The new 2012 Hyundai Azera adopts the maker's Fluidic Design language.
With the L.A. Auto Show launch of the 2012 Azera, Hyundai continues to transform itself from a brand focused on cheap and cheerful products into one putting much more emphasis on design, value and features.
The 2012 Hyundai Azera targets the large, near-luxury segment dominated by the likes of the Toyota Avalon – though the Korean maker is ambitious enough to include even more highline models such as the Lexus ES and Acura TL on its list. The second-generation Azera serves to round out the expanding line-up of upscale models that also include the Hyundai Genesis and Equus.
Like many recent Hyundai offerings, the Azera has gone through a visually dramatic transformation, adopting the Korean carmaker’s new Fluidic Design language, which translates into a look that will be very familiar to those who’ve already seen the Hyundai Genesis, notably including the coupe-like curve to the Azera’s roofline.
With a 112-inch wheelbase and 193.3-inch overall length, the width at 73.2 inches, the 2012 Hyundai Azera is sized between the Genesis and the more mainstream Sonata.
The face of the new Azera shares the basic look of the latest Hyundai Sonat.
The 2012 Azera is longer and wider than the outgoing model – but it’s also a bit lighter, noted Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik. That’s in keeping with the maker’s emphasis on fuel economy. During a preview at the L.A. Auto Show, the executive noted that Hyundai reached its goal of a corporate fuel economy average of 35 mpg this year, four years ahead of its original target. The big Azera will deliver an estimated 23 mpg in the EPA Combined cycle.
That’s with a 3.3-liter direct injection V-6 making 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque. In the City rating, the Azera gets 20 mpg, with the big sedan rated at 29 Highway.
While the selling proposition for Hyundai products originally focused on cheap pricing, the maker has shifted to a “value” focus, in recent years. While it still tends to bring in new products at a price below their Japanese and American competitors, the emphasis is to deliver a better-equipped model for the money. That strategy continues with the Azera, which is outfitted with standard leather seating – heated both front and back – with other niceties like dual climate control, Bluetooth, even a cooled glovebox.
The new Hyundai Blue Link telematics-based valet service is optional, though a 90-day trial subscription is included. Significantly, the car comes with a standard navigation system and a rearview camera sharing its center stack-mounted LCD monitor.
Safety features include nine airbags, Vehicle Dynamics Management, or VDM, and active seats designed to reduce neck injuries.
The 2012 Hyundai Azera will go on sale next February.