to its normal springy position. A small reminder that the Equus, nice as it is, isn't prime-time luxo just yet."
Some felt the secondary buttons and dials on the dash and console were also of the bargain variety. Another editor added, "I find the controls to be appropriately organized and easy to use. I've heard complaints that they're not substantial to the touch but I have to disagree. They work for me." So a little disagreement over the materials quality out of the gate, but nothing noteworthy.
Smooth Operator
The V8 in the 2011 Hyundai Equus fires up with little fanfare. Much like the Lexus sedan it's mistaken for, the Equus isolates the vehicle's occupants from engine noise. Even during track testing, Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton noted that the engine is quiet at wide-open throttle. "Power builds rapidly as engine speed climbs. It has a good top end and was still pulling hard as it completed the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds @ 96.7 mph." Acceleration from zero to 60 mph took a respectable 6.4 seconds.
Much like the silky-smooth engine, the suspension in the Equus is tuned for complete isolation. Edmunds.com Editor Ed Hellwig wrote, "Sure the Equus has a Sport button and all, but I think it feels just fine in the normal setting. Everything on the freeway melts away underneath the air suspension in the standard setting and road noise is minimal. It reminded me of the last Lexus LS I drove. The Equus may not have the brand recognition of the big LS, but it sure feels like one from behind the wheel."
Hyundai calls it Smart Cruise Control, and it was one feature we looked forward to testing on the Equus. Senior Editor Josh Jacquot blogged, "Perhaps you've read my praise of our Infiniti M56's Intelligent Cruise Control. If not, the Cliffs Notes version follows.
"Although not a substitute for simply paying attention, the Infiniti's system does eliminate a great deal of pedal pushing. Same goes for the Equus' Smart Cruise Control. I relied on the system to bring the car down to about 5 mph and then return to speed. It's also a bit better in certain traffic situations than the Infiniti. Say, for example, when someone jumps out of their lane and reduces your space cushion to the car in front. The 2011 Hyundai Equus is less prone to heavy braking here when it's not needed, but will still use the brakes enough to reestablish the gap."
An 800-mile road trip north gave Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh time to reflect on how the Equus drove. He wrote, "The path to Emeryville from Santa Cruz involves many twisting roads and freeways, some of which are somewhat bumpy. The Equus is definitely not at home on these roads, but probably not for the reason you think. Despite its size — and it is colossal — it actually doesn't feel as ponderous as its dimensions suggest since the steering is pretty quick. Instead, it's the steering's lack of feel coupled to laggardly throttle response and a discombobulated ride quality that gives the Equus fits here. The air suspension just isn't up to the task of dealing with managing roll angles while also absorbing bumps. Also, bump steer. Bump steer! In a luxury car! Weird."
Valet Maintenance
Mileage accumulation naturally led to our first service appointment. Hyundai's At Your Service valet had our attention from the start, as did the Equus' five-year/60,000-mile no-cost maintenance package. But things started off shaky.
Our first experience with the program was at 8,300 miles. Why not at the recommended 7,500-mile recommended interval, you ask? To our surprise, the 2011 Hyundai Equus does not have a scheduled maintenance warning light. So we missed it.
We whipped out our iPad (standard equipment on the 2011 Equus) and opened the Equus dealer locator app. We were unable to schedule an appointment via the app, which was the whole point, so we just picked up the phone. After two tries we found a dealer certified to service the Equus, South Bay Hyundai. The only real problem was knowing how long it would take, as the valet would later tell us, "This is our first time, so we don't really know what to expect yet." We respected the dealer for its honesty and the service was completed quickly.
In its second attempt, South Bay Hyundai redeemed itself a bit. Our loaner Genesis arrived on time and the Equus was returned to us when promised. As with the first time, a courtesy card followed the visit, thanking us for our business. At Your Service worked as proposed and we liked the gesture even if it was a bit rough around the edges at first. Also consider that neither our long-term BMW 528i nor Infiniti M56 offered anything like this, even though they carried similar sticker prices.
Comparisons and Conclusions
Comparisons between the Equus, 528i and M56 continued while they shared our garage. The Infiniti was $7K more expensive and considerably more powerful than the others, but aside from that the trio matched up well. A few areas of note were interior wear, fuel economy, cost to own and depreciation.
Hyundai started on the wrong note. The M56 won the interior wear battle, being that it was black, with the BMW a close second. Here the 2011 Hyundai Equus was a few steps behind, as the driver seat fabric showed significant signs of stretching and discoloration. Fuel economy was easily led by the six-cylinder BMW, while the Equus (18.1 mpg) and M56 (18.8 mpg) were nearly a draw.
As expected, two areas where the Hyundai excelled were cost savings. No-cost maintenance kept the Equus healthy for 12 months and 20,000 miles. By comparison the 528i ($900) and M56 ($1,500) both dipped into our wallet to keep road-worthy. Yes, the BMW also offered free maintenance, but the OEM choice of tires required replacement in the first 20,000 miles. And true, the Infiniti needed a new windshield during our test, but routine maintenance still cost $180.
Most significant of all comparison points between these vehicles was resale value. Based on a private-party sale, Edmunds' TMV® Calculator showed that the Equus depreciated just 17 percent from its original MSRP. Under similar conditions the 528i and M56 depreciated 22 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Hyundai products have not traditionally fared well in the resale realm. So this is a big step in the right direction.
Another Earnest Competitor
Our exposure to the 2011 Hyundai Equus generated one common conclusion from our editors that went something like this: "It's neither a game-changer nor a bust. The Hyundai Equus simply delivers top-notch luxury for buyers who can do without a prestigious nameplate or eye-catching design."
A direct comparison of cross-garage rivals earned the Equus a little more credibility. It isn't the best in any one category, but even at nearly $60,000, it's still a strong overall value. Try to find the same amount of features, performance and space in a European luxury sedan and you'll be looking at something closer to $90K.
Then again, the relative anonymity of the Equus might be a turn-off for some. Sixty grand is a lot to pay for a car that nobody will ever ask you about. It hasn't hurt Hyundai before, however, and judging by the first-year sales of the Equus it hasn't been a problem. This is a car that stands purely on what it can do and not what people think it can do. And judging by how it handled itself during our 12-month loan, it will impress more buyers than it disappoints.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | None (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | None |
| Warranty Repairs: | Lube creaking center console lid |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 2 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | None |
| Days Out of Service: | None |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 25.8 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 11.6 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 18.1 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $48,987 (private-party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $9,913 (or 17% of original MSRP) |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 20,796 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.