File:Hyundai Azera (US) - Flickr - skinnylawyer.jpg

In the Korean domestic market, the Hyundai Grandeur has always been a very important executive car, dating back to 1986, when it took over from the excellent European Ford Granada that Hyundai had assembled under license until then. The first two generations were Mitsubishi designs, but by the late 1990s, Hyundai was designing its own Grandeur from scratch. The third generation (Grandeur XG) came to the US as the XG300 (later XG350), and the fourth generation (Grandeur TG) came to the US as the Azera; both models helped Hyundai move its image upscale in the US market.

Now the Grandeur enters the fifth generation (Grandeur HG), and retains the Azera name in markets that had used it. The Azera was in sore need of an upgrade, having been squeezed from below by the Sonata and from above by the Genesis in recent years in the US market. Many Americans had simply thought Hyundai would give up on the Azera, though considering how important and popular the Grandeur is for Hyundai in the Korean domestic market and elsewhere, that would have been unlikely.

The 2012 Azera has a fresh new look, as well as a more modern interior. It also comes with Hyundai's new US-market telematics system, BlueLink. And while it continues on with the old formula of 6-cylinder power and front wheel drive, the engine now gains direct injection, and the transmission had been upgraded to 6 speeds at the tail end of the previous generation. It even has some features lacking in the more upscale Genesis, like the rear side window blinds. With this redesign, the Azera finally gets more of its own identity, like its Toyota counterpart, the Lexus ES, which more than holds its own ground between the Camry, the Avalon, and the GS.

I had always considered the Azera to be a geriatric cruiser, but this one is actually more appealing than the Genesis in many ways.