Hyundai's unveiled its new flagship sedan, the Equus, in its home market last week. The vehicle, claimed by the company to represent the pinnacle of Hyundai engineering and design sophistication, is set to take the battle to its German competiors in the Korean luxury sedan market.
Available in four trim levels, the vehicle - which was developed over a period of three years and at a total cost of US$338mil - features two powertrain choices, the 286bhp Lambda 3.8l V6 and the 360bhp Tau 4.6l V8.
Both feature all-aluminium construction, continuously variable valve timing, variable air induction systems and are mated to six-speed transmissions.
As befits a top-of-the-line model, the car comes with a host of goodies, including a five-link suspension featuring lightweight aluminium control arms, a specially-designed, electronically-governed Amplitude Selective Dampers (ASD) air suspension developed with ZF Sachs, among others.
Plenty too in the passive and active safety department. The car features nine airbags, including a Knee Air Bag for the driver, while the Vehicle Stability Management system integrates a Lane Departure Warning System, Pre-Safety System, Third Generation Smart Cruise Control (SCC) in its item list.
Inside, an advanced Driver Information System, workable through touch-screen menus or a jog wheel, displays navigational maps, personal cell phone directories (downloadable via Bluetooth) and serves as the central control for the 17-speaker Logic7.1 multichannel Lexicon Sound System, and the 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen, nestled between the speedometer and the tachometer, provides monitoring of fifteen different vehicle functions in clear, crisp form.
Later this year, the range will be extended to include a long wheelbase edition, which will be powered by the V8 block. The Equus will only be available in left-hand drive, and besides South Korea, the car will go on sale in China and the Middle East in the second half of this year. --The Star/Asia News Network
