Edmunds First Drive: Hyundai Azera

[CarShark]

First Impressions:
Packed with luxury features and standard safety equipment, the Hyundai Azera is poised to give even the finest full-size Japanese sedans a run for their money.

Hyundai Embraces Luxury

By Kelly Toepke
Date posted: 10-24-2005

"Koreans are never satisfied," said Shi Hong Choe. "We are always working, always improving. If I see something out of place, I cannot rest until it's corrected."

It's employees like Mr. Choe, Hyundai's senior vice president of vehicle test and development, who are enabling the Korean automaker to challenge the Japanese Big Three — Toyota, Honda and Nissan — one carefully engineered new model at a time.

Hot on the heels of the successful redesign of the midsize Sonata is Hyundai's new flagship sedan, the 2006 Hyundai Azera. Replacing the outgoing Hyundai XG350, the Azera is a modern sedan that should allow Mr. Choe to rest easier. A polished new look, luxurious interior, and a lengthy list of standard safety equipment provide the Azera with the right hardware to take on Toyota's popular full-size Avalon sedan.

More at Edmunds. LINK

[IAMCANADIAN]

Originally Posted by CarShark

First Impressions:
"Koreans are never satisfied," said Shi Hong Choe. "We are always working, always improving. If I see something out of place, I cannot rest until it's corrected."

If that's true then where have Hyundai's been made for the past 25 years.

[mbukukanyau]

Who wants to listen to the virtues of Koreans? Where is that Edmunds Skepticism?

They call Hyundai and that boat Luxury? Edmunds is a Joke

Check those plastics...
Does not measure up to the impala if you ask me

[ElmerMCR]

Oh really, you've got feel-o-vision on your computer monitor. You need to let me know where I can get that...

[Mr. Burns]

naaaaaah this car is just average. lexus competitor? hyundai wishes. It looks like its gonna be another XG if you ask me.

[FStephenMasek]

I thought I posted something earlier. Are there two threads?

I sat in the Azera at the Orange County show and the flimsy cup holder cover was the first thing I noticed. The seats look good in photos, but are not comfortable. The dashboard plastic is indeed cheap. The Impala is indeed nicer.

[Mr. Burns]

Originally Posted by FStephenMasek

I thought I posted something earlier. Are there two threads?

I sat in the Azera at the Orange County show and the flimsy cup holder cover was the first thing I noticed. The seats look good in photos, but are not comfortable. The dashboard plastic is indeed cheap. The Impala is indeed nicer.

when will they hit showrooms?

[TriShield]

GM isn't producing any cars that are as competitive as Hyundai's new models. In fact most of their growth is coming at Ford and GM's expense. It's not hard to see why, they make a near class leading car and sell it at a great price with a fantastic warranty. They have a V8, RWD in the pipeline as well.

[Vintalage]

Originally Posted by FStephenMasek

I thought I posted something earlier. Are there two threads?

I sat in the Azera at the Orange County show and the flimsy cup holder cover was the first thing I noticed. The seats look good in photos, but are not comfortable. The dashboard plastic is indeed cheap. The Impala is indeed nicer.

Keep in mind that you sat in a pre-production model.

Now I wonder why Hyundai can manage to put together great competitor to the Avalon and even the Lexus ES but GM can not do as good of a job?

[GM_Fanatic]

I'll admit after seeing the new Sonata I was starting to worry and really take Hyundai seriously. But the styling on this thing is horrible. I guess thats just my opionion but the rear end looks like the old Accord before the refresh. The front just looks plain Korean, no character whatsoever. The flares on the side looked promising but just end up looking disproportioned...especially in the rear. I would easily take the Avalon over this.

[IAMCANADIAN]

Originally Posted by Vintalage

Keep in mind that you sat in a pre-production model.

Now I wonder why Hyundai can manage to put together great competitor to the Avalon and even the Lexus ES but GM can not do as good of a job?

wow, there's no chance in hell that you'll stop the GM bashing :p

Again this is a personal thing, the Lucerne kicks the Azera's ass in many ways as does the Azera compared to the Lucerne. Still I'd rather take a Lucerne or ES over the Avalon and Azera.

[Mr. Burns]

Originally Posted by GM_Fanatic

I'll admit after seeing the new Sonata I was starting to worry and really take Hyundai seriously. But the styling on this thing is horrible. I guess thats just my opionion but the rear end looks like the old Accord before the refresh. The front just looks plain Korean, no character whatsoever. The flares on the side looked promising but just end up looking disproportioned...especially in the rear. I would easily take the Avalon over this.

i agree 100%. this car looks dated next to the avalon and much smaller too in pics. to me the interior is awful in execution, heck id take a sonata over this anyday.

[Vintalage]

This is from some time ago, but it gives a better perspective of the interior. The photos below are from the korean model.

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by IAMCANADIAN

wow, there's no chance in hell that you'll stop the GM bashing :p

Again this is a personal thing, the Lucerne kicks the Azera's ass in many ways as does the Azera compared to the Lucerne. Still I'd rather take a Lucerne or ES over the Avalon and Azera.

And I'd take an IS over an ES any day.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Mr. Burns

It looks like its gonna be another XG if you ask me.

It costs the same as the XG, but has 69 more horsepower (265), 257 pound feet of torque, a five speed automatic transmission, 8 airbags, 7 more cubic feet of passenger space than the XG (putting it on par with the Ford Five Hundred, so it has more interior volume than all but 3 or 4 other cars on the road), electronic stability control, traction control, and electronic brake force distribution standard. I believe the base sound system is also MP3 compatible. Supposedly it handles much better than the XG too.

That's really good for a $24,000 large car with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. I'd definitely take one over the Avalon, Maxima, or Five Hundred/Montego and would probably favor it over a (non Hemi) 300 or the (non SS) Impala.