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Comments
Thanks a lot for the info. Wish I were near Albuquerque, I'd take you up on your offer.
Enjoy your new Azera, hope to see that photo, if you get a chance to post it.
cn
I've just ordered my Azera.
It's the full option with Black paint and Black leather.
Will arrive Saturday morning.
Nigel
Yes, being shallow has it's drawbacks because it causes you to overlook things. Hyundai's safety rating is very high. As a matter of fact...you won't find the number of air bags in an ES330 that you would in the Azera.
In the repair arena, well...Hyundai is getting better and better. In the 4 years I owned my 2002 Sonata, outside of the oil changes, brake pads, bulbs and other misc. stuff, the only dough I really shelled out was the $1100 when I got the timing belt replaced, full tune up and front end alignment (at 90K miles). The new Azera has a timing chain, so that's one thing that won't even have to be addressed.
Also, notice I said that the sticker price was $30K. I didn't pay $30K for mine. Since you say you paid in the low $30's, let's just say the price swing for the Azera with the Premium package (which I got), was about $6K less than your ES330. Resale is not an issue as I plan on holding onto this car for quite some time.
Then, to top it all off, the amazing warranty that has the company standing behind it's product for the next 10 years/120 miles. Can you say that about your Lexus? Don't get me wrong, Lexus is a very, very good car to own, but...if you want more for your money, the Hyundai Azera is definitely one worth looking at.
Please, do not try and compare your weak ES330 that only has 218 horse power, a smaller wheelbase, less luggage room, less overall interior space and maybe half the number of air bags that come standard on the Azera.
Let me know what figure you come up with buddy.
I have to agree that there is no perfect car out there, however...there's a perfect car to suite each person's situation. I for one, want the most for my money. I plan on holding onto a car for a very long time, so resale value is not an issue for me. The experience I had with my 2002 Sonata cemented my belief in the Hyundai nameplate. Trust me, I was skeptical going in as I had just gotten out of a 96 Camry (totalled in accident).
Toyota wanted me to pay $23K for a Camry that was comparable equipped to the Sonata I only paid $17K for. It was about gettin the most for my hard earned dollar. In the 4 years I owned my Sonata...it never gave me a day of problems. I traded it in with 105K miles on it and the dealer that took it was shocked that it ran as good as it did when it was new (couldn't say that about the Camry).
Anyway...I do enjoy my Azera very much. Just got back from a trip to NC (about 4 hours each way). Impeccable manners on the road, more passing power than you need, very quite and poised on uneven pavement...it's hard to believe it's a Hyundai.
The Azera is a very good value. So far, mine is running well and I'm really enjoying it. I looked at other vehicles and found the Azera to be the best value.
Does that mean I don't think the Lexus ES330 to be a good vehicle? No. In fact, I have a relative who has one and it's a very nice car. Lexus also has an excellent reliability record -- yes quite better than Hyundai. If you look at the Consumer Reports automobile reliability records, Lexus is about as good as it gets for tens years straight on just about every model they offer.
Hyundai cars seem to be okay for 1-3 years out and then, past that, the reliability suffers. It is a blemished record and has a LONG way to go before it has the superb reliability history of a Lexus.
It is WAY too soon to declare the Azera a reliable vehicle. Some tout that Hyundai's great warranty equates to reliability. This is not true. They can offer the best warranty in the business and still have sub-par reliability. Time will tell.
Also, just having a "long" warranty doesn't really mean much. You have to look at how it is applied and what "exclusions" there are. A five year "bumper to bumper" warranty might not be as good as you think when you read the fine print. Also, in my experience, companies that offer longer than average warranties also find ways to void them easily. Just be aware.
Bottom line is this. Lexus is more expensive for what you get versus the Azera, in my opinion. However, the benefit is a company with a PROVEN reliability record that Hyundai doesn't even come close to yet. Maybe some feel that the proven reliability is worth a few extra thousand dollars. I have no problem at all with somebody choosing an ES330 over an Azera. Each person has their own subjective reasons why one is better than the other. That's fine with me. I chose the Azera.
Sounds like kindergarten, you bullies.
Any who, they sell a Maclaren for somewhere around $1M plus and it doesn't have any warranty, it doesn't stop people from buying, but it does go like 165 mph or more.
Hyundai_Azera_Forum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Looking forward to seeing some nice photos. If the moderator here agrees, I would like to put a link t this Forum o the Group.
Nigel
No I don't live in the Southwest, but the East.....the East of Saudi Arabia.
