South Korea is about to host the 2010 G20 Summit, with the heads of state from 20 of the world’s leading economies meeting in Seoul. Transporting the many VIPs, including US president Barack Obama and Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard, will be a fleet of 129 Hyundai vehicles. These will include the company’s ultra-clean ‘Blue’ technology vehicles such as the new BlueOn electric car and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) buses.

But the car in the spotlight will be Hyundai’s flagship luxury saloon, Equus. Though the luxurious Equus hasn’t yet been confirmed as being produced in right-hand drive format to suit Australia we have just completed an extensive test drive in its home country in anticipation of its coming to Australia.

The production of Equus, and the Genesis sedan and coupe, show that Hyundai is serious in its goal of eventually competing at the luxury end of the market against Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.

The latest Equus model (the nameplate has been used since 1999) went on sale in its home market in March 2009 and in the United States earlier this year. It is an all-new model moving away from the conservative, boxy design of its predecessor to a much more stylish look. In an interesting move buyers can choose between two different grille designs, one with horizontal bars, the other vertical.

In a clear indication of Hyundai’s competitive intent Equus uses rear-wheel drive, a first for any Hyundai model. Rear-wheel drive is considered essential in this upmarket vehicle class.

As is the norm with this class of car Equus comes with either standard (5160 mm in length) or long wheelbase. The stretched model, which will do the bulk of the G20 VIP work, is called Equus Limousine. 

The standard wheelbase Equus comes with a choice of two petrol engines, a 3.8-litre V6 or the 4.6-litre V8 Tau engine that has been selected as one of Wards 10 Best Engines for each of the past two years. Only the V8 engine is sold in the US. The Limousine gets the latest Tau engine, with an increased (5.0-litre) capacity.

Naturally Equus comes with most of the luxury equipment that we expect including powered and heated front seats, reclining rear seats, Alcantara suede roof trim, genuine wood interior accents, sunroof, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, satellite navigation, a 17-speaker surround sound audio system with iPod, USB and auxiliary inputs.

Other safety features include smart cruise control with lane departure warning system, nine airbags, electronic stability control system (ESC) and vehicle stability management with pre-collision warning.

The Limousine even gets a power-driven footrest, rear-seat leg support and a massage system.

We were able to drive the V8 Equus on an 80-km route to the north-west of Seoul in a mixture of conditions from the capital city’s congested streets onto eight-lane motorways, finishing on some narrow winding hilly roads. The big Hyundai lost little in comparison to its well-established rivals, cruising in near silence on the motorways with plenty of power to pull what is a large vehicle.

Will the Equus come to Australia? More importantly, how would it be considered by buyers in the luxury vehicle, buyers who are intensely brand conscious? Only time will tell, but Hyundai makes no secret of the fact that it wants to be a major player in every market segment and the bold move to build the Hyundai Equus is certainly a big step in that direction.