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Hyundai Azera - What the Auto Press Says

The 2010 Hyundai Azera ranks 3 out of 7 Affordable Large Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 57 published reviews and test drives of the Hyundai Azera, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The 2010 Hyundai Azera is a lot of car for the money.  It’s not a spirited performer or a stylish ride, but offers a comfortable interior, a long list of standard equipment and a very long warranty for a reasonable price.

The 2010 Hyundai Azera doesn’t announce its presence with bold styling.  It doesn’t offer a big, thirsty V8 engine.  It doesn’t feature a contemporary, stylish cabin or class-leading electronics. 

What it offers, instead, is a surprising value.  The Azera may not excel at any one thing, but it does virtually everything well, and for less money than most of its competitors.  It has a great deal in common with the more popular Toyota Avalon, but costs thousands of dollars less. 

When Hyundai first introduced the car for the 2006 model year, it marketed the Azera as an alternative to established luxury nameplates like the Lexus LS.  Few people bought that argument, but the fact that Hyundai tried to make it is instructive. The Azera has a very long feature list for an affordable large car.  Hyundai now has the Genesis sedan to compete with luxury cars, so everyone is free to acknowledge the Azera for what it is: a practical, comfortable large sedan with a feature list that approaches that of an entry-level luxury car, but a sub-$30,000 price tag.  Its low price offers shoppers looking at midsize cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord the chance to move up to a larger car for a similar price.

The all-new Ford Taurus and Buick LaCrosse have injected a dose of style and attitude into the affordable large car segment.  The Toyota Avalon remains a solid near-luxury investment.  But the Hyundai Azera’s low price, full feature list and ten-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty make a powerful value argument for this often-overlooked car. 

The Azera comes into 2010 unchanged from last year.  This is the last year of the current Azera’s run; it is due to be replaced with an all-new model for the 2011 model year.  Patient shoppers might want to wait – the current model will likely be available at heavy discounts once its replacement arrives late in 2010.

The Azera is available in a base-level GLS trim, which is very well-equipped for a base model, and a Limited trim that adds luxury features

• “Due to be replaced in a year or so, Hyundai's former flagship (the current Genesis and forthcoming Equus sedans now carry that torch) remains a sleek-looking cruiser-if soft and somewhat corner-clueless-for people shopping Buicks and Toyota Avalons. Spirited drivers need not apply.” -- Car and Driver
• Azera delivers an eye-opening array of standard safety features while furnishing impressive room, refinement, amenities, and build quality. While this is a comfort-oriented car, Azera's indifferent ride control is a bit of a let down. Overall, however, this Hyundai stacks up well against rivals such as the Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon.” -- Consumer Guide
• "A handsome larger sedan that has scads of interior room, neat LED taillights and projector-beam headlamps firmly affixed on the Toyota Avalon and Nissan Maxima." -- Road and Track
• "Azera is one of the nicer midsize sedans on the market in room, comfort and quiet.  Sadly, it's also one of the best kept secrets in that segment and beyond." -- Chicago Tribune
•  "Who would have thought the company that brought us the lackluster Excel subcompact two decades ago would now be building a car to rival some of the best near-luxury sedans in America? Hyundai's evolution from an entry-level upstart to a full-line manufacturer of quality automobiles is nothing short of amazing and culminates with its latest achievement, the 2009 Azera."-- Kelley Blue Book
• "Azera delivers an eye-opening array of standard safety features while furnishing impressive room, refinement, amenities, and build quality. While this is a comfort-oriented car, Azera's indifferent ride control is a bit of a let down. Overall, however, this Hyundai stacks up well against rivals such as the Mercury Sable and Toyota Avalon." -- Consumer Guide
• "Fully loaded cars are not usually top sellers, but in the Azera's case, our test car was pretty indicative of the average purchase. It's not hard to see why, considering that for a shade under $31,000, the Azera comes packed with features found normally on luxury-branded vehicles costing thousands more. "-- Edmunds
• "Compared to not only its premium rivals, but also to entry level luxury sedans, it is a high quality bargain." -- Motor Week

Azera Performance - 7.9 (Good)

The 2010 Hyundai Azera has fine road manners for a family car or a carpool hauler, particularly with the more powerful V6 engine found in the Limited model.  It isn’t built to perform like a sport sedan.  Reviewers find the driving experience adequate and uneventful. Read More

Azera Exterior - 7.9 (Good)

The Azera’s aging design is not going to turn any heads, or win much comment from the automotive press.  But it is respectable, with a few elegant touches, like jewel-cut headlamps.     Read More

Azera Interior - 8.3 (Very Good)

Hyundai once marketed the Azera as a luxury sedan.  Now that the company builds a genuine luxury car (the Genesis sedan), it no longer tries to pass off the Azera as a rival to Lexus cars.  Instead, reviewers say, the Azera is a well-designed and comfortable affordable car.  Its cabin is respected for comfort and a fairly long list of standard features – but is nowhere near as contemporary and exciting as those of more recently designed rivals. Read More

Azera Safety - 8.6 (Very Good)

The 2010 Azera earns competitive scores in government safety tests, but some similarly-priced rivals have done better.  The insurance industry hasn’t tested the 2010 Azera, but gave mixed scores to the mechanically-similar 2009 edition. Read More

Azera Reliability - NA

No other Affordable Large Car can match the Azera’s warranty – it includes a five-year/60,000-mile comprehensive warranty and a ten-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.   Read More