hlee12

my fault, but there is nothing inflammatory about car brand being GAY FRIENDLY.

LexFather

While I rarely agree with MMarshall as of late, unlike most, he has taken his free time to contribute to the forum with his reviews. He's not just here ranting on a Lexus forum promoting their favorite non Lexus brand. He has earned respect over time for his contributions.

People that come to this forum, one I helped build, to promote their brand are rarely respected. They come across like paid trolls with the only motive to shove their favorite brand down our throats 99% of the people here don't own.

The Equus sales figure is not low. They had a goal of 3k a year they have met and even exceeded. Did anyone expect it to sell like a LS or S-class? I hope not. The Equus has done what some luxury brands can't do. Infiniti failed with the Q45, Lincoln, Acura, Saab, Cadillac never had a flagship to even offer and the Equus sells damn near as much as a M35/56 and RLX which are a complete class below it. To me it is actually a success, they hit a niche with it. Of course it wont' get rave reviews or be a darling.

MMarshall has a point, the car has the blandest color offerings in the entire auto industry and while it surely isn't the main reason for a non-sale, it surely doesn't help it. Not everyone wants a safe color car, even if that is what the majority of the segment wants. Maybe its on purpose as no one wants to shout out they own an Equus, it is the undercover flagship.

I quite life it and have a soft spot for it, even if its a clear LS rip-off. Hyundai NAILED the proportions and its a proper RWD/V-8 flagship that has gotten upgraded. Surely the next gen will be even better.

I think I told you once that you have a car chat to promote Hyundai/Kia in partly because of me, so show some respect. You surely don't dictate anything and I doubt we ever even find out what car you drive let alone anything else. You could be a computer program.

Second Suburu is not gay friendly, what is that? Their cars are built like any other cars. Just because maybe the gay community likes them doesn't make them gay friendly.

hlee12

i agree that equus sales is not low if you really understand what it really is. i disagree that it is a clear LS rip off. rip off is a strong word. i see MB, buick, LS, and even some infiniti.

it also has some buick in it with its character lines. i also think equus has p!ss poor interior design. just not my cup of tea. but i think interior looks 'original' enough. well it's ugly regardless.

and i'm not sure if you are implying if i'm a hyundai troll, but i'm just a hyundai critic. i'm very critical of hyundai. because well i want them to do well. i actually don't like any of hyundai models except maybe the new genesis by hair. most of them are just ok. i did like gen coupe when it first came out, but got sick of it. hyundai's design doesn't last long. it's too trendy. i would rather drive passat over sonata. that's just me. i'm a bmw, vw kinda guy. still to date my fav car is my 1st bmw E36 325i almost 20 years ago.

as far as colors go - i will never understand people not understanding that they pay $$$$ on marketing/research on these stuff such as picking colors. hyundai probably spent loads of $$ and they decided creating more colors won't do them any good. it actually hurt them. some people act like these giant companies are bunch of idiots. they aren't.

and Subaru is gay friendly - well at least it used to be. my post on this was deleted. but they once spend millions on gay friendly marketing. google 'subaru gay friendly' and you'll know what i'm talking about. I lived in SLC, and denver. very gay friendly community. forester is still one of the top lesbian cars.

mmarshall

I won't go as far as to actually say that verbatum, but I still maintain that offering a 55-60K luxury-car in four rather dull colors is not the brightest idea in the world (no pun intended)


They are entitled to their opinions. I am entitled to mine. If they don't toss any stones at me, I won't at them, either. We'll leave it at that.

The Azera often sits on dealer lots not because it's necessarily a bad car itself, but mostly because of the excellence of several of its competitors. The new Avalon, for instance, may have a too-stiff ride for a car of this class, and the interior hardware some flimsy plastics, but its drivetrain refinement is excellent in the Toyota/Lexus tradition. The new Chevy Impala's chassis- engineering and ride-handling combination is just superb any way you look at it. The new Kia Cadenza's chassis is not quite the equal of the Impala, but its interior is well-crafted, and it drives with relatively good refinement. The Buick LaCrosse could use some better hardware/plastics inside, but its chassis shares much (but not all) of the Impala's superb ride-handling/steering combo, and, of course, has the effective Buick Quiet-Tuning to boot. So, against this excellent field of competitors, the new Azera (which, of course, was never a very popular car to begin with) is like most college athletes stepping out into the NFL or NBA for the first time......he is going to be overwhelmed for awhile by being in the midst of other players that, overall, are all as good or him or better.

