2006 Hyundai Azera

On the road, Azera tilts toward the luxury side of the luxury/sport continuum. It has a quiet cabin, keeping road noise at a comfortable distance from your ears. Azera's platform started life as the Sonata's, stretched and widened for the occasion. Strengthened, too. Hyundai employed high-tensile steel in key areas of the unibody construction to maximize rigidity. With less unwanted chassis flex, the fully independent suspension is freed up to concentrate solely on optimizing ride and handling. The speed sensitive power assisted steering is a little lacking in, uh, sensitivity, though, with scant on-center feel and muted feedback through the steering wheel so, the driver is not encouraged to explore the chassis' sporty side. Again, this approach is more consistent with a target market who values smoothness over sport.

Power

Smooth, too, is the operative word for the 3.8-liter V-6. Rated at 263 hp and 255 lb.-ft. of torque, the all-aluminum six is married to a 5-speed automatic with SHIFTRONIC manual control. They make a nice couple. The V-6 flagship sails easily down the highway, with plenty of power on tap for passing and on-ramp merges. The transmission gets from gear to gear smoothly, with a manumatic mode for do-it-yourselfers. The company quotes a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 146 mph, making this the quickest Hyundai ever. EPA rates Azera's gas mileage at 18 mpg city, 27 highway.


Azera's case is most compelling at entry level. With a projected price tag of under $25,000 (a loaded Limited will push $30k), the SE offers a lot of car for the money. How many buyers will hear the high value message is the key question for Hyundai. Azera will impress those who are open to the idea of a premium model from a company who made their name on small cars with a big warranty. True, Phaeton failed to break free of the gravitational pull of Volkswagen's economy car reputation here in the States. But, consider too the case of the Import Big Three. Over the raised eyebrows of skeptics, Honda, Toyota and Nissan begot Acura, Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. Given the steady rise of the Number 4 import brand, don't bet against Hyundai. (www.hyundai.com)