I'm an Aussie working in Saudi for a British company and I've always owned Hyundai's since I arrived here....15 years ago.
As for car colours and heat, we have found once you get over 33-35C it doesn't really matter the car/interior colour....they are all about the same temp.
We have a company here V-Cool and they apply great heat reflecting tint....and it's clear...and it works.
I hope to get the Azera in ext few days. Nigel
What is the brand name of the film?
First, the seat preset switches only work with the ignition turned on. My wife is petite and I'm 6 feet tall. If she drove the car last, I have to bend over (outside the car) to move the seat back far enough for me to sit down. Only then, after I started the car can I employ the preset switch. Was it beyond the Hyundai engineers to make these switches function when their customers need them most- BEFORE THEY SIT DOWN???
Third- the seats are substantially flat and are lacking in adjust ability. The front elevation has a height range of less than 1 inch.
The good news is that I realized these gross shortcomings while I had the car for an extended test drive (Ed Voyles Hyundai in GA). Other issues I had include rough idling, lulls in RPM before shifting, inconsistent shifting and mushy brakes.
A great warrantee does not make up for major design and engineering flaws.
I will not purchase this car.
What I learned to do is use #1 for my driving preferences, and use #2 for the other, larger but only occasional driver settings. When I'd exit, I got in the habit of pressing #2 before turning off the ignition and the #2 position made getting out and in easy. With the Azera steering wheel retracting, I find I don't even need to do that.
Also...on the Azera Limited, the wood trim comes standard. The SE doesn't get it or it may be available in a package, but I'm not sure on that.
The seats are flat, but sit higher (well at least higher than the ones in my previous 02 Sonata), but lowering the rear portion of the seat makes up for it and I've found a very comfortable driving position. I don't have to move the steering wheel to get out or get in either.
I haven't noticed any problems with a rough idle, nor any lulls in RPM before shifts. The only issue with the transmission I have is the shift from 1st to 2nd. It's very smooth if you're very light on the gas pedal, but anything frisky and above, it's a abrupt change. Maybe if I diconnect the battery for a few minutes and re-start the learning process again, I can fix that. lastly...the brakes have been extremely solid both in highway and city driving. Very firm feel and solid grab with no fade coming down from high speeds (90 mph).
A great warranty makes up for knowing you don't have to shell out money to take care of this car. It's having peace of mind in knowing that after the 3rd year...you're still covered. In some cases, depending on your driving habits...you stand to be covered up to the point you make your last payment if you've financed for 60 months.
Repairs on any vehicle today can be costly, real costly indeed.
The common wear items, tires, brakes, filters and what have you can be quite expensive today, if not replacement part cost it will be the labor cost to replace the part.
A motor mount (not for a Hyundai) basic item, replacement part cost $175.00 ea., labor $250.00 per side (3hrs labor each side per the book they use)... failed at 37 mths with only 20k miles. :sick:
Quite simply the customer decides on the vehicle of choice and the warranty, or lack of, may influence the final acquisition.
Hyundai's warranty may not be 100% to every bodies liking but it's one hell of a lot better than the competition. You may have some rules/guidelines to follow, that seems normal, because if they didn't people would abuse it to no end. Thought process is, use it, abuse it and blame everyone else when it breaks.
If you can't afford the maintenance don't buy the vehicle and stop talking about the stuff you don't know. :P
This sight exchanges owner queries, ideas and helpful hints to Azera owners.
We love our Azera, the warranty, the ride, the dealer we purchased the vehicle from the maintenance shop employees and more.
No doubt if someone offered you a 'free' vehicle, you'd probably complaine about that. Have a good day
I will really appreciate getting information on this regard in order to know what to expect from them.
Regards
Edgar
fully equipped White Azera.
Tell me more, what color interior? Which package?
and what part of the country are you in?
Service, seems the technicians are not fully up to speed on this new model.
Customer support seems to be doing the job.
Maint/parts and service... all depends on the dealer/parts counter and service, some dealers are marvelous and others may be questionable.
Bottom line, don't take service/parts/etc for granted, be judgemental and select per your needs.
