Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Yes, with the spelling and capitalization errors and all. :P
Did you notice, on the photos of this US-spec Equus--no hood ornament. Satisfied that its gone now?
Get a 3-year old S Class for the price of an Equus, including 4-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and all maintenance? Boy, those S Classes depreciate fast, don't they?
Re the iPad--you're just upset MB didn't think of it first.
Car tested wasn't even on US soil...who knows what version of that odd looking thing we will see. Hopefully not many either way...it's just not great design. Maybe from another unnamed "European design house"...right.
And yes the S does depreciate harshly, as do all highline cars in raw dollar terms. This makes them a very appealing used buy, especially as the complex cars aren't as problematic as in the past. CR even lists the W221 as "recommended". I can get a nice 07 S550 for under 50K now. I'd buy it before the Equus based on looks alone, and that S is far from a supermodel.
Ipad thing seems like a gimmick to distract the lame American consumer...we will see how many makers mimic it, or how many actually still work or are with the cars after 5 years.
Used cars can be really good buys, but some people prefer new. Especially a new car that costs about the same as a 3-year-old used car and can smoke it besides.
The iPad thing is obviously a gimmick to distract lame American consumers, since Hyundai came up with it. Had MB or BMW come up with the idea, it would have been the World's Greatest Idea. How many owner's manuals are still with the car after 5 years? :sick:
People can prefer new all they want, its their money. In what ways does the Equus "smoke" the late model competition other than in length of warranty?
The rented new style 7-series I had in Germany last year featured the owners manual built into the ICE - you could call it up on the nav screen. I bet the failure rate of that feature will be less than the failure and loss rates of those ipads. I've also never bought a car without the owners manual and other documents, highline cars generally keep at least a good part of their paperwork. A gadget prone to theft/kids/damage, however...maybe not.
I wouldn't expect problems from a DTS either, the technology is all proven and nothing is really new or revolutionary.
Nice try to shift away from the situation we were discussing. You posted about buying a 3-year-old S Class instead of an Equus. I said one advantage to the Equus is it would smoke that 3-year-old car. You're right, the Equus' warranty certainly smokes that of the S Class, especially a used one. The horsepower of the Equus with the DI V8 also smokes the S550 (the model that would be in the same price range as the Equus) by 47 horses. That plus the 8AT (only 7AT on the S550, btw) should allow the Equus to smoke the S Class in other ways.
It would be hard to bring that 7 Series owner's manual (in the nav system) into your home for browsing in the comfort of your easy chair, wouldn't it? Also, say you want to have the manual handy while you do something outside the car--again, pretty hard to bring that nav screen with you. What is the relative failure rate of the 7 Series system and the iPad, do you have any stats on that?
Do you suppose the Equus owner will tend to keep his/her car locked, and the iPad tucked away in the glove box? If not, they deserve to have it stolen or messed with!
2007 S550 has power numbers of 382/391. Equus is 385/333 per the latest Automobile test I read, and earlier numbers are lower. I can't find any data showing the Equus having greater performance, everything I find shows the old S having markedly faster acceleration. Don't give me stories of future powertrains of which concrete offering details don't even exist yet. I can also get that 3 year old S in AWD for a relatively small premium.
I can get BMW owners manuals directly from the BMW USA website. So I can sit back in a chair and browse on my more practical and logical netbook or laptop that I own anyway and read away. The cars also come with a hardcopy book along with the i-drive and online versions. Logic has it that a portable device (which seems to have a few issues of its own no matter where it is stored) prone to theft and meddling will be a greater risk than a built in computer used for just a few tasks. I doubt any Equus owner who doesn't already own an ipad will always let it sit collecting dust in the car. Again, logic.
That is not what I said. I was more specific, as was our thread of discussion. What I said was:
Used cars can be really good buys, but some people prefer new. Especially a new car that costs about the same as a 3-year-old used car and can smoke it besides.
And it was clear from our thread of discussion I was talking of the Equus 5.0 DI V8 that was discussed in the MT article--that's the one with 429 hp. Coming next year. So you can get a 2008 S550 instead, vs. a 2007. InsideLine says that car does 0-60 in 6.1 seconds. MT's estimate for the Equus 5.0 DI is 5.5 seconds--definitely in the "smoking allowed" section.
Do you know for a fact you cannot get or will not be able to get an Equus owners manual from the Hyundai web site? Has Hyundai said the only way the Equus' manual will be available is via iPad? I must have missed that.
Yes, I think you are upset because Hyundai thought of using the iPad for this purpose first. Plus that iPad can be used for other things. If you were offered a free iPad, would you turn it down?
This big engined Equus doesn't even exist yet. The same MT you use puts that S550 at 5.6....funny....
I don't care whether or not another manual is available for that delicious clump of weird inelegant KDM styling, it's irrelevant...the context was my not so humble opinion of the ipad being a ploy to attract lame American consumers, and I will stand by that. I would hope that H does indeed put the manuals online and offer them in print form as well, especially on the flagship vehicle. So, do they?
Upset? I don't think the other makers are that desperate for attention...if they wanted to mimic this scheme, they'd be doing it now...a ~$600 unit isn't going to kill margins. Who wouldn't take the free gadget? But I wouldn't buy a questionable looking expensive car to get one for "free".
The iPad announcement was pretty brilliant marketing by Hyundai and they came out with the promo just when all the excitement over the iPad release happened.
