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I'll report more when I get more seat time. This is going to be a great car :=)
cars.com has quite a few listed with "dealer pics" which I enjoy viewing. Some are priced above MSRP, which is no surprise given the market variances and a new high-end model.
You can find my posts their and what deal I got plus other info
I post under XSOLARA name
That bein said, I wonder how many "standard" Azeras dealers will order. My guess is not many.
What, are you out there drag racing TLs and ESes? I wouldn't bet the farm on one mags test. I've seen .5 sec differences on the 0-60(let alone the 1/4 mile) from different mags for the same exact car. I realize not a lot of rags are doing 0-60 tests on the Azera as it's not really pushed at the enthusiust crowd but I'm sure there will be a couple more to compare to soon.
Here's the C&D First Drive results: 2012 Azera Test
Despite the presence of 293 horses, each driver in our group declared, “Needs more power!” within minutes of getting behind the wheel.
I think I'm going to fall within that group.
I'm in no way putting the Azera down as i think it is a great value, especially with when you consider that the base model comes with NAV and you don't have to pay for a sunroof which I've never been interested in. Good on Hyundai for that.
Make no mistake though, the Lexus ES350 and Acura's TL are in the target market here. The RWD offerings from Cadillac, Mercedes, BMW are a different class.
Also, certain parts in the RX, such as the cruise control stalk and headliner material to name just two, are right from the Camry parts bin, and the carpeted mats are held in place with plastic tabs, not metal hooks as in the Azera, and come unhooked with ease - unintentionally. Not to mention the sun visor than fell into my wifes lap as she was driving (apparently some one at the Lexus factory failed to instal one of the screws that held it place). Point is, to make a blanket statement that everything in a Lexus must be more "luxurious" than Hyundai simply is not true. Drive them back to back and then you can make a better opinion. Oh, cost of the Lexus, $46k. Price of the Azera $33k. Perhaps a $70k Lexus LS doesn't skimp on "luxury" ala the RX, but one could buy two Azera's for that, and have change left over.
As for the Impala as a competitor - I had to laugh out loud when I read that! I recently drove a loaded 2011 with less than 3k miles, and such poor build quality that it hits you right in the face- splotchy-looking paint job, gaps in the dash, a rattle from the back seat, air leaks around the passenger A-pillar, abysmal Bose sound system, clumsy handling, and jittery ride. Pretty much consistent with just about every review of the it for the last 5 years. The new one at the NY auto show looks better, but if it's built in the same factory with the same attention to detail as the current one, Hyundai has nothing to worry about, and no informed person will seriously cross-shop these two cars after one test drive.
As for the sunroof, I think I've opened mine in the RX 3 times in two years. My wife never does. Probabaly wouldnt miss it.
2 Years ago, I traded my 2003 Infiniti G35 for a 2011 Sonata Limited with Leather, Nav, etc. While it certainly lacks the refinement of the Infiniti, it actually is a nicer car in some respects, and had a great deal of bang for the buck.
When the YF Sonata was launched, there was a surprising amount of postings on multiple car forums by purchasers who had traded from true luxury brands. IMHO, a lot of this had to do with our economy; many of these buyers were stepping down due to $$$$. What I found interesting, is that many of these purchasers for the first time considered a Hyundai product.
I had owned several Hyundai's previously, but just for family members; never as my primary car. When I bought the Sonata, I made the decision after a very negative experience with my local Infiniti dealer. I was very close to purchasing a G37X, and then a M35X. The Infiniti dealer was intent on getting my trade for about $4K under its actual cash value. I decided that the Sonata, while "not an Infiniti", was very adequate for my needs, and IIRC, saved me about $17K. I have been very happy with the Sonata, and am amazed by the fuel economy.
The new Azera steps up the game. I will keep an eye on the Azera. I expect that it may well be in my consideration set the next time I trade, and I think Hyundai will continue to get sales growth from buyers who consider the total value compared to "Luxury" brands.
Hyundai is a great value for what you get. If they would just improve their suspension/steering I would be right there. When I made my last car purchase it was down to the Sonata or a Mazda6. I chose the 6 because the Sonata was just to bouncy, noisy and loose in the suspension and steering. They need to hire some engineers from Mazda or Audi to work on that or just copy them. Kia hired the designer form Audi so it's not that far fetched. I know everybody complains when a manufacturer copies a body style element but who would complain about copying some really nice handling attributes?
The leather interior was very nice. In fact, I would put it on par with my previous car, an Infiniti G35. I'd also say that the seats were a lot nicer than the last Acura TL I checked out.
(I will give the TL a slight nod over my Sonata Leather though.)
I went over some pretty bumpy roads, and the Azera seemed pretty composed. I never actually had to floor it, but I did get a chance to merge on a highway ramp. Plenty of power.
The Azera will be on my short list when I'm in the market again.
