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Hyundai Azera vs Hyundai Sonata
oskidunker1
Member Posts: 213
I currently am leasing a 2004 Audi A6 2.7T. The lease is up in October. Since the A6 equiped the way I want it is now $55,000( was $45,000 last time) I am probably going to buy either the Sonata or the Azera. I have been unable to really find comparisons. I do like the looks of the Azera more. are the seats more comfortable than the Sonata(many reviews say the Sonata seats are bad on long drives).I know the gas milage will be less but probably no worse than my A6.I am more into luxury than sportyness.Like a real quite car with no rattles. Also I have heard that the servicing required is frequent and costly. I have been unable to find the reccommended services anywhere.what kind of combined gas milage are you getting? does this car corner any better than the Sonata?Are the radio controls easier to reach?
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Comparisons - try http://www.hyundaiusa.com, or here on Edmunds for starters. I am sure current owners will chime in and give you their reports. Also, there are other related Sonata/Azera forums regarding the questions you have, such as fuel economy. Take a look around.
Good luck and keep us updated.
We walked into the Hyundai dealership with three vehicles on our list: Sonata, Sante Fe, and Azera.
I had seen the first two on the road, but had never seen an Azera. We were blown away by Azera's interior design and materials, only the fake wood on the steering wheel and door pulls was anything but top notch.
After test drives in all ( with the Azera last ), we drove away with an Azera - no contest. So quiet, luxurious and smooth. Absolutely unbelievable to most of us who equate the name Hyundai with econobox.
Our trade was a Jaguar X-Type and the Azera flat blows it away in every regard but the snob appeal nameplate. 7000 miles later and happier every day with this car.
We love the car and have had no problems. We have had it on several trips and gotten close to 30 mpg on these highway trips, a little over and a little under on all the trips. For the luxury at the price I think you will find it a great value and be pleased with the car. My boss had a BMW 5 series and the Azera impresses me much more, especially the interior. The seat belt bracket that you buckle into was broken on his beamer when it was less than one year old and I was not at all impressed with the interior. It looked cheap for a BMW, cheaper looking than what you would even find in a Chrysler 300, more like the leather interior in the Chevy HHR I recently rented on a business trip.
Drive them both and see what you think.
As an aside my son whose Honda CRV just came off lease was adamant in leasing another CRV, but finally succumbed to my pleas to test drive a Santa Fe. The results are that he now has a beautiful Santa Fe.
Bottom line, I think you would probably be happier with the Azera if it's the only car that you will be driving. We just took a trip to Boston and back from Westchester, north of NYC, and we averaged 26 mpg on regular gas. If you are as fortunate to find a dealer as good as mine, have a talk with the service manager and tell them you don't want the "full menu" that they present. Know what is required for warranty, and I do not think the servicing requirements are any more costly than say your Audi. All in all having 2 Hyundai automobiles has been a pleasure for me. Quality, comfort, all the inclusive options, and an exceptional price point, make the choice easy to make. Go with the Azera if you are a one car family.
rockylee, "2008-2009 Hyundai Genesis" #1, 6 Apr 2007 9:13 pm
http://www.hyundaiconceptgenesis.com/
Reliability, durability, and comfort are the main concerns of my wife, but I want to add fuel efficiency to my preferred list. Somehow I have a tough time convincing my wife a Sonata (or any Korean car for that matter) is a car good enough for us. I would settle for an Azera if it gets 26 mpg (highway) and 18 mpg (local), and the chipping problem is resolved.
Considering your criteria, I would go with a 2009 Azera with Nav rather than Sonata. Azera is luxurious, fit & finish is fantastic, loaded with tech goodies. I get 19-20 in city traffic (Houston traffic!!!) and easily get 27-30 on highway. And I don't drive gingerly either!!
Another very very important differentiation between Sonata, Camry, Accords and Azera is safety. Among all these, only Azera has Side Thorax airbags for rear seat passengers. All others only have roof mounted air bags for rear passengers.
If you happen to carry passenegrs in your rear seats, I think this extra set of airbags alone should convince you.
And, as for your other choices, going with Azera would save you atleast 10k in savings! (Btw, this is totally offtopic, but what is your opinion on the Acura's new grill design?)
The '09 Sonata has either an I-4 or a V-6. The '09 I-4 is now available with a 5-speed automatic and has better acceleration than the older models with 4-speed automatic transmissions. Our decision to go with the Azera was based partly on more comfort features (passenger side power seat, heated seats, more comfortable seats etc.).
Drive them both and decide. You will both want to be happy with your decision. Good luck.
Joe
Based on your criteria, both cars would suit. Really a matter of wanting the car for your wife it seems. Sonata's got a pretty large fuel economy advantage though. And both are large interiors, so I would assume space and comfort won't be an issue.
Now there is a small family feud among us. Our son, who still lives with us, is neutral. But our daughter, who works and lives in NY City (she cannot afford a car in the city) sides with her mother. My wife passed her message to me: "why would dad want a Korean car at his age?"
