Another New Long-Termer: 2007 Hyundai Azera Limited
About the only negative thing I could think of after driving this car was its name. It makes me think of the guy who does the voices of Moe and Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons
(love the show, but I don't want to think of those voices when poeple ask about my car). Otherwise there's little to fault regarding Hyundai's Azera. We just put one into our long-term fleet, so expect to see an introduction soon...
Our car is Venetian (dark) Blue with a beige interior, so I liked the color before I even sat down. The seats are wide and plush, and covered in supple leather. Actually, all of the interior materials are at, if not above, the standards set by the sub-$30,000 sedan category. The 3.8-liter, 263-horsepower V6 is refined, but it will still smoke the front tires when you want (and sometimes when you don't, if you aren't careful). The electroluminescent gauge cluster (updated for 2007) provides a premium ambiance, as does the soft, amber lighting in the footwells (think Saturn Aura). After putting 100 miles on the car I realized that only buyers stuck on Hondas and/or Toyotas (which are a lot of buyers, BTW) won't give this car a chance. Too bad for them.
Azera is a great value but it interior and exterior design are dull. It also lacks a nav system, HIDs, 18" wheels and bluetooth. Many american cars are dogged for lacking those features so the Azera should be as well. This car hasn't sold well for Hyundai in spite of MT and other publications declaring it's better than any domestic sedan on the market. I'm not sure why it's not selling, but I suspect most people cant see themselves paying nearly $30k for a Hyundai.
If I had the money, I would. A Kia Amanti would be just as agreeable to me. Having driven a new model recently, I can say it would be a pleasure.
What's with the big V6 but on P R N D selections? I assume there's actually a way to limit the gears on the shifter itelf- I was busy being impressed by that display above when I realized that it doesn't give any detail as to lower gears (4 / 3 / 2?).
The Azera is a nice car but the rear of the car is bland. Reminds me of the 1998 Ford Taurus UFO style. Hyundai and Kia are coming along with well built cars. They already bigger models with V8's.
iskch:
I don't know about you, but most of the time spent in my car is used driving it or admiring a front-on perspective. The rear end of your car should only be a problem for the person driving behind you.
I looked at an Azera and could not get comfortable in it The lowest position for the seat was still fairly high and it didn't go back very far either.
I would not have even looked at one for 30K, but the lower trims at 22K or so seem like an extraordinarily good deal.
The "high seat" complaint was raised by some editors around here, too. Since I like to sit relatively high in a car this never bothered me in the Azera (the Ford Focus often had the same issue called out, but that car's seat never bothered me, either). Still, it's a fair point, as I know some drivers do like the lower "H-point." Ideally a manufacturer allows for sufficient seat height adjustment to please everyone.
I sat inside the car, and the materials and textures were not appealing to me. They look like textures from a cheaper class of car than the CamCordAltiMalibu. To me, this Azera is worse on the inside than even the current Malibu.
I too wasnt impressed by the interior in design or materials. I would rate it about the same as the Lacrosse, if not worse. The design itself is about 5 years behind the times. Also, where is the navigation? This car got a lot of slack because it's from Hyundai and they are still seen as an overacheiving underdog even though they have developed into a full fledged manufacturer that can compete with the big dogs.
I think Korean cars are still have a long way to go to meet the standards of their Japanese counterpart. My 2000 civic was recently in for some body work, and my rental was a spectra. Hard plastic was everywhere, seat comfort was terrible, and when I went back into my civic after returning the spectra, the civic engine felt a so much more smooth. Also, the transmission was trash in comparison to the honda's, which knows when to downshift.
Whatever happened to this long termer? I have been checking this and the long term blog daily for updates, but none exist. Did the Azera purchase/lease not pan out. I bought an 06 Sonata LX a year ago. I like the car ok but I would caution those looking to purchase to thoroughly test drive this car over a weekend, I can not drive more than an hour without severe back pain. I had a Nissan Murano that I could drive all day in with no issues, so imho, there is something to the seat complaints. The Azera may use the same seats as the Sonata.
I totally, completely disagree with the assertions that the Azera's interior materials lag behind Accord and Camry, let alone (for God's sake) Malibu. I test-drove an Azera back-to-back with a top-line Accord EX V6, and the Azera's interior blew away the Accord's in every way. The leather, the ceiling fabric, the level of roominess and the general ambience. It wasn't even close. If the Azera didn't have hard plastic on the lower dash and cheesy fake wood on the steering wheel, it would be fully on par inside with a Lexus ES.
I don't know what these people were looking at, unless they were jealously eyeing up an Azera just before they keyed it in a GM parking lot.