Hyundai Launches All-new Azera in L.A.

Just introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai’s full-size family sedan—the Azera—receives a full-size makeover for the 2012 model year, showcasing a new look, new powertrain and new levels of interior comfort. The sleek and sophisticated sedan is the capstone to Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative, which has seen the introduction of seven all-new vehicles in the past 24 months, including the Tucson, Sonata, Equus, Elantra, Accent and Veloster.

And like those vehicles, the 2012 Azera now wears the Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language. It’s an appearance designed to appeal to the emotions, with flowing lines, a bolder grille bracketed by HID headlamps, and an athletic, aggressive stance, all encasing a premium, highly detailed interior. That cabin offers significantly more room for 2012 as well, with front-seat passengers enjoying best-in-class legroom and headroom: More than 45 inches of the former and over 40 inches of the latter.

Other standard enjoyment enhancers in the cabin include:

• Touchscreen navigation with a rearview camera—the only such standard package in the Azera’s class
• Ambient lighting and “3D Carbon” accents
• Power rear sunshade and class-exclusive manual shades for the side rear windows
• Electrochromic auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Seven-speaker “Dimension” AM/FM/HD/Satellite Radio/CD/MP3 audio with iPod/USB/auxiliary input
• Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free phone system and voice recognition
• 90-day complimentary subscription to Hyundai’s comprehensive Blue Link telematics system with agent-assisted look-up
• Cooled glove box
• Dual automatic climate control with second-row air vents
• A wide-range of premium seating features, like heated leather seating surfaces (front and back), a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory, an eight-way adjustable front-passenger seat and a new impact-reducing safety system that is expected to reduce head and neck injuries by 17 percent as compared to the 2011 Azera

Key interior options include front ventilated seats and a powerful 550-watt Logic 7 audio system from Infinity, with 12 speakers—including an eight-inch subwoofer—and available external amplifier.

Also amplified is the Azera’s power—and fuel economy. Providing the motivation for the 2012 Azera is a high-tech 3.3-liter V6 with features such as gasoline direct injection and continuously variable valve timing. Backed by this kind of technology, the lightweight, all-aluminum engine delivers a significant power upgrade to the Azera, which now packs 293 hp (an increase of 33 hp) and 255 lb.-ft. of torque (22 lb.-ft. more than for 2011). But at the same time, this high-efficiency powerplant also provides improved fuel efficiency, which is now up to 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway/23 mpg combined—no other car in the Azera’s segment does better. The standard transmission: Hyundai’s own six-speed automatic.

Hyundai engineers also made sure that the Azera’s ride and handling were improved to match, courtesy of suspension innovations like ZF Sachs’ Amplitude Selective Dampers (ASD). This system enhances ride comfort and driver control, but without compromising the car’s surprisingly nimble reflexes. Much attention to weight reduction helps here, too. In fact, the Azera is more than 200 lbs. lighter than the Buick LaCrosse and more than 400 lbs. lighter than the Ford Taurus.

Conversely, customers can expect the all-new 2012 Hyundai Azera to have a heavy impact on the sales scene when it comes to market early next year.

Source: hyundaiinthenews.com