DriveTech

After a rough start, Hyundai knows what it's doing

As a service manager in the South Bay back in 1986, I cursed the dealership for importing the Hyundai line. They were terrible cars - under-powered, cheesy interiors and a little on the ugly side. But I had no choice, I had to service them with a smile.

Then Hyundai Motor America started to listen to its dealers and by the '90s, the car started shaping up. Today, Hyundais are in the top five when it comes to customer satisfaction and quality. Have they come a long way? Yes,
and they are not stopping. The 2006 Hyundai Azera Limited is a fine example of the line's future goals.

Dealers told Hyundai to give the customer a car with a great warranty. Now Hyundai has the industry-leading 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Then we asked the designers to give us style and looks, which they did. Just look at the line starting in the year 2000 and the rest is history.

Now Hyundai has expanded its great warranty to allow customers to purchase a Hyundai bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers the complete car, minus maintenance items, to 10-year/100,000-miles. That line has even impressed JD Powers. I'm very impressed as well at what Hyundai has done in the industry.
But the company did tell us back in the '80s it was here to stay and it would make a postive mark in the automotive industry. And it did.

I tested Hyundai's flagship - the Azera. It comes fully loaded for under $27,000. This is a car with a 3.8-liter V6 that produces 263 horsepower and 255 pound foot of torque backed by a five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with Shiftronic. Shiftronic allows you to get sporty and shift the car manually. It gets 18 miles per gallon in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the open road.

Other amenities worth mentioning are power-adjustable, heated leather seating up front and leather seats with a center console in the rear. The rear seat folds forward for long items and you can lock the seat backs for added security. The driver's seat has an electric adjustable wood and leather steering wheel that houses controls for the Infinity audio system (which has a mute button).

On the other side of the steering wheel is the cruise control. The dash is done in splashes of wood grain and the gauges are electroluminescent, which is excellent for day or night driving. It has fog lights, projector headlights and taillights that house LED lighting with 132 individual fastacting lighting elements for better visibility.

The Limited also gets an upgraded tire and wheel package, with 17-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels and All Season tires. Another feature normally found on high -end European cars is a power rear window shade that drops automatically when you put the Azera into reverse. This Limited comes with a sunroof that didn't try to rip the hair out of my head! The exterior flows and with touches of well-placed chrome, this light green paint job "popped."

Safety is one of Hyundai's most important goals. In fact, it is the only manufacturer putting side air bags in its' entry level Accent. The Azera has eight airbags, active front head restraints, electronic stability control, traction control, crumple zones and side impact beams in the doors.

I liked how easy it was to find openers such as the trunk release, the seat memory, the gas door release and really important outside mirror controls (all on the driver door). If you're getting into a tight spot, hit the switch on the driver door and the outside mirrors fold in to give you that
added space. Now that may seem like a lot of stuff on the driver door, but if you look at the photo you will see it's well laid out.

If you're looking for a sedan that seats five adults and you don't want to spend an arm and a leg yet still want all the luxury, check out HellerHyundai in the Escondido Auto Park or your local Hyundai dealer. The Azera needs to be at the top of your shopping list!