YEH

As usual MM, a very good, indepth balanced review.

Hyundai did a pretty good job on most things w/ the 2nd gen Equus (the 1st which was co-developed w/ Mitsu), but they messed up on a no. of areas.

1st off, the good things - the ride, handling, power (esp. w/ the upcoming 5.0), etc. are competitive in the class and additional fine-tuning will make it better (despite being developed as a sedan to ferry around senior-level Korean execs, its ride/handling is similar to the S Class/LS segment of the class).

The bad thing, styling, both for the exterior and interior.

The exterior styling isn't bad, it's just too bland (but then again, this segment is filled w/ bland looking sedans, the least bland being the new A8).

The greenhouse/C-pillar treatment is reminiscent of that of the current Azera which isn't that great to begin w/ and the rear fascia is on the bland side - mostly due to the overly bland taillight shape.

The best part about the exterior styling of the Equus is the front fascia, w/ headlights and a grill that give it a bit more of an aggressive look than what is typical in this segment.

The interior is also a mixed bag. The rear passenger compartment is pretty nice, otoh, the dash/center stack design and materials used is a bit of a disappointment.

It's not a good thing when the new Azera, much less the Sonata, have a better dash/center stack design (there's absolutely no shape to the center stack of the Equus and that plain instrument gauge panel is just bleh).

Also, that "silver"/aluminum trim on the center stack is just ghastly and the buttons feel no better than the ones on the Kia Sorento and Optima (the ones on the Kia Sorento and Optima are pretty nice - for THEIR price range; they feel nicer to the touch than say, the Mercedes GLK).

Just bland styling and not up to par materials likely arose out of the fact that (1) the market that the Equus was developed for tends to be pretty conservative and (2) they pretty much will never sit at the wheel of an Equus.

I would suspect the next gen Equus, unlike the current one, will be developed w/ both the US and European markets in mind, so it should address these shortcomings.

Anyway, this segment really needs a kick in the pants. The 7 Series is the most fun drive, but even that is quite the drop down from the 5 Series (well, before the F10 5 Series) and the current 7 Series design is bland w/ that awful headlight/pig snout that BMW is tacking onto all their designs lately.

It's really no wonder that the Panamera is selling so well (probably mostly eating into sales of the 7 Series).

Having said that, it would be smart for Hyundai to stick to the "heart" of the F segment which is the luxo-cruiser rather than trying to go sportier; the sportier end of the segment is not only smaller, but is continually getting new entrants.

YEH

Otherway around, the Precis was a rebadged Excel.

Hyundai used Mitsu-sourced drivetrains, powerplants and other components for quite a while; and not surprisingly, once they started to use their own components, their reliability ratings went up whereas Mitsu's stayed the same.

Same applies to Kia to a lesser extent, going from Mazda sourced components to Hyundai sourced.

Not true, while the GenCoupe engine shares the same block (initial design of the block was done by Hyundai, btw) as the engine in the Evo/Ralliart, they are quite different.

Chrysler also uses the same GEMA block for a no. of their engines.

According to reports, the tuning on the R-Spec Genesis (both suspension and steering) are going to a bit sportier than the run-of-the-mill Genesis.

Maybe not BMW M or Cadillac V diff., but it should be noticeable.

mmarshall

Thanks.

I accept the fact, though, that not everyone here agrees with me on the interior. I tend to be a sucker for nice wood-tone paneling, though, and to like interiors (like the Equus) that have a lot of it. I do notice cheap flimsy plastic, though, when I see it. I just didn't think the plastic in the Equus was that bad...but I accept the fact that others do.


Its road manners are already a good (but not perfect) alternative to the LS460.....it could use slightly softer tires and some additional sound insulation. Whether it needs two additional gears in the transmission, like the LS has, is, of course, open to interpretation....IMO it would just be overkill on Amereican roads.

If by "bland" you mean the styling conservative......yes, it's conservative, but that's the general way I like it.


BTW, IMO, you are an excellent poster...courteous, level-headed, informative, intelligent, and seem to know your stuff. I may not always agree with your findings, but I'm impressed by your posting style and general level of knowledge. Keep up the good work.

mmarshall

Over and above the Mitsu issue, Hyundai's quality and reliability didn't really start to show some improvement until after the late 90's, when they got new management who were determined to reverse the company's poor image.....which, of course, they did.



Kia, if you will remember, at one time, assembled several different products in their plants that were actually sold under Ford and Mazda nameplates.



