2013 Hyundai Azera: Look Out LaCrosse
Hyundai has been doing a lot of things right lately, but one thing they can’t do is keep a secret. TTAC showed you this car, known as the Grandeur in Korea, a year ago, warning “Buick beware.” Now that it’s arrived stateside, the threat is real and Azera is no longer the red-headed stepchild of the Hyundai family. Hyundai says the new Azera’s design was pursued following the same “fluidic sculpture” theme as Elantra and Sonata, rather than aping the Genesis and Equus’s more formal design language… although to our eyes it almost splits the difference between the two looks. Meanwhile, its 3.3 liter, 293 HP V6 separates it from its V6-free Sonata cousin, while still providing what Hyundai claims is “class leading” efficiency.
Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik says they are transitioning Hyundai from a “Value brand” to a “Valuable brand” (yes, really), and this Azera is intended to help challenge cars like the Acura TL and Lexus ES as well as the Taurus and Avalon. And with no plans for new US production capacity, despite razor-thin inventories, moving the brand upmarket makes sense for Hyundai. And replacing the old dullard of an Azera was a crucial step in that direction.
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I'm a retired 74 year old and can't wait to get a new Azera. I have the 2006 Azera with 181,000 Kms. Love the car, love driving the car, long trips at slightly higher than the posted speed limit and still get 500 miles down the road feeling rested. A few minor bugs, but overall a great 6 year experience. Had a loaner of a Hyundai Elantra Sport with the 4 banger. What a scary piece of crap that is. I was afraid to pull out in to traffic. After driving a 3.8 L 263 HP 6cyl. The 4 cyl is nowhere. If the Azeras are available in Canada I'll trade, if not I'll wait 'til I'm in the USA to buy. Not a fan of the Sonata or Elantra. They have that look of being sideswiped by a Monster truck. Give me the smooth sided look any day.
In October, 2014, I bought a 2014 Hyundai Azera Base in Queens, NY. I made a big mistake in buying the car because it did not have the some of the features that I wanted. A week later, I went to another Hyundai dealership to trade it in for an Azera Limited. The salesman at this dealership told me that the Azera Base is a very undesirable car that no one wanted and had a very poor resale value. He said that he was very reluctant take the Base model as a trade in unless I took a deep cut. I paid $32000+ for the Base and he then told me that all that he would offer me is $21000. If he knew this about Base, than the dealership in Queens, NY knew it also. My fault entirely for not doing my homework. As a returning customer, they should have treated me more fairly. Never again , Hyundai! Who said life was fair?