Drive Rich, Save Big: Hyundai Equus

Hyundai has been a name in the game now for several years, a name known for good quality for price. It’s never tried to out-step the bounds of the value-conscious buyer before, and while the brand has performed constantly in the market, nobody would ever accuse a Hyundai owner of being too decadent. The Hyundai was the frozen yogurt of car brands: sweet and clearly suited to its dessert role, but not what you’d break out to really impress a demanding diner with a sweet tooth.

Enter the Equus, a pleasant reminder of how rich frozen yogurt can be if only the right toppings are applied. Priced at 55,000 dollars starting, the Equus is a bit out of the price range of the average Hyundai model, but makes up for the higher prices with a corresponding raise in luxury: the Equus was built to compete with the S-Class and other automotives of that ilk.

If you like rich leather interiors, enormous 24-inch alloy wheels cocooned in Pirelli P Zero Nero rubber, massaging drivers’ seats, exquisite sound systems with 17 speakers, and V8 engines that can clip at 385 horsepower, you’ll like the Equus. A lot.

Additionally, despite the fact that the frozen yogurt comes with the hot fudge on top, you’ll be surprised at how calorie-conscious you can still be when compared to eating chocolate mousse. The Equus will still save you big in the grand scheme of luxury cars: most other cars in the same bracket retail for around 30,000 more than the Equus.

Keep your eyes open for the Equus when it releases in fall 2011 – we certainly will, as lovers of decadence who are looking to keep our budgets tight and our margins thin.