Normally, I tend to go after more expensive, high performance cars. But today, lets focus on a more normal, affordable car. The new Azera is not the prettiest car out there. In fact, it's look like a boring old shoe.
Inside, there is enough room to fit a normal sized family of four without being too close together. The leather seats are both nice to look at as well as comfortable. There's even a heated option that heats both the front and rear seats to whatever temperture you want.
The one thing that is noticeable is the quality of the dashboard. Everything from the look, to the fake chrome, even the sound of all the compartments opening and closing, it makes me think that the materials were bought from Wal-Mart.
The GPS available is very convenient, but a little bit outdated looking. It looks almost like a GPS from the 90's. The good thing about the interior besides the nice leather seats is that there are loads of buttons to press. There's no enormous touchscreen where everything is touch sensitive. I prefer to have od fashioned push buttons instead of an iPad in a car. With the luxury option, you get two sunroofs. One for the front and one for the back. You also get a nice sounding surround sound system for the entire car.
With a 3.3L V6 boosting 293 hp, performace is about average. Not too slow that you'll fall asleep, but not so fast that you're having any fun.
Going from 0-60 mph takes around 6.1 seconds. It does take a little bit to get up to it's top speed of 153 mph. The engine is limited to that speed, but can't seem to figure out why since I doubt it will get any faster than that. Once you do get it up to speed, the ride does become not only smoth, but quite comfortable as well. The one thing you will notice is the noise from the engine. I wasn't expecting a V6 to make such a loud growl, so that did make my ears happy.
SInce it has front wheel drive, there is a lot of underster when you go into a corner. Despite the lack of rear wheel drive, you are able to burn rubber even with the traction control on, if you're into stuff like that. At a base price of $33,500, it is a very affordable family sedan for running errands or going on a family trip, due to the large space in the trunk. If you want to travel in a more comfortable environment with more luxrious features, you can get the luxury package for $37,400. It may seem better to go for the cheaper package, but the comfort with the added features is totally worth it. Of course, if you want something that's way more fun to drive and looks a bit more unusual, go for the Hyundai Veloster. It may not have the luxury features, but it does go cheese on a cracker and it only cost between $18,000-$23,000. That much cheaper than the Azera and way more exciting to drive.
Special thanks to Rte. 2 Hyundai of Leominster, MA for test vehicle.