Each dealership is probably very different, but it seems as if Hyundai did not "educate" the sales people, managers, service managers or very many techs on the Azera's details, features, etc. before they actually began to sell it. Fortunately I haven't had to experience any issues with parts. What would be good for you would be to:
a.) Read the manual (if you can before you get the car so you can ask any questions at the time of delivery)...perhaps dealer has a copy he can lend to you from his floor model?
b.) Register with www.hmaservice.com and gain access to all Technical Service Bulletins etc.
c.) Hope that there is a sharp tech who knows how to "program" the following items which you can customize to your own tastes:
1.) "EZ out" which controls if steering wheel retracts (if you have Limited with Ultra pack and memory settings) and seat moves back when you pull the key out....thus leaving it easier for all, but the biggest, to get out and for all but the biggest to get back in.
2.) Door Lock-Can be set to lock and unlock at key, and various pre-set speed intervals
3.) "Limp Home" which is a 4 digit code which you use to "manually" start your car with the key if the key's chip becomes disabled or "locked out" for a host of reasons
Also, hope that there is someone there who can demonstrate some of the nice "little" features (most of the major controls are fairly straight-forward)....like the rain-sense wipers, auto-light-controlled headlights, power folding mirrors, rear sunshade (which automatically goes down when you shift into reverse!) etc.
Also hope that someone (or read this board) explains the "quirks" and "hiccups" like the fact that many brochures and the early manuals indicate that the rear-view mirrors tilt down on shifting into reverse (They do NOT!!)
Also have them explain the "learning behavior" of the transmission and if the car has more than 20 miles, ask them to "zero it out". When you begin driving it, for the first few hundred miles, try and drive your most frequent "patterns"....so if you will use it a lot for long trips and not much for local and commuting, then take it on a long trip. If you will use it to commute to work.....use it mostly for that when you first get it!!
Make sure they explain the service intervals. Make sure you get WRITTEN statement that it will not void your warranty if you install any "goodies" (even if the dealer "oversees" the installation of such things as "auto-starter" etc.)
Most of all.....Enjoy it and Good Luck!!! If you intend to be a long term owner (over 5 years) you may wish to buy the extension of the 5 year bumper to bumper out to 10 years. Very reasonable, helps sell the car if you should decide to sell and catches the most expensive years and caps your outlays...IF you follow their service and maintenance rules!!
With the navigation, hyundai should have something out for north america soon, once they get a telematics service provider. In Korea the top end models come with nav as standard, but it does cost alot more than what they are selling as in america.
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/azera/trim/comparetrim.aspx
The forum is working well, lots of good stuff being exchanged daily, here are some of the issues or are they?
1. Auto eight-way seat adjustment, engineers could have made it better. I agree, but then again it could have been manual adjust like the Sonata or the basic forward and back, I can adjust to the requirements.
2. Blue tooth, for another $5 to $10K you could have bought the Acura, BMW or equivalent, I can adjust and I'll be just fine, my cell still receives and sends.
3. Navigation, for another $5 to $10K you could have bought the Acura, BMW or equivalent. It would have been a nice toy, but I like 'not asking for directions' grunt, grunt, it's a man thing.
4. Tilt down mirrors, definitely would help see those pesky curbs when parallel parking but would hamper seeing the vehicles on either side when backing in?
5. Lack of radio controls on steering wheel. For any audiophile this becomes major, but you'll adapt.
6. Three-beamed jeweled projector headlights vs. HID. I can adjust or change to HID.
7. Auto turn on headlights not coming on soon enough. This is a dealer fix, not major, or you can fix... see prior post.
8. I know I missed something,add it in here.
In conclusion, none of these are deal breakers and if we all owned Acura's, BMW's or the other makes I'd bet we would have at least 8 items to improve to our individual requirement satisfaction.
We can adjust to the seats, we can buy blue tooth to meet our needs, we can buy aftermarket navigation, we'll manage to survive with the rear view mirrors, the 315 watt 10 speaker stereo system steering wheel control make not be ideal, but we'll find a way to manage, we can change the bulbs to HID and the dealer can fix/adjust headlight darkness turn on.
We are just going to enjoy/drive/love our Azera with all of these built in deficiencies or we'll plunk down a few bucks to add aftermarket items. :shades:
outside and inside color choices. Anyone know?
We thought grey and beige interior got the rosewood color wood and that the black interior got the lighter color, maybe that's true???
As for the outside color and the interior color, good question, I've seen or heard of:
powder white pearl/beige/rosewood
powder white pearl/grey/rosewood
powder white pearl/black/lighter
bright silver/grey/rosewood
bright silver/black/light wood
aubergine/grey/rosewood
aubergine/black/light wood
aubergine/beige/rosewood
steel grey/grey/rosewood
steel grey/black/lighte wood
venitian blue/grey/rosewood
venitian blue/beige/rosewood
venitian blue/black/lighterwood
ebony black/black/lighterwood
ebony black/grey/rosewood
sage green/beige/rosewood
sage green/grey/rosewood
golden beige/beige/rosewood
golden beige/grey/rosewood
Has any one seen, golden beige/black/lighterwood, sage green/black/lighterwood, steel grey/beige/rosewood, bright silver/beige/rosewood?
