We've been racking up some serious miles on our long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus. Since its delivery in March, we've added nearly 11,000 miles to the odometer, and after that many miles of commuting, road tripping and cargo-shlepping, the interior of the big Hyundai was starting to get a bit dusty. During the month of July, we treated the Equus to some much-needed TLC.
In addition to an hour-long cleaning session at a local do-it-yourself wash and vacuum station, our Equus went in for its second oil change. After our issues with the valet service in May, we opted to just drop the car off at the dealership this time around, mostly because of timing issues on our behalf. Submitting a request for Equus service with an Apple iPad is still as easy as ever, and the dealership request for an appointment went flawlessly.
11,000 miles might not seem like enough time to accumulate lots of wear and tear on a vehicle's cabin, but upon closer inspection, our Equus is starting to show signs of aging.
The lower lumbar support area on the driver's seat is an area that continues to cause discomfort amongst our staffers. Simply put, even in its most un-inflated setting, the lumbar support is still too firm for the majority of our drivers. Now, we're noticing some pretty substantial wear and discoloration on the leather upholstery – something we don't notice on any other seat inside the vehicle. We're not quite sure what to attribute this to, and will do some investigating into its cause and removal.
Other, more nitpicky things of note include the cover for the cup holders in the center console, which often refuses to stay closed and the control knob for the Hyundai's infotainment system. Unlike the MMI, iDrive or COMMAND knobs found in the German luxury barges, the Equus' controller is starting to feel oddly fragile in our hands.
Interior issues aside, things are going swimmingly with our Equus. We're averaging a respectable 20.8 miles per gallon as of 10,731 miles (the EPA label quotes 18/22 mpg city/highway), and lumbar aside, the car continues to be a refined, comfortable cruiser for both around-town jaunts and highway trips.
Next month, our Equus is expected to make a dash to the Eastern coast (about 1,600 miles, round-trip), and the car will be going in for its third scheduled maintenance appointment. We'll even try to keep our calendar clear enough to book the servicing on our iPad and have it picked up by the dealer this time.
Keep your eyes locked on the official Autoblog Facebook page for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (@therealautoblog, look for the #ablongterm hashtag).
In addition to an hour-long cleaning session at a local do-it-yourself wash and vacuum station, our Equus went in for its second oil change. After our issues with the valet service in May, we opted to just drop the car off at the dealership this time around, mostly because of timing issues on our behalf. Submitting a request for Equus service with an Apple iPad is still as easy as ever, and the dealership request for an appointment went flawlessly.
11,000 miles might not seem like enough time to accumulate lots of wear and tear on a vehicle's cabin, but upon closer inspection, our Equus is starting to show signs of aging.
The lower lumbar support area on the driver's seat is an area that continues to cause discomfort amongst our staffers. Simply put, even in its most un-inflated setting, the lumbar support is still too firm for the majority of our drivers. Now, we're noticing some pretty substantial wear and discoloration on the leather upholstery – something we don't notice on any other seat inside the vehicle. We're not quite sure what to attribute this to, and will do some investigating into its cause and removal.
Other, more nitpicky things of note include the cover for the cup holders in the center console, which often refuses to stay closed and the control knob for the Hyundai's infotainment system. Unlike the MMI, iDrive or COMMAND knobs found in the German luxury barges, the Equus' controller is starting to feel oddly fragile in our hands.
Interior issues aside, things are going swimmingly with our Equus. We're averaging a respectable 20.8 miles per gallon as of 10,731 miles (the EPA label quotes 18/22 mpg city/highway), and lumbar aside, the car continues to be a refined, comfortable cruiser for both around-town jaunts and highway trips.
Next month, our Equus is expected to make a dash to the Eastern coast (about 1,600 miles, round-trip), and the car will be going in for its third scheduled maintenance appointment. We'll even try to keep our calendar clear enough to book the servicing on our iPad and have it picked up by the dealer this time.
Keep your eyes locked on the official Autoblog Facebook page for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (@therealautoblog, look for the #ablongterm hashtag).
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Featured Gallery 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Long-Term
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