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Top torque-to-weight ratios under $100k, $50k and $25k

Horsepower may steal a lot of headlines, but the always-more-complex torque figure is often a critical one for both the workingman and the motoring playboy. The measure of rotational force represents the twist that can liquefy one's tires or haul one's horse trailer. Good stuff.
It follows then, that as with the horsepower-to-weight list that we assembled for you a few months ago, a list of cars that offer the most pound-feet with the fewest pounds to carry, is an interesting one to break down. Sure, there's a big difference in how the torque is applied from a turbocharged six-cylinder in a Swedish luxury sedan and a massive heavy-duty truck's turbo-diesel. But being the car/stat geeks that we are, we think it's kinda neat that those two vehicles rank near each other where torque and weight intersect.
As with the horsepower list, we've given you figures as pounds per every one pound-foot. Again broken down into broad price categories, we've got a mixed bag of 2014 and 2015 models here, too. Every effort has been made to select the most up-to-date prices and specs, and we've also to omitted some '14 cars that won't be re-upped after the ongoing yearly changeover.

Hyundai, union reach tentative labor deal

According to Reuters, South Korea's labor unions may have reached a tentative deal with Hyundai following a compromise between the two sides on wages. Workers have staged a number of stoppages since August 20, which have cost the South Korean giant 1.02 trillion won - around $1.1B US. It also represents just over 50,000 units of production. That vehicle total sounds like a lot, but it's a small enough figure that Hyundai can apparently catch up with weekend and overtime shifts. We'd wager that this is why US inventories haven't been hit quite so hard aside from the battering already taking place. The proposal will now go before the union's rank and file.
If ratified, the new agreement will see workers getting a 5.14-percent raise in base salaries, along with 8.5-million-won (roughly $7,800) bonuses. Those concessions are a far cry compared to what the union was initially demanding, though. Early proposals included a 56.25-gram gold medal for each employee (worth about $2,400) and a 10-million won bonus (about $9,100) for employees whose children chose not to attend college. The union also sought a bonus worth two months' salary for workers that have been with the company for over 40 years, but this was negotiated down to a flat rate of six-million won ($5,464).
Based on Reuters' report, the work stoppages must have taken a real toll on Hyundai - its domestic sales dropped 20 percent last month, while exports were down nine percent. Those startling figures must have put some fire under the Hyundai bargaining team.

2014 Hyundai Equus gallops into New York with first major refresh

Hyundai isn't horsing around with the Equus, its premium luxury sedan offering, for the 2014 model year. As stated in the automaker's press release, "Equus is the number-one shopped premium luxury sedan, well ahead of Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS, and Jaguar XJ."
We're not entirely certain what "number-one shopped" means, but regardless, that's some serious company to be rubbing elbows with. Hyundai is seeking to draw even more people into its showrooms to cross-shop the Equus with those German, Japanese and British rivals by issuing the car's first major update since it was debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2009.
Not a stone was left unturned in this comprehensive refresh, with the exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis all receiving updates for the new year. Most noticeably on the outside, the 2014 Equus gets a new fascia that includes a restyled grille, along with standard LED fog lamps. Inside, the changes are more drastic and include a brand-new instrument cluster and center stack to go along with "ultra-premium genuine wood trim."