Agreed. Not bad for its class (and fairly well built), but nothing really to write home about on the road. And the rear roofline and styling compromises outward visibility.


I have reviewed both Genesis sedans and coupes. On the road, despite its (at that time) cheap interior, I found the 3.8L Track Coupe, for the money, to be absolutely stunning. If one was driving it blindfolded, its overall driving-feel and performance, IMO, is hard to tell from the excellent last-generation BMW 335i.....at a MUCH lower price.


The LS460 may look like the Equus inside and out (and vice-versa), but, in general, it drives with a little more refinement and quietness. It probably should, for the price-difference. Whether the price difference between the two cars justifies the (slightly) noticeable difference between the two cars in driving refinement and the BIG difference in color choice, is, of course, a matter of opinion and personal taste.

SW17LS

And again...the Equus comes in 5 colors...not 4. White, black, silver, grey, and dark metallic brown.

mmarshall

It's not necessarly a clear rip-off per se, but, from both the exterior/interior size and styling, it's obvious that, except for the color choice, the LS460 was its intended target.


What you have to realize is that market-research dollars don't always buy an accurate crystal ball....especially with luxury cars. Mike (LexFather) has correctly pointed out that big money didn't sell the Infiniti Q45, Acura RL/RLX, Acura ZDX, or the VW Phaeton in the American market. I myself was (and still am) a big fan of the 2Gen Acura RL. Though physically smaller than its competition, with plain Accord-like styling, and a smaller V6 powerplant instead of a V8, the car had superlative build-quality and solidness. Opening and shutting the doors was like a bank vault. And the excellent SH-AWD system was standard. But, even so, there is no denying the fact that it simply could not match the competition's sales.....market-research $$$$$ or not.


We heard that same Lesbian stuff, not only about Subaru Outback/Foresters, but about some U.S.-market Saabs before the company went out of buisness here in America. As far as I'm concerned, It was a nonsensical stereotype back then....and still is.

BTW, just for the record, I, a straight white male, owned an Outback for almost seven years....and would probably buy another one if I lived in a harsh-winter area. An ex-colleague/co-worker of mine (also a straight white male, and, in fact, married with three grown kids) bought a new Forester (I actually went shopping with him to help him through the process). He took it, retired, and moved to West Virginia....yes, a harsh-winter area.

SW17LS

The LS is obviously the target, but the Equus reminds me more of the LS430 than the LS460. Which I think was a pretty smart move for Hyundai as I know a lot of older owners prefer the look and feel of the 430 to the more modern 460.

I agree, its a stereotype and IMHO it no more belongs in an intelligent discussion than the singling out of any other group of people. Is something black friendly? Asian friendly?

spwolf

what it really is, is GS/5/E class competition due to heavy incentives, it drops to those prices.

LexBob2

Yup, Equus now has 5, count 'em 5 colors. An increase of 25%, That should make someone we know happy.

SW17LS

Thats kind of the whole point. You get an LS/7/S size and style car for GS/5/E money. With the Genesis you get a GS/5/E size and style car for ES/IS/3/C money. The Equus is looking for the same buyer as the flagship car just with a steep discount.

I'm not gonna hold my breath lol

mmarshall

Yes......Hopefully, someone who is actually going to buy or lease an Equus.

Infamous3

No. They need to stay in their lane and know who they are. It won't sell and it isn't necessary

LexBob2

So now that they've added this 5th color should we expect to see 25% sales increases??

mmarshall

No offense, but I've already answed that question several times now. It may not achieve Camry-type sales, but more colors sure can't hurt.

LexFather

Holy crap I just looked on Autotrader and a 2 year old Equus are going for low to mid 30s already…talk about no re-sale value…

That is crazy to think you can get a big flagship for the price of a CT 200h!