An article I recently saw in Car and Driver said the R-Spec suspension was going to be essentially the same as the Genesis....and that the regular Genesis sedan would, to compensate, have softer bushings to address customer compalints about ride quality (which I shared, myself, when I reviewed one). Perhaps, though, you are correct......Hyundai may (?) have changed the specs since then, as the final R-Spec, as I understand it, has not been totally cleared for production yet.


The first-gen CTS-V differential, if you remember, was notoriously weak. Almost every organization that did long-term tests with the 1Gen CTS-V reported premature diff-failure. The 2Gen model has (supposedly) cured that.

OceanView

Great review, Thanks for taking the time to write it up!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

the equus seems quite straightforward. it may be cheaper than an LS, but you can easily tell why it's cheaper. you get what you pay for.

TRDFantasy

Wow, only FOUR exterior colors for a car in this class? Absurd indeed .

That's the difference between the true luxury competitors and an imitator. If I was looking at an Equus, I would feel insulted to know there are only 4 exterior colors. That alone would probably be a deal-breaker for me.

Also regarding the thin sheet metal comments, that too is somewhat absurd for a car in this price range. Maybe that's how Hyundai is able to make their new cars quite light, by using such thin sheet metal. Hyundai it seems is becoming very known for this. Well, you get what you pay for.

I agree, details matter a lot with luxury cars. Hyundai is just releasing cars on a "check list" or "paper spec" basis. They try and match the luxury competition in terms of paper specs and listed options, but they fall short on execution, and a lot of the small details.

I also agree with your interior comments. The center stack reminds me of a Chrysler 300C.

Wood-trim alone does not make an interior a true luxury interior. Seems that was Hyundai's thinking, as apart from the woodtrim, IMO the interior is otherwise lacking and mediocre in execution for a car of this class. I'm not just referring to fit and finish, but material quality, and interior design. The dash plastic also looks like something out of a Toyota Camry.

mmarshall

Well, yes, to some extent. The Equus paint job and stereo, though excellent, isn't quite the equal of the LS460's. Or is the road-noise control (also excellent) quite as effective. Nor does the transmission have as many gears. And the four-color exterior-paint choice is a joke. But, considering the 15K difference in price, I think the Equus is as good, or better, a dollar-for-dollar value than the LS.....and the Equus warranty and Free-Maintenance plan easily trumps that of the LS.

mmarshall

Couldn't agree more.

Hyundai's sheet metal, to me a least, doesn't feel any weaker than that of most manufacturers today. Weight/cost-control has become the name of the game in the auto industry today....including my own favorite, Subaru. The new Forester, to some extent, feels like a tin-can. So, when I say "solid" sheet-metal in my comments, I'm not necessarily refering to an M1 battle-tank-type of solidness, but in comparison to most (or the average) of today's vehicles.



True in some cases, but, remember, like the LS460, this is a conservative, more-or-less traditional luxury car, not a luxury-sports sedan, marketed to a fairly conservative group of buyers, not BMW-wanna-bes. For the most part, those who look at and buy a car like this expect a traditional, wood-paneled interior, like the LS. They're probably not gong to be looking at BMWs or Audis.

mmarshall

Sure...anytime. Got more coming.

J.P.

Good post

And that is the thing, what is the true value? Many things are over priced but for those that are not, you really do get what you pay for.

Hyundai has not found some ground breaking method to build cars cheaper or have some source of materials that is cheaper than everyone else with the same quality, they are cheaper for a reason………

mmarshall

Yes they have, to some extent. Labor in South Korea is generally cheaper than it is in Japan. According to the window sticker, the Equus is produced in SK. That's one reason (among a couple of others) why the Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent can undercut the Toyota Corolla in price and (now, at least) offer more-or-less similiar quality.

Although automation has now taken over many of the functions that were once performed manually in auto plants, (such as painting, mounting tires, welding, etc).....labor and employee benefits are still a major portion of the budget of most auto companies. That's why the U.A.W., here in America, had to agree to significant pay and benefit cuts a couple of years ago, during the restructuring and buyouts of the domestic car companies.

J.P.

That is no different then any other company exploiting the next dirt cheap place to manufacture

mmarshall

....such as China? New cars are being produced in China for as little as 6-7K in American dollars, though admittedly not up to American Federal standards.

oldcajun

Actually it is quite different. Hyundai is a South Korean company building cars in (of all places) South Korea. That is much different than BMW building cars in South Africa or South Carolina to save paying German wages.
Steve