Hyundai to Test U.S. Interest in Equus Sedan

As big of a hit that the Hyundai Genesis has been so far during its short time on the market, it doesn’t appear the Hyundai will be resting on its laurels in its bid to take on the upper echelon of luxury sedans. With the Genesis sedan being compared to just about every midsize luxury sedan on the market, Hyundai is now eyeing the full size luxury sedan market by gauging public opinion of the Equus sedan. To gauge interest in its new sedan, Hyundai will be shipping 100 examples of the Equus for display in dealership showrooms in the United States starting this summer to see if the Lexus-like design and un-Hyundai-like price tag will be able to attract enough sales to warrant selling in North America.

Introduced at this year’s New York International Auto Show, the Equus is aimed directly at cars like the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Lexus LS but probably for thousands less. With the top of the line Genesis 4.6 starting at $37,250, the Equus could possibly be priced in the mid to upper $50,000 range to undercut the Lexus LS’ base price of $63,825 and severely undercut the $80,300 and $83,825 price tags of the 7 Series and S-Class, respectively. The Hyundai Equus officially went on sale in South Korea in March, but Hyundai has not said either way if the car will go on sale in the United States. As well as the Genesis is selling (over 6,000 units during the first quarter of 2009), it would be interesting to see if American consumers are already ready to consider Hyundai a true luxury automaker by paying the expected high price tag the Equus could carry.

Compared to the Genesis sedan, the Equus is much longer but just barely taller and wider than its current flagship sedan here in North America. The added length wheelbase help improve interior comfort by increasing both legroom and headroom for all five passengers. To help lower the price and compete with more fuel-efficient luxury sedans such as the Acura RL, the Equus would come standard as the VS380 with a 290-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 and as the upgraded VS460 with the optional 375-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8. Like the Genesis, the Equus has a rear-wheel drive layout. To give its full-size luxury sedan a ride worthy of its price tag, Hyundai equipped the Equus with a five-link rear suspension paired with Amplitude Selective Dampers (ASD) to minimize undesirable driving characteristics. The result should make the 4,133-pound sedan ride smooth enough that the badge on the steering wheel doesn’t matter – the badge on the steering wheel definitely isn’t Hyundai’s stylized “H” either.

When the Equus debuted in New York, many people commented on its likeness to the Lexus LS, but other than the headlights and front grille the car sports a surprisingly unique design. One of the most stylish design cues incorporated into the Equus’ body are the sculpted body creases above the wheel openings. The front crease starts just next to the headlight and fades back into the front door, while the rear crease starts just in front of the rear door pull handle and swoops back into the taillight. Similar to the Genesis, the Equus has a relatively small front overhang and a noticeably large rear overhang. This should give the car enough trunk space to swallow multiple golf bags. Inside, the big Hyundai offers everything that we’d expect from this class of car from the large navigation display to the wood accent trim and double-stitched leather. As soon as we hear of one of these behemoths hitting a showroom near us, we’ll provide pictures and more detailed information, if possible.

Only time will tell whether or not Hyundai really plans to interject itself into such a high-end market, but with 100 sedans hitting our shores this summer, the company definitely wants to see what you think.