First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Equus
09-07-10 | 12:34 PM
#16
What relevance does this have to the Equus, or this thread?
As for the review at hand, I think the Equus is shaping up to be much of what I expected and I predict that Hyundai will not have much trouble finding a home for 2-3K units a year.
At face value, lets face it - the car offers a ton of bang for your buck and I think they are doing a good job of working around the "Hyundai dealership" problem. The Equus offers 7/10 of what an S Class, 7, or LS provide and I think most consumers who buy this car will see it as an astounding value, which it is. To most people in the car-buying public, the Equus delivers on the formula of a luxury car because it does a good job of satisfying the obvious requirements: it's flashy looking, has plenty of chrome, a nice interior, leather and wood everywhere, and features that mimic those of the gold-standards in this class. The only thing it's lacking is the respected badge, right?
Well...no. To those currently owning LS and S class, that remaining 30% is what makes or breaks the purchase...the details- things like an 8AT, or buttons that don't feel cheap, and a dashboard that doesn't feel like brittle plastic covered in a thin sheet of leather. To people who are familiar with these types of cars and already have experiences and expectations to draw upon, the Equus will not succeed but at the same time I don't think Hyundai is directly challenging them. To most of the car-buying public, it doesn't matter if the car has a 4AT or a 12AT - the transmission works, and so do the buttons, and the dashboard looks fancy too. These people are Equus buyers. I really do not see them pulling many current S Class, 7 Series or LS owners because those people are used to and look for that remaining 3/10 in a car and they're certainly willing to pay for it.
No doubt that Hyundai is about to roll out an aggressive marketing campaign targeting the big boys, but to the people who already own those cars, the Equus isn't on their radar anyway, and I'd venture to say that Hyundai isn't expecting to get many of them in the showroom anyway. There is a void in the market for a $50-$60K full size, "face-value-luxury" sedan like the Equus and because of that I think the car will succeed. Those truly comparing it to the LS, S, or 7 (IMO) don't have a full grasp of what those cars are truly about.
As for the review at hand, I think the Equus is shaping up to be much of what I expected and I predict that Hyundai will not have much trouble finding a home for 2-3K units a year.
At face value, lets face it - the car offers a ton of bang for your buck and I think they are doing a good job of working around the "Hyundai dealership" problem. The Equus offers 7/10 of what an S Class, 7, or LS provide and I think most consumers who buy this car will see it as an astounding value, which it is. To most people in the car-buying public, the Equus delivers on the formula of a luxury car because it does a good job of satisfying the obvious requirements: it's flashy looking, has plenty of chrome, a nice interior, leather and wood everywhere, and features that mimic those of the gold-standards in this class. The only thing it's lacking is the respected badge, right?
Well...no. To those currently owning LS and S class, that remaining 30% is what makes or breaks the purchase...the details- things like an 8AT, or buttons that don't feel cheap, and a dashboard that doesn't feel like brittle plastic covered in a thin sheet of leather. To people who are familiar with these types of cars and already have experiences and expectations to draw upon, the Equus will not succeed but at the same time I don't think Hyundai is directly challenging them. To most of the car-buying public, it doesn't matter if the car has a 4AT or a 12AT - the transmission works, and so do the buttons, and the dashboard looks fancy too. These people are Equus buyers. I really do not see them pulling many current S Class, 7 Series or LS owners because those people are used to and look for that remaining 3/10 in a car and they're certainly willing to pay for it.
No doubt that Hyundai is about to roll out an aggressive marketing campaign targeting the big boys, but to the people who already own those cars, the Equus isn't on their radar anyway, and I'd venture to say that Hyundai isn't expecting to get many of them in the showroom anyway. There is a void in the market for a $50-$60K full size, "face-value-luxury" sedan like the Equus and because of that I think the car will succeed. Those truly comparing it to the LS, S, or 7 (IMO) don't have a full grasp of what those cars are truly about.
09-07-10 | 12:37 PM
#17
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 975
Likes: 5
From: CA
that front camera is hideous and at the end of the day, you pay for what you get.
Like the Genesis, it looks great on paper, but not so when you see it beneath the "luxury" touches. And also with the Genesis, for some reason, even though the engine output may look good on paper, it doesnt translate to an equally impressive 0-60 time.
but you got to give to to hyundai. Its a lot of value. I would like to speak to mr toyoda about why the RX doesnt get double stitched seats.
Like the Genesis, it looks great on paper, but not so when you see it beneath the "luxury" touches. And also with the Genesis, for some reason, even though the engine output may look good on paper, it doesnt translate to an equally impressive 0-60 time.
but you got to give to to hyundai. Its a lot of value. I would like to speak to mr toyoda about why the RX doesnt get double stitched seats.
