Looking to buy a luxury car? Read this first.
If you're thinking about dropping big bucks on a luxury car — perhaps a Mercedes S-Class or Lexus LS — it might be worth your while to stop at a Hyundai dealer first.
Hyundai, the Korean brand known for cheap economy cars 10 years ago, is building some absolutely brilliant vehicles lately, including one that competes with Mercedes and Lexus in the full-blown luxury market.
It's called the Equus, and it's quite literally one of the best cars in the world.
Consider:
• It's the smoothest luxury car I've ever driven. It feels more supple than the S-Class and even slightly softer than the famously comfortable LS.
• Its heated and cooled driver's seat controls both the temperature and humidity of the seat surface. It has a built-in massage feature, too.
• It has a 608-watt sound system made by Lexicon, the same brand Rolls Royce uses in the $380,000 Phantom sedan.
• Instead of an ordinary printed owner's manual, it comes with an Apple iPad with a digital owner's manual loaded on it.
• If you opt for the Ultimate version, you get a back seat with luxury that rivals a private jet. You get a refrigerator, entertainment system, and a heated and cooled rear seat that reclines with leg support while giving you a back massage.
In fact, it's so filled with bells and whistles that it's hard to find any reason to pay more for a high-end German or Japanese luxury car.
Still, I've got to wonder how much the Equus suffers from Phaeton syndrome.
The Phaeton was a luxury car built by Volkswagen a few years ago that, like the Equus, was one of the best cars on Planet Earth and happened to be built by a bargain brand.
And it was a colossal flop.
Few cars in recent history have been as big a disappointment as the Phaeton. I distinctly remember driving a $100,000 Phaeton with a V-12 engine and thinking it would be a hit because it was better than the V-12 Mercedes for about 30 percent less money.
I was wrong. Eighteen months after launching the Phaeton, Volkswagen had only sold about 2,500 Phaetons compared to more than 31,000 Mercedes S-Classes. VW's wundercar was quickly axed because nobody bought it.
That makes sense. A lot of people buy luxury cars not just for the luxury features, but also for the luxury badge, which Volkswagen's Phaeton simply didn't have.
There are plenty of parallels with the Equus, Hyundai's wundercar, but it's also obvious that Hyundai learned a few lessons from VW's blunder.
For starters, the Equus is far less expensive than the failed Phaeton. A top-of-the-line Ultimate version costs $65,750, a pittance compared to the triple-digit price of the VW, and the Signature model is even more affordable at $58,000.
Hyundai is also taking steps to make the buying experience more spectacular. You get real white-glove treatment when you buy an Equus — including having drivers pick it up when it needs service, leaving you another Equus or a Genesis as a loaner in its place.
You can also schedule the time and location of your service calls on the Equus iPad app.
In short, it's a remarkable car that puts an exclamation point on Hyundai's equally remarkable turnaround.
Does it have enough prestige to overcome the Hyundai name? Only time will tell, but I definitely think it's worth testing a $58,000 Equus before buying a German or Japanese luxury car.
It just might be good enough to change your mind.
Read more http://clintonherald.com/cnhins/x229381174/Can-Hyundai-rival-Mercedes
0 comments:
Post a Comment