2006 Hyundai Azera Limited

You’ve got to give the folks at Hyundai credit. Every new vehicle they’ve introduced in the past four or five years has, excuse the mixed metaphor, been hit over the fence. Right out of the ballpark.

The new Azera is Hyundai’s latest offering. It’s a full-sized “premium” sedan meant to compete with the likes of Toyota’s Avalon, perhaps Ford’s Five Hundred, and, I suppose, a bevy of Buicks. I hesitate to lump the Azera in with the Ford and the Buicks, which many perceive to be “old fart’s cars,” but it’s a fact of automotive life that many who end up buying the new Hyundai will indeed have also looked at the two aforementioned American sedans (and the Avalon). The Azera’s predecessor, the XG350, was a much-clunkier looking car, and it reminded many of “Buicks of carbuying past.”

Hyundai designers, when asked to come up with an XG350 replacement, started with a new sheet of paper. The Azera has a much more modern look, although I find it somewhat generic; from a distance it could be almost any imported large sedan. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Better to blend in with a good design than to stand out with a bad one.

This week’s test car, courtesy of Northtown Hyundai, was the top-of-the-line Limited, in Bright Silver with a grey leather interior. (One thing about the exterior color choices is that they’re kind of bland. No reds, no yellows; other than the Sage Green, your choices are very dark, or very silvery or beige-ish.) The interior is understated. Nothing fancy, but pleasant enough to spend a lot of time in. Everything is logically placed, and there’s plenty of room to stretch out in both the front and back seats. Hyundai claims that the Azera has more interior volume than not only its main competitor, the Avalon, but also some maybe less-competitive sedans such as the BMW 760i and Mercedes’ S class. Pretty heady company. Small touches like the Limited’s wood-trimmed steering wheel and door pulls are a nice touch. And one of my favorite features, the rearview mirror-mounted compass, comes standard on all Azeras.

Power goes to the front wheels by way of a 3.8-liter, DOHC V-6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic. This combination is EPA-rated at 19/28 mpg city/highway. Its 263 hp moves the 3,600-lb. sedan along quickly and smoothly. And, which is important from a car in this class, quietly.

Prices for the Azera SE start at $24,335. The Limited test car, with no optional equipment, listed for $27,495 including delivery. That’s not bad for a car which the automotive writers at Popular Mechanics called a “budget Lexus.” I guess they, too, were taken in by the Azera’s styling, comfort, and long list of equipment. A list which, on the Limited test car, included: 17-inch alloy wheels, power rear sunshade, heated front seats, LED tail lights, eight air bags, ABS, electronic stability control, foldaway heated outside mirrors, a 172-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 six speaker audio system (which sounds just great, I might add), Hyundai’s famous 100,000-mile warranty, and—now this is really novel these days—a full-sized spare tire and wheel. Don’t that just beat all! There’s a much longer list of equipment that you can check out on Hyundai’s website.

I’ve gotta say that the Azera should move Hyundai into a new class of buyers that they may have missed with the XG350. A younger, hipper crowd that appreciates this type of car but who wouldn’t be caught dead in the same American sedan that their fathers and grandfathers bought; doesn’t want to spend the extra few grand for an Avalon; or doesn’t mind driving a “budget Lexus.” After all, this is as close as they’re gonna get.

more info at: www.hyundaiUSA.com