09-07-10 | 12:43 PM
#18
i don't care if dealers give full body massages to customers, i'd guess 99% of people HATE going to a car dealer, EVER, or even if it's 'nice' they can think of a billion places they'd rather be, like their dentist or proctologist.
the idea of cutting out the need to go to the dealer at all is GENIUS.
the fact that hyundai has had time to work out some kinks in their home market first is a win for u.s. customers.
the idea of cutting out the need to go to the dealer at all is GENIUS.
the fact that hyundai has had time to work out some kinks in their home market first is a win for u.s. customers.
Part of the appeal is the attention to service and detail. Jaguar does this the best; Lexus is still far from perfect; Hyundai is far far away but on its way.
People hate going to the car dealer to haggle/buy/spend; that's a fact. But if your car does NEED service, that's when service needs to be spectacular. Lexus service is exemplary. I sorta enjoyed the times when I went because my service techs catered to my needs, whether I needed a snack or a substitute ride.
So, luxury is not just the product. It's the experience.
09-07-10 | 12:48 PM
#19
What relevance does this have to the Equus, or this thread?
As for the review at hand, I think the Equus is shaping up to be much of what I expected and I predict that Hyundai will not have much trouble finding a home for 2-3K units a year.
At face value, lets face it - the car offers a ton of bang for your buck and I think they are doing a good job of working around the "Hyundai dealership" problem. The Equus offers 7/10 of what an S Class, 7, or LS provide and I think most consumers who buy this car will see it as an astounding value, which it is. To most people in the car-buying public, the Equus delivers on the formula of a luxury car because it does a good job of satisfying the obvious requirements: it's flashy looking, has plenty of chrome, a nice interior, leather and wood everywhere, and features that mimic those of the gold-standards in this class. The only thing it's lacking is the respected badge, right?
Well...no. To those currently owning LS and S class, that remaining 30% is what makes or breaks the purchase...the details- things like an 8AT, or buttons that don't feel cheap, and a dashboard that doesn't feel like brittle plastic covered in a thin sheet of leather. To people who are familiar with these types of cars and already have experiences and expectations to draw upon, the Equus will not succeed but at the same time I don't think Hyundai is directly challenging them. To most of the car-buying public, it doesn't matter if the car has a 4AT or a 12AT - the transmission works, and so do the buttons, and the dashboard looks fancy too. These people are Equus buyers. I really do not see them pulling many current S Class, 7 Series or LS owners because those people are used to and look for that remaining 3/10 in a car and they're certainly willing to pay for it.
No doubt that Hyundai is about to roll out an aggressive marketing campaign targeting the big boys, but to the people who already own those cars, the Equus isn't on their radar anyway, and I'd venture to say that Hyundai isn't expecting to get many of them in the showroom anyway. There is a void in the market for a $50-$60K full size, "face-value-luxury" sedan like the Equus and because of that I think the car will succeed. Those truly comparing it to the LS, S, or 7 (IMO) don't have a full grasp of what those cars are truly about.
As for the review at hand, I think the Equus is shaping up to be much of what I expected and I predict that Hyundai will not have much trouble finding a home for 2-3K units a year.
At face value, lets face it - the car offers a ton of bang for your buck and I think they are doing a good job of working around the "Hyundai dealership" problem. The Equus offers 7/10 of what an S Class, 7, or LS provide and I think most consumers who buy this car will see it as an astounding value, which it is. To most people in the car-buying public, the Equus delivers on the formula of a luxury car because it does a good job of satisfying the obvious requirements: it's flashy looking, has plenty of chrome, a nice interior, leather and wood everywhere, and features that mimic those of the gold-standards in this class. The only thing it's lacking is the respected badge, right?
Well...no. To those currently owning LS and S class, that remaining 30% is what makes or breaks the purchase...the details- things like an 8AT, or buttons that don't feel cheap, and a dashboard that doesn't feel like brittle plastic covered in a thin sheet of leather. To people who are familiar with these types of cars and already have experiences and expectations to draw upon, the Equus will not succeed but at the same time I don't think Hyundai is directly challenging them. To most of the car-buying public, it doesn't matter if the car has a 4AT or a 12AT - the transmission works, and so do the buttons, and the dashboard looks fancy too. These people are Equus buyers. I really do not see them pulling many current S Class, 7 Series or LS owners because those people are used to and look for that remaining 3/10 in a car and they're certainly willing to pay for it.
No doubt that Hyundai is about to roll out an aggressive marketing campaign targeting the big boys, but to the people who already own those cars, the Equus isn't on their radar anyway, and I'd venture to say that Hyundai isn't expecting to get many of them in the showroom anyway. There is a void in the market for a $50-$60K full size, "face-value-luxury" sedan like the Equus and because of that I think the car will succeed. Those truly comparing it to the LS, S, or 7 (IMO) don't have a full grasp of what those cars are truly about.
