While I was photographing this car a man approached and asked what kind of car I had. Told a 2014 Hyundai Equus, he let out a whoop, a friendly cuss and exclaimed "A Hyundai!" and left chuckling about how much better the car was than the 1990s rust-buckets.
The cackling has stopped about paying nearly $70,000 for the Equus since its introduction in 2011 because this is one beautifully made luxury automobile.
Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Cadillac certainly aren't laughing anymore. These high-end carmakers are being challenged by the Koreans, with their imported European designers who are now making great looking, well-engineered and elegant machines while muscling in on market share.
This full-sized Ultimate — one of two trim levels available — with rear-wheel drive and a 5-liter V8 mated to an 8-speed transmission, is quiet, powerful and full of tech goodies including sunroof, navigation, a Blue Link integrated infotainment system, wonderfully comfortable leather seats and a rocking sound system. The 429-horsepower engine purrs on the highway and effortlessly accelerates through traffic. High-test gas is recommended but the car will run well on lower octane with only the miles per gallon dropping slightly from the estimated 15 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.
This car could easily assimilate into a livery fleet as rear-seat passengers get to enjoy individually controlled DVD screens, personal climate control, reclining seats and, in one model, a refrigerator. The trunk is massive, providing ample storage.
The refreshed interior is well laid out and trimmed with wood, brushed aluminum and leather. The infotainment center is run by a mouse-like controller, similar to that found in a Lexus, but not as intuitive. It was the only part of the car that left me underwhelmed. The newly designed dash has electronic display gauges and the center stack is smartened up, including a square analog clock.
The Equus may not have true European sport sedan handling but the sedan has three driving settings: normal, sport and snow. Sport was my preferred style, adjusting the car height, suspension and shift points to make cornering and performance just a bit tighter. Maneuvering the big machine is made easier by the fore and aft bird's-eye cameras that play out on the 12-inch video screen.
The exterior lines are simple and elegant. Also reworked for 2014, the simple five-fin horizontal grill is framed by LED headlights and running lights and Hyundai-added fog lamps.
The catch? It's all included in the luxury budget $68,900 price tag.
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