Yes, that is terrible that an automaker would come up with a new way to bring attention to its cars. Shame on Hyundai for coming up with yet another new idea.
Leading German motoring magazine AutoBild, has awarded Hyundai Motor
Company the honor of first-place in its annual AutoBild Quality Report for 2010.
Hyundai edged out local manufacturers BMW and Audi, and eclipsed its rival Toyota to take the prestigious award based on a comprehensive analysis of reliability, long-term quality and customer satisfaction.
AutoBild's annual list evaluates seven key criteria, each weighted equally, including feedback received from 9278 owners, manufacturer warranty provisioning, recall information, and data from Germany's Technische Uberwachung Verein report (TÜV) based on no less than 7.5 million vehicle inspections.
Considered by many to be one of the most respected industry quality surveys, and endorsed by a fastidious German audience, the award further demonstrates the gains Hyundai has made in consistently improving the quality of its products, service and support available to its owners.
Hyundai’s star continues to rise elsewhere in Europe with British magazine Motor Trader naming Hyundai as the Car Franchise of the Year in its annual Motor Trader Industry Awards. Also in the UK, the i30 recently took first place in the Driver Power Top 100 survey, a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the best-selling Auto Express magazine – confirming the findings of UK’s Which? consumer guide whose subscribers revealed i30 to be Britain’s most reliable medium-sized car.
I know this and above article have nothing to do with Hyundai being luxury, but I just wanted to point out that Hyundai is making noise in every parts of the globe. I never once thought hyundai would win anything in Germany or U.K. last time I've visited London, Hyundais were bottom pile of the food chain, even lower than the Proton.
but wow.. it's happening much sooner than i thought. only time will tell, but I firmly believe Hyundai will be Samsung of the automotive world.
so never say never!
Thanks for the link!
http://www.automobile.com/sales-lead-of-lexus-over-mercedes-grows-in-us-market.h- tml
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6672176/miscellaneous/fast-facts-five-things-you- -didnt-know-about-the-2011-hyundai-equus/index.html
Over the past five years, No. 20 Samsung has posted the biggest gain in value of any Global 100 brand, with a 186% surge. Even sweeter, last year Samsung surpassed No. 28 Sony, a far more entrenched rival that once owned the electronics category, in overall brand value.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_31/b3945098.htm
2009: The 100 Best Global Brands
No. 19: Samsung
It has overtaken Sony as the top TV brand and emerged as the only credible challenger to Nokia in mobile phones. To expand its appeal, Samsung is opening an app store.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/83.htm
No. 69: Hyundai
Encouraged by a weak won and the improving quality of its cars, Hyundai poured money into marketing and boosted global market share to a record 5%.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/33.htm
THIS BLOG HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY KMART (TIFFANY)!!!! :sick:
Are you referencing that quote above from the movie "Ruthless People" love that movie, hilarious....
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
On another housekeeping note, Ergsum, if you see this, thanks for the note about identifying the crook's car from the CarSpace photo (link). I replied but your CarSpace email bounced.
Free gifts are hardly a new idea, sorry. Those higher brands seem to be selling well without the free gifts. I don't need a quickly obsolete gadget to lure me into a car. Maybe I am not so easily lured in by flashy marketing...if I want a knicknack, I will buy it myself.
I didn't think this discussion was about the merits of buying used vs. new. I'll bet there's entire discussions dedicated to that topic in the Town Hall.
I never said this discussion was about used vs new, but this did start when I simply opined that I'd rather have a used S and a little wad of cash than a new Equus.
I think I know the answer, but thought I'd ask anyway.
Today, I don't have the budget for an S (unless I want to live in it) nor would I spend 55K+ on a car, especially one that looks like the Equus...so I guess it is moot.
I think what doomed the Phaeton was the following:
1) VW was not perceived as a manufacturer of $70-100K automobiles
2) Reliability
3) Dealer service
Does Hyundai have what it takes to overcome those issues? If the Equus comes in around $50K, they might have a chance to deal with #1. The long warranty should mitigate #2. And, only time will tell if the Equus buyers are happy getting their cars serviced at the same place as someone with a 2004 Accent.
I think the biggest issue is that luxury car buyers (cars, mind you, not brands) have a certain level of expectation in their dealer experience, both with the initial purchase as well as after the sale service. Not sure that VW was able to address that - and I guess we'll see if Hyundai can.
Seriously? No mileage limit to this?
Wow ... wasn't aware of this.
The cynic in me thinks that this is a ploy to have Equus owners avoid the downmarket service departments that are a part of many Hyundai dealers.
Here in Denver, there is only one Hyundai dealer that has built a new showroom in the past 5 years ... all the other dealers are fairly shabby.
Hyundai had to have studied VW Phaeton's failure of what happen. They have already stated that they don't expect large sales volume if they can sell at least 2000 in the first 12 months they will have met their goal. With that low volume Hyundai can offer such high end service for their Equus clients.
The January article from Fortune of Hyundai Motor Company really says alot of how this company thinks, works and future plans. The Fortune cover had a Equus/Genesis with shark teeth for the grill. An agressive company indeed.
I can't imagine a dealer sending out cars 50+ miles for routine Equus servicing either. But maybe its as you say, to make it so the elite don't have to sit around the dealership and witness the proles dealing with their Accents.