While I appreciate my daughter's thought (she wants me to enjoy life) I am a guy not so easy to pass up on good value when I see one. Here I mean the Sonata, but I would settle for an Azera, because she would drive the car more than I would. She does not like the 05 Montego (my car) that much. Am I selfish & stubborn?
The Accord won this comparison, but the shocker was that the Camry came in dead last. I was looking more at the Fusion in this comparo, as I was at that time eventually going to replace the '94 Sable I had, and wanted something, maybe a bit more comparable to the '93 SHO I had {still have}. The Fusion did fairly well, but the Sonata did too, in fact, the Sonata out accelerated the Fusion {all were V6s}.
This year, I wound up with an 08 Sonata GLS V6. Its more car than the Sable it replaced in every way. And in town {very heavy stop and go here in the Kent valley} gets 25% better gas mileage {17 vs 21}, and where I haven't done a straight freeway run, the one time I had 40% highway driving on the fillup, netted a bit over 27mpg.
The Sonata doesn't have the power to run away from the SHO once both cars are moving, but the 0 to 30, its much better. Its not the "handling" machine the SHO is either, but then its a GLS, not a Sonata SE.
The Sonata isn't really a Korean car anymore. Its a Korean nameplate, but its assembled in Montgomery Ala. And the engine is entirely made in the USA.
Today, this particular platform is in its fourth year. The 09 has cleaned up all of the problems that once were brought up as issues. It has more power, and gets a bit better mileage than the 06 thru 08s do.
A recent Motor Trend comparo, 10 midsize cars with the I4's, the Sonata came in second. Ahead of both Camry and Accord. And the reviewers said it made more sense than the winner, a turbo Passat, that actually won on handling and power.....
Its possible, its a stretch that the Sonata is a better car today than the Camry and Accord {though its my considered opinion that it is}, but its definitely comparable, and checking the "Real World MPG" threads on all three forums will give the impression that both the I4 and V6 Sonata gets better mileage than the 08 Accord and new Camry.
My suggestion is to get your wife to sit in, and test drive a fully loaded Sonata. It'll probably surprise her. It may not win her over, after all, it doesn't have the "status" the other nametags you mentioned do. But the quality, and the "value", might just decide the issue........
Your son is neutral (probably just wants to stay out of it) and your daughter who doesn't own a car (probably hasn't looked at new cars for a while) has decided that Korean cars are inferior.
Have your wife test drive both the Sonata & Azera (although she may also have a built-in biasis). At Towne Hyundai you can get an '08 Azera for $4500 under invoice ($5500 under if you qualifiy for owner loyalty).
The Sonata is a great car, although the Azera is better. The question is how much better in $$.
DCitis is running wild.
Don
My wife actually sat in an 09 Sonata back seat when I test-drove it last month in a nearby Hyundai dealership. She declined to test-drive the car. She expressed some interest when she saw the 08 Azera in the showroom later. I have to admit that I never heard the name Azera (until I participated in this forum) and was surprised to see such a beautiful car in a Hyundai dealership, Sorrrrrrrrry. We just came in to see the Sonata.
If we ever have a chance of owning a Korean car, I think my wife would pick the Azera over Sonata, although I very much would like to buy the latter. For me the fuel efficiency factor alone on the Sonata scores a lot of points. Since I am a senior citizen already and she is not too far behind, we are not in a hurry to go anywhere (especialy in no rush to go to the cemetery, a wishful thinking).
Now I have a tall order for you folks out there. Just in terms of reliability and durability, which is a better car to own in the next 5 plus years?
Sincerely,
njalan
p.s. Did I hear that the Azera might be discontinued in 2010 or 2011 after the all new RWD is out? (My wife and I have no interest in a RWD car.)
If you look up the distress some new car owners have with other models, and that includes Honda, Toyota, and some of the luxury names, you will come to realize that the Hyundai product is, in most cases , equal to or better than many others.
As an aside if you want to give your wife a treat then buy the Azera with all the toys except maybe a built in GPS which is a waste. I have a Garmin which I can move between the 2 cars and it's next to foolproof. You should be able to save a goodly amount of money on the purchase price as compared to other comparable models. Take your spouse out for a ride in both cars over the type of roads that you normally drive on. The difference between the Sonata and Azera is more luxury and more room. I love my Sonata but if we are driving anyplace of any distance from home, it's a no brain er. It is the Azera.
Don
The 09 Azera is out now, and these two issues are also history in the Azera. I haven't heard about the steering wheel issue, that I'm not sure of..........
Even all dressed out, the Sonata will cost less to own over the next five years, taking things like fuel costs {which will probably continue to rise} into account. Whether a Sonata will be any more durable is a question, the Azera too has improved.........
Good luck on the "badge" question. When I made the decision to go with the Sonata, I wound up getting a lot of static over the decision from my g/f {now ex}. An Acura TL would probably have been ok, an Accord maybe... but a Hyundai? Even sharing my research, and letting her see the the issues raised on the Accord forum over the 08s wasn't as important to her as the "badge" issue........
Good luck..........
The suspension, except for some minor harshness and noise on very rough pavement, suits us very well with good control and a smooth and quiet ride. We could get the struts replaced under warranty, but again, not worth a trip to the dealer, IMO.
