Really nice pics. I like it alot. I'm not a huge fan of the front fascia, though.

 

im liking the interior more than the avalons. but the front looks dated, like the first gen RL

 

i test drove it a month ago, and i frankly think it rides better than my mom's ES 330. and i'm not joking. and i prefer this styling than avalon as well. i also test drove avalon as well that same day, and the price difference was huge. i

they will probably sell it less than 27k in summer. i still can't believe it's a hyundai.

my only beef with this car is that i really wish that they put a navigation system, but puting a nav means adding 2-3 grand and they don't want that now.

 

Yeah. I like both the interior and exterior more here than in the Avalon. Both are pretty much what and what, including HP output and amenities. As you said, one of the few things the Azera's missing is the navi option, which I could care less about anyway. On looks alone, I'd pic this over the ugly Avalon anyday.

 

hyundai did their homework on interior. my friend drives a current santa fe, and interior really sucked.

check this new santa fe's interior. i think it's great.

 

^ Damn right. That interior's very nice; and it's not a ripoff!

 

Clean, functional. It cannot possibly exist. This is the 21st century... fads are IN!

 

^^ Hehehe. Interesting to note. The above car (Grandeur) uses the same 3.3L V6 from our Sonata. But for this market, the Azera will get a 3.8L V6 version making around 265HP. A very good move, and a necessity for this market. I just thought that it would be worldwide, not just here.

 

I think the interior is pretty amazing as well, maybe better than its Japanese competitors, EXCEPT- did anyone notice the leather? It looks like they went cheap and put in really small inserts of the acutal leather and surrounded it by vinyl. The quality of it doesn't look to good. My only criticism of the car.

 

Yeah, I noticed that. But for the price, I'm not looking for Connerly leather. I think it's probably one of the ways they keep their price advantage.

 

actually i sat on it, and it feels and looks very nice. better than my cl IMO.

 

Great car overall.

Now the bad parts.....the front end screams 1999.
No navi?!?!? Mazda 3 and civic offer a navi.

 

From what I've read the Mazda3 navigation is so bad it would have been better not to offer it.

 

I'm liking the interior more than the ES and GS. The only thing it lacks is a navi system.

 

You can get a fully loaded on for under $27K already:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-A...QQcmdZViewItem

I think this is the best value in the near-lux class.

 

Looks like an Acura RL from this picture

 

^ Looks good there.

 

from what i hear..the navi should be offered when the santa fe comes out

 

That may be true of Mazda, but if honda can offer it in the civic, Hyundai should offer it in it's flagship. There is no excuse.

 

you don't want the azera to be 30k+ yet. and from what i heard, the price will go down signicantly during the summer. you can buy loaded sonata v6 for 18k-19k right now, and we will be seeing loaded azera under 26k-27k. that's 7k cheaper than loaded avalon without the navi. that's a helluva deal.

 

this is definitly some massive bang for the buck. if i was in the market for a bigger family sedan, this would be my choice right away. I drove the sonata and i thought it felt great! compared to the camry, it was definitly alot sporty while being more silkier than the accord. its a good feeling. plus the leather in the sonata felt better than my TL....

 

latest rendering.. it's not official one, but it's from the same guy who gave very close pre-released rendering of YF sonata

i wouldn't be surprised if HG comes out as close to this rendering since hyundai made Avante (will be sold as Elentra here) pretty much mini-me sonata..

 

Toyota had better hop to it with their Avalon redesign or they're going to fall right off the menu completely.

 

If it looks like that rendering Hyundai will have another instant winner on its hands.....

 

I could somewhat see the point of the Azera before the Genesis, but who needs this car now? If you need something nicer than a Sonata you just get the Genesis.

 

The Genesis won't be a 33000-43000 dollar car for long. In time it will inflate to a more prestigious price range (maybe after Hyundai launches a luxury brand). Also, the Genesis is only RWD and so there's no winter friendly option.

 

well.. i sorta agree for the US market
but in korea, the price difference between sonata and genesis is anywhere from 20k USD to even 35k USD.. so the new HG will have no problem to fit right in between them

how much is base sonata?? and how much is base genesis?? isn't there like at least 10~13k price difference?

 

This.

The 2nd gen Genesis sedan will start closer to $40K than to $30K; also, while the 2nd gen Genesis most likely will be offered w/ an AWD option, it definitely won't have that soft, luxo cruiser ride that large, upscale FWD sedans have like the Avalon (btw, there's even less of a point for the ES, when Toyota already has the Avalon and GS).

And not only that, Hyundai is developing a smaller RWD sedan based on the Genesis platform which should be priced about the same as the Azera (it's all about having a competitor in each class).

 

Never really cared for the design of the Azera, but Hyundai, at least, corrected the biggest problem- the overly bland front fascia w/ the 2011 refresh (can't say the same for Toyota w/ the Avalon's refresh).

 

...except that the ES is the 2nd best seller behind the RX. In previous gens it might have made sense to have something above the mainstream mid sized sedan - but all of the main stream mid sized sedans are so big that size is no longer a factor and they can be option to the same level as the Azera and Avalon. I just don't see a long term future for that class other than a niche owned by the Avalons and Maximas of the world.

 

Yes. I alluded to that in my post. There are people who will not do the 2.0T thing and demand a V-6 with the style and features (or more) of the Sonata but aren't going to step up to this premium Hyundai Genesis car. With the Genesis moving up, there will once again be room in the 25-35 thousand dollar market for the Azera.

Depends on what you view as having a point. The ES is a really good seller, and the refreshed Avalon has newfound traction in the large sedan market if I recall correctly.

The GS is in a whole different class altogether and I'd argue that the others mentioned have nothing to do with the GS and vice versa.

I believe this is scheduled for the Kia K9, not a Hyundai specifically.

 

Have you guys seen the new Avalon??? That thing is a total piece! It astounds me that Toyota truly has turned into 1990 Buick. I would swear the new Avalon was a LeSabre.....

 

True, bit for loyal Lexus/Toyota owners, the ES probably takes sales away from both the GS and Avalon.

And while the large, upscale FWD sedan segment has shrunk over the years, it's still a segment large enough to be worth it to automakers - aside from the Avalon and Maxima, the Taurus and Impala sell enough to warrant continued investment.

Plus, the Azera and its Kia cousin, the Cadenza, are big sellers in the Korean market, so it's not much more of an investment for H/K to sell them here.


While the GS is in another class, most Lexus buyers aren't exactly "car people" (don't really care about FWD vs RWD, etc.) and many, while looking for a mid-size sedan from Lexus, just opt for the cheaper ES.

Hyundai is developing an entry level RWD sedan that is separate from the K9.

 

so artist rendering is basically 99% right. that dude is skilled.

oh by the way, Avalon's rear leg room is actually as big as Equus, and much bigger than Genesis. i don't think this Azera will be that big. it will probably be smaller and more sportier than Avalon. more of a Maxima/laCrosse fighter than a japanese towncar.

 

which is a good thing. The Avalon is too big.

 

Well....making it smaller and sportier just plops it in Sonata's territory. The Sonata is Maxima sized.

 

oh.. i thought maxima was bigger than sonata...

 

Maxima is actually smaller than Sonata. Its interior volumne is actually smaller than Altima as well.

This new azera will be bigger than Sonata, but not as big as Avalon. and it will have a big and smooth v6.

 

The Maxima is technically both wider and longer than the Sonata, if by less than an inch in both areas. But it's certainly packaged better and has more room in front, the rear, and the trunk. So you're still right.