09-07-10 | 01:08 PM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,715
Likes: 89
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Thanks, Hoovey2411.
This is such a good write-up that I can (probably) now safely take the Equus off my review-list. There isn't a whole lot I could personally add that isn't already covered here.....and, of course, the way it's being marketed, finding one for review could be quite difficult.
I do, too. Hyundai is simply too great a force in today's auto market for any of their products to be written off as irrelevant. Of course, with the Equus, it's (apparantly) not going to be marketed through conventional dealerships. That's something that Hyundai has never tried before, so the results, right now, may be unpredictable. Daewoo, years ago, tried an unconventional U.S.-marketing system to college students on college-campuses instead of cobnentional dealership...and results were not good at all. Of course, Daewoo did not have the name-recognition and market-share that Hyundai now enjoys.
This is such a good write-up that I can (probably) now safely take the Equus off my review-list. There isn't a whole lot I could personally add that isn't already covered here.....and, of course, the way it's being marketed, finding one for review could be quite difficult.I do, too. Hyundai is simply too great a force in today's auto market for any of their products to be written off as irrelevant. Of course, with the Equus, it's (apparantly) not going to be marketed through conventional dealerships. That's something that Hyundai has never tried before, so the results, right now, may be unpredictable. Daewoo, years ago, tried an unconventional U.S.-marketing system to college students on college-campuses instead of cobnentional dealership...and results were not good at all. Of course, Daewoo did not have the name-recognition and market-share that Hyundai now enjoys.
09-07-10 | 02:02 PM
#21
Lead Lap
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 727
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
Respectfully disagree. The Genesis Targets the GS, BMW 5 Series etc. - I owned 2 GS's - They got me and I'm Loving my Genesis!
09-07-10 | 02:52 PM
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 22,608
Likes: 102
From: Waiting for next track day
most of the people who drive Lexus LS460's are retired or about to retire. At that point in your life the value becomes everything. I think Hyundai will sell a lot more of these new cars than most CL members would think
09-07-10 | 03:10 PM
#24
Pole Position
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: CA
People hate going to the car dealer to haggle/buy/spend; that's a fact. But if your car does NEED service, that's when service needs to be spectacular. Lexus service is exemplary. I sorta enjoyed the times when I went because my service techs catered to my needs, whether I needed a snack or a substitute ride.
So, luxury is not just the product. It's the experience.
So, luxury is not just the product. It's the experience.
09-07-10 | 03:13 PM
#25
I recently did oil changes on my Lexus ($225), Mercedes ($250) and Porsche ($300). I see them treating me no better than my local Nissan ($15) dealership. Each offered free bottles of water, shuttle service, newspapers, snacks and a TV in the reception area. If anything, Nissan had the best snacks (fresh baked cookies) and was the fastest (under 1 hour); my time is valuable to me.
Haven't had a change done on the '10 RX with synthetic but my '09 RX 350's oil change cost was $62 with tax with 27 pt check and car wash.
Last edited by Joeb427; 09-07-10 at 03:19 PM.
09-07-10 | 03:26 PM
#26
I recently did oil changes on my Lexus ($225), Mercedes ($250) and Porsche ($300). I see them treating me no better than my local Nissan ($15) dealership. Each offered free bottles of water, shuttle service, newspapers, snacks and a TV in the reception area. If anything, Nissan had the best snacks (fresh baked cookies) and was the fastest (under 1 hour); my time is valuable to me.
Can you post the RO (maybe in a seperate thread)?
09-07-10 | 03:28 PM
#27
Actually, I did not notice that, probably because both the review and HyundaiUSA.com note the Equus as having a 6AT
09-07-10 | 03:28 PM
#28
Pole Position
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: CA
09-07-10 | 03:53 PM
#29
Check out the cabin filter service cost.
$70 for nitrogen tire fill.
http://www.tricountylexus.com/ViewSp...01219249302792
09-07-10 | 05:41 PM
#30
this thread was closed but is now re-opened after being 'cleaned up'.
there will be NO TOLERANCE for 'cultural' jabs at Korea or anywhere else, whether you like or don't like the Equus.
comments about the vehicle, its impact in the marketplace, comparisons to other vehicles (without snide remarks) and whether or not hyundai will be successful are welcomed.
there will be NO TOLERANCE for 'cultural' jabs at Korea or anywhere else, whether you like or don't like the Equus.
comments about the vehicle, its impact in the marketplace, comparisons to other vehicles (without snide remarks) and whether or not hyundai will be successful are welcomed.