I guess it all depends on whether you expect your car to be absolutely perfect. If we had spent $40K-$50K, we'd expect perfection, but not at the $25K we spent for ours. The Azera is worlds better than the $42K Jag we traded, though.
Bottom line: our Azera has been to the dealer twice - for oil changes. Who knows what the future holds, but just in case, there's the 10 year/100K warranty.
In the meantime, the Azera has proven to be so comformtable, mileage ranging from about 18-19 in all town driving and high 20's on highway. It is quiet and very comfortable. It is my wife's car to drive, and she greatly appreciates the comfort and looks of the car.
My suggestion: go with the Azera, if it will make her happy. The difference in mileage and upkeep isn't worth mentioning.
PS, Because of my Azera experience, we now also have a Santa Fe and an Elantra in the family. Hyundai, much to mine and others suprise, has it's act together on quality and my dealer has been just fine to work with.
As for the Sonata Limited V6, is the Azera Limited worth the extra money over it? Is the Azera significantly quieter and smoother? Are there are other attributes to the Azera that make it worth the extra money and 3 mpg less than the V6 Sonata?
I admit one appeal to the Azera is how few of them you see on the road.
And any comments comparing to the Accord would also be appreciated.
Bud H
I initially passed on a 2007 Sonata because of the short seats which were not as supportive as what I needed for long drives.
But ended up getting one mainly for my wife who loves it. Limited 6 Cyl 3.5 .
I like it too, and the seats are ok for about a 1 hour drive in the NY metro area.
We get about 21mpg around town, and up to 31 with steady high speed driving.
Later, I got a 2007 Azera for myself, as I needed the more solid seating for long (4+ hours) trips. I get 30 mpg at steady highway speeds 60-65 mph, slightly less if I go 70-75. 16-20 mpg in town, depending on traffic, roads taken, time of day, etc.
I got the 3.8 l but the 3.5 motor is probably would have been adequate. The 3.8 has about 34 more HP .
I'd have done bettter with a 2008 because they tightened up the front end a bit. The 2007 does lean a bit in corners as you observed.
Any dealer service will be costly, compared to non-dealer. I haven't had any real service issues (except tires had to be replaced when new on the Azera, and brake rotors on the Sonata had rusted on the lot - had to be re-ground)
Regards,
Hal in NJ
Perhaps back to the drawing board on what car to buy: Accord, Sonata, Azera, all on my list, but it would be great to get a somewhat luxurious car with good headroom and moderately decent gas mileage for close to $30K or less!
Any other choices out there if not the Azera?
Bud H
It has been rehashed many times that the Azera suspension is not by any means "sporty", but that does not mean it is considered to be inadequate or junk by the vast majority of Azera owners. I'm sure that there are thousands of owners like myself that are quite pleased with our cars.
My '06 Azera ( 20K miles, and original shocks ) is a fabulous freeway cruiser, and the soft ride keeps me from being beaten up by the horrible backroads on which I drive. The car is driven at or slightly above the speed limit wherever it goes, and the suspension works just fine. Take a test drive in the car on the roads and speeds on which you will drive, then decide for yourself.
Richard
All that said, test driving this car will do you no good because the way it rides new is not the way it rides after 5000 miles. This is the damest thing I have ever heard of.95% of the time the ride is ok but if you drive allot over over passes, elevated roads or bridges you will be annoyed by the float and will be forced to drive no faster than 60 to keep control of the car.I can live with it if it does not get any worse.
Even if an after market shock were available , I would be reluctant to buy it until I had evidence that the Springs would not destroy them after 5000 miles.
I would look at other cars if I were in the market now but I really don't know what could comapre. I hate small cars and anything big is too expensive.I bought the car to reduce my costs so I would not consider the Genesis.My brother in law bough one so I will report back on that because he drives allot of miles and will soon be beyond the 5000 mile barrier.
I had evidence that the Springs would not destroy them after 5000 miles."
What makes you think that your poor quality shocks are being ruined by the front springs?
In a word NO! All shocks still have the same part numbers beginning 10/20/07.
If you can find a rental or used one with 5,000 miles on it, try it. Be sure to go on back roads, city streets and so forth where dips, rises and uneven pavement exist. It the ride does not bother you, go for it as everything else is excellent - at least on mine.
If one assumes that the quality control on these " bad " shocks allows a failure of even 1 per 100 shocks, the odds of having both front shocks fail, and then having the shocks replaced twice, and then those failing - is astronomical.
I contend that the suspension is working as designed, and no amount of replacement with essentially the same shock is going to fix it. The shocks, given the symptoms described ( floating, wallowing ) appear to have been designed with insufficient return damping and are unable to properly dampen/control the springs. One person suggested that a stiffer spring might help, but IMO, that would only make the problem worse. The solution would be a new shock with stiffer damping characteristics ( unavailable as yet ), the coilover aftermarket suspension, or live with it.
It is not the shocks, but the whole suspension system is not right for this particular car. R&D and testing missed the boat somewhere. That is why I am waiting a couple of years before even considering the Genesis.