Hyundai Equus
The Equus was a full-size luxury sedan, a completely unexpected offering from a brand better known for building economical and inexpensive cars and SUVs. But the Equus was the real deal with stylish, understated exterior design and an elegant cabin replete with high-quality materials. Two trims were offered—Signature and Ultimate—and both came well equipped with a long list of standard features, including a 9.2-inch central display, power sunroof, and a 17-speaker Lexicon audio system. A powerful V8 engine delivered strong performance, but unlike its German rivals, all-wheel drive was not available.
Explore the evolution of the Hyundai Equus
Get our expert take on used Hyundai Equus models, or view year-by-year changes.
First generation Hyundai Equus
Before Hyundai introduced its Genesis luxury brand, the company dipped its toe in the luxury car market with the short-lived Equus. The high-end full-size sedan gave America its first taste of Korean luxury, and the offering was quite impressive. All the expected luxury-car amenities like leather, wood, and brushed aluminum trim adorned the upscale cabin. While it wasn’t quite at the level of European rivals like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7 Series, the Equus came close at a drastically lower price. With no factory options, the Equus featured a spacious cabin, upscale materials, and comfortable seating with heating, ventilation, and massage. The top-level Ultimate trim’s two roomy rear seats featured a DVD player, a refrigerator, and a power footrest.
When it first arrived, the Equus had a 4.6-liter V8 sending 385 horsepower to the rear wheels. Some felt that the engine wasn’t up to the challenge of delivering luxury-car performance, and in 2012, a new 5.0-liter V8 replaced the smaller engine, bumping output up to a more pleasing 429 horsepower.
Model highlights
Powerful V8 engine (added in 2012)
Extensive standard equipment list
12.3-inch center display on Ultimate trim (added in 2014)
Available rear-seat entertainment system
Front and rear massaging seats
Changes by year
Latest generation from 2011 - 2016
2016 Hyundai Equus
Highlights
Hands-free trunk release for Ultimate trim
Final year of production
Learn more
2015 Hyundai Equus
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Reliability
RepairPal gave the Hyundai Equus an overall reliability rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, which RepairPal describes as Average. This rating ranks Hyundai Equus 27th out of 48 among Luxury Fullsize Cars.
RepairPal reports that the average total annual cost for repairs and maintenance on a Hyundai Equus is $737, compared to an average of $725 for Luxury Fullsize Cars and $591 for all the vehicles RepairPal considered in its dataset.
According to RepairPal, Hyundai Equus owners bring their vehicles into a repair shop for unscheduled repairs an average of 1.7 times per year, compared to an average of 1.7 times for Luxury Fullsize Cars and 1.3 times for all the vehicles RepairPal considered in its dataset.
RepairPal reported that the probability of a repair being a severe or major issue is 21% for the Hyundai Equus, compared to an average of 17% for Luxury Fullsize Cars and 14% for all the vehicles RepairPal considered in its dataset.
Perry Stern has been writing about cars for almost 30 years and has been an enthusiast for much longer than that. Contributing to multiple automotive publications, Perry drives almost every new car on the market, ranging from base-level Kias to exotic high-performance Lamborghinis. But his favorite is still the 2006 Mazda Miata parked in his garage.
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