If they exisist then it says you can get any color interior with any color exterior but the lighterwood is with the black leather and rosewood is with beige and grey leather.
Whew, I think that's it?
When I went to web site, there was no Azera option
I think in this case, it's just a matter of seeing how well the car would be accepted as they offered it now. Right now, it's starting out the same way the Sonata did back when it received the re-design in 2002. At first...you didn't see them on the road but here and there, as time went on...they became more frequently seen as consumers warmed up to them.
Once folks realize the solid product that Hyundai is offering, they'll relax a bit and be more accepting that there's another kid on the block that's worthy of being mentioned with the rest of them.
Ticking noise in the engine - Defective pulley was determined to be the problem and replaced.
Trunk release accuator inside trunk lid - Repaired under warranty.
Moisture build up in tail lights - Tail light resealed under warranty.
Plastic trim piece around inside of sun roof was cracked - replaced under warranty.
Cup holder in center console was cracked - replaced under warranty.
Black trim on outside of b-pillar cracked - replaced under warranty.
Ruptured power steering hose - replaced under warranty.
Down shifting sensor on shiftronic transmission went bad - replaced under warranty.
Faulty alternator that caused two batteries to be drained - Both batteries courtesy of the warranty as well as replacement of the alternator.
I guess the point is...as long as you're doing your part to take care of the car, then Hyundai will step up and do their part. It also helps to go to a good service department (which I had access to) and created a good rapport with them. I had a buddy with a Sonata and his dealer told him that changing the oil yourself or going to places like Jiffy Lube would void the warranty. That is utter bull, I changed my own oil right after I ran out of the free oil changes the dealer gave me when I bought my car. As long as you keep track of the oil changes...you're fine. The only time the warranty is voided is if you go and blatantly do something to mess your car up.
So anyway, think and say what you want, I know differently because I've experienced it first hand. Once again, it boils down to folks that take care of their vehicles by doing preventive maintenance and not waiting until something happens before they fix something. Yes, in some cases you can't help it, but preventive maintenance helps to avoid accidents or break-downs.
If you don't like one service department, find another until you get to one that makes you feel comfortable. Since each place is run differently, you'll see what I mean. Once you find a place to call home, don't hesitate to let them know how you feel about them (they love it and will look out for you in the future).
Good luck!
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I am located in South East Florida (Lake Worth).
I would imagine that the techs are still to be trained on the new Azeras. However I am very interested to know how good Hyundai is in terms of support, service and customer care.
Regards
Edgar
Out of all that warranty work, there was only a few major things, the rest were minor cosmetic things really, but hey, if the warranty covers it...why not, right?
In response to one other post: you can't put "HID bulbs" in a car - they aren't really lights - they are chemical reactors and require a $500+ add-on that may or may not fit under the hood for each side of the car if you really have to have them... You _CAN_ buy PIAA or similar bulbs for $50 or so a pair that would give you the same color temperature (my wife's I35 Infiniti has HID low-beams, but standard (Halogen) high-beams and fog lamps. I replaced the bulbs with PIAA "5000K" (GTX) H3 bulbs for the fogs and PIAA "4500K" bulbs for the high beams (those are 9004's). For what it is worth (about $100?) the car looks a whole lot better if the lights all look the same, even if they aren't. :P
You should be able to find them on "ebay.com" or similar: the Azera headlights are "H7" bulbs... Not sure about the fog or high beams, but - I've seen it here somewhere posted with Korean part #s.
Yeah in a 4 year period. Here is all the work outside of routine maitenace in the last 6 years:
Sensor replaced (not covered by warranty since the car had 130k miles on it).
Thats it other than oil changes, tune ups, brakes and belts changed. No bulbs went out, no cosmetic things, nutting.
A great service department made all of that an afterthought, so it didn't bother me.
It would bother me going in that many times. I guess I expect more.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
DArk grain on the wood - apparantly the black and other color cars have a lighter wood. :P
Gray interior= dark wood trim
Black interior= Beech/light wood trim
SE model has no wood trim on door pulls or steering wheel. Black interior only available on the Limited model.
There you have it.