Before I drove the Azera, I also drove a 2012 Camry. (Will get a $50 Gift Card due to a mail offer asking for test drives) The new Camry is much improved compared to the previous version. The car was slightly quieter and smoother than my Sonata, but the steering and road feel was not as good. Nice tech with Nav, XM, Bluetooth etc.. I also give them kudos for having the power passenger seat. The leather in the Camry is probably slightly softer than my Sonata, but not as nice as some previous Camry's I have inspected.
All in all, I'd probably stick with the Sonata vs. the Camry, but I will give Toyota credit for the improvements.
Next chance you get, check out the new Azera. Hyundai has definitely stepped up their game on this car. Not quite as tomb-like as a Lexus, but it definitely has better road feel than an ES.
It will be interesting to see how this car performs over the next year or so.
I've read very good reviews about it being a worthy ES-fighter, although I've never bought into the hype of the ES as a luxury car. It's a very nice Camry with better leather, more wood and chrome trim, and $15k extra in price for $5k worth of material (The upside is you can save money buying parts for both it and your Corolla at the Toyota dealer).
The Lacrosse is probably the only current GM car that realistically would be cross-shopped with the Azera.
The Azera offered more feature for the dollar and IMHO out classed the Buick.
I also liked the 10 year 100K drive train warranty and the 5 year 60K bumper to bumper warranty
I looked at the Buick Lacrosse and Toyota Avalon as well and Im not sure why anyone puts those in the same category other than size and price. The real competitors in my opinion are the Lexus ES350, Acura TL, Hyundai Genesis, and later this year the Kia Cadenza.
The Buick and the Toyota both feel cheaper inside with the plastic Buick uses for the dash and the faux wood trim being the main culprits. The Azera on the interior is at least one level above on interior materials and then throw in the little details like the ambient lighting and it really is no comparison.
My in-laws have a Genesis which is a nice car but has that standard soft and fluffy ride typical of Toyota and Lexus whereas to me the Azera was a nice fit somewhere between the sporty ride of an Acura TL and the "luxury sedan" ride of a Lexus. I tend to prefer the Acura type drive but the TL interior leather and just overall feel doesnt seem quite as 'tight' as the finish of the Azera inside.
Downside? I did feel like even though it has 293 HP it was slightly lacking in power. Pushing down on the pedal you get a steady acceleration it isnt quite as quick to shift to a lower gear and show you some power, unlike the Acuras and even the Lexus ES. Part of that is likely the size of the car since it is bigger.
I would be really interested to hear real world calculated MPG numbers on the Azera from any of you that have purchased. Hyundai and Kia both seem to have widely varied reports on real world MPG in their cars, and few people report actually hitting the EPA rated expectations so that is a concern. 20/29 isnt great and if that is closer to 20 real world with a 50/50 split local/highway then the Azera would probably be out for me, although so would all of the cars it "competes" with.
I traded a 2011 Sonata lim. on the Azera and I'm happy with the deal I got
Test drove the Azera this past Friday and got a quote on my Sonata trade-in. The car with tech package was awesome! However, I didn’t drive it home for a few reasons.
My salesperson was great but I felt like the sales manager was just playing games, especially over the value of my trade in, and mocked me a bit when I refused his offers. They wanted $37,2xx for the Azera with tech package. I guess that's fair for a new model with great reviews and I wasn't haggling their asking price. You can see what others report paying on this site and others so you can see why I wanted to make sure to get a fair price for my trade. I’ve only previously purchased 3 cars so I don’t know if this is usual behavior. I just haven’t experienced it in the past and actually had a great experience when purchasing my Sonata - from a different dealer. When I gave up on negotiations and tried to leave I experienced enough frustration because of his resistance to give the keys to my trade in back to me that in the end I ended up driving off using my valet key. Replacing the key and fob will cost $219 unless they get it back to me. They do have my phone number and address from the photocopy of my license. Maybe the key will show up in the mail.
I understand that dealerships feel they need to make a hard sell, even when they have a car that sells itself, but playing keep away with the key for my trade in is not acceptable, as it was my means of transportation if I didn’t end up purchasing a new car that day.
.. It’s Monday late afternoon now and the dealership has had enough time to give me a call. They haven’t. So I decided to call the sales manager and ask him to send me my key. He refused and said I’d have to come in to get it.
Is this something that should be reported to the Hyundai corporate office or should I just go back to the dealership or continue asking them to send me the key? :confuse:
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Dissapointed to see that the seats seem smaller than my 07 and no electric steering wheel and no way to tilt.Why would they take things away and raise the price? :mad:
In two years when someone is coming off a lease I hope to buy one of these in the low 20K.Would like to see one in Dark Blue. anyome seen one? How would it compare with the Audi blue?
The only unit they had was a base model in white with cashmere/cocoa interior. I tried very hard to like this car but it was just passion-less with the personality of a Mitt Romney. Perhaps it was the color (I don't like white) or the size (too big) or the ordinary dash and console. In short, I was underwhelmed and crossed the Azera off my short list.
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