Did Genesis make a mistake not bringing the Azera over instead of the G70?

[YEH]

I am a current Azera owner and it is by far the best car that Hyundai ever made. I noticed that the G70 is smaller in rear legroom and is missing features like ambient lighting that the Azera has always had. It has been a mystery why Hyundai did not bring that car to the US. Only thing I can think is they did not want to cannibalize sales of the G70. I think the better solution would have been to bring the new Azera to the US as the G70. The Azera can use both the 2.0 and 3.3T engines and the additional legroom in the rear would fix one of the biggest complaints I have seen about the car so far.

1st off - disagree that the Azera (the last gen and not the current KDM Grandeur) is by far the best car that Hyundai has ever made.

Not only is the Grandeur superior, so is the Kia Cadenza (which has a better ride, steering feel and interior quality than the Azera).

Within their respective segments, the Elantra (specifically the Sport), Tucson, Sonata and new Santa Fe are better than the Azera.

2nd, if Hyundai were to ever bring back the Azera/Grandeur to the US market, it would be as the Hyundai flagship sedan (the Azera is not luxury - it was an Avalon, Impala, etc. competitor).

But likely won't see that happening as sedan sales keep declining in favor of CUVs/SUVs and (1) the next gen Sonata looks to be a little larger and more premium (which kinda does away w/ the need to bring back the Azera and (2) the new Hyundai flagship will be the upcoming Palisade 3-row CUV.

3rd, Hyundai already did a lux version of the Azera, the Aslan for its domestic market - which flopped.

4th, from the start, Hyundai wanted to differentiate Genesis from the Japanese lux-brand by going w/ a RWD/AWD lineup.

(The one exception may be the small GV60 CUV as both the MB and BMW entries in that segment are FWD).


If Hyundai had brought over the Aslan for Genesis as their ES competior, would have been a mistake imo.

May have garnered some sales (unlike in Korea), but would have diluted the brand.

 

[mikemu30]

1st off - disagree that the Azera (the last gen and not the current KDM Grandeur) is by far the best car that Hyundai has ever made.

Not only is the Grandeur superior, so is the Kia Cadenza (which has a better ride, steering feel and interior quality than the Azera).

Within their respective segments, the Elantra (specifically the Sport), Tucson, Sonata and new Santa Fe are better than the Azera.

2nd, if Hyundai were to ever bring back the Azera/Grandeur to the US market, it would be as the Hyundai flagship sedan (the Azera is not luxury - it was an Avalon, Impala, etc. competitor).

But likely won't see that happening as sedan sales keep declining in favor of CUVs/SUVs and (1) the next gen Sonata looks to be a little larger and more premium (which kinda does away w/ the need to bring back the Azera and (2) the new Hyundai flagship will be the upcoming Palisade 3-row CUV.

3rd, Hyundai already did a lux version of the Azera, the Aslan for its domestic market - which flopped.

4th, from the start, Hyundai wanted to differentiate Genesis from the Japanese lux-brand by going w/ a RWD/AWD lineup.

(The one exception may be the small GV60 CUV as both the MB and BMW entries in that segment are FWD).


If Hyundai had brought over the Aslan for Genesis as their ES competior, would have been a mistake imo.

May have garnered some sales (unlike in Korea), but would have diluted the brand.

Your points are well taken but Sonata and Azera are basically in the same class of sedan and the differences are night and day - I own the Azera and gave up a Sonata for it after one year. NO COMPARISON.

 

[PMCErnie]

Your points are well taken but Sonata and Azera are basically in the same class of sedan and the differences are night and day - I own the Azera and gave up a Sonata for it after one year. NO COMPARISON.

The Sonata/Optima is a Camry, Altima, Accord competitor. The Azera/Cadenza was larger, more expensive, and targeted against Avalon. That’s why your Azera is larger, higher tech, more expensive and a nicer ride than a comparable year Sonata.

 

[mikemu30]

The Sonata/Optima is a Camry, Altima, Accord competitor. The Azera/Cadenza was larger, more expensive, and targeted against Avalon. That’s why your Azera is larger, higher tech, more expensive and a nicer ride than a comparable year Sonata.

Agree

 

[orion007]

1st off - disagree that the Azera (the last gen and not the current KDM Grandeur) is by far the best car that Hyundai has ever made.

Not only is the Grandeur superior, so is the Kia Cadenza (which has a better ride, steering feel and interior quality than the Azera).

Within their respective segments, the Elantra (specifically the Sport), Tucson, Sonata and new Santa Fe are better than the Azera.

2nd, if Hyundai were to ever bring back the Azera/Grandeur to the US market, it would be as the Hyundai flagship sedan (the Azera is not luxury - it was an Avalon, Impala, etc. competitor).

But likely won't see that happening as sedan sales keep declining in favor of CUVs/SUVs and (1) the next gen Sonata looks to be a little larger and more premium (which kinda does away w/ the need to bring back the Azera and (2) the new Hyundai flagship will be the upcoming Palisade 3-row CUV.

3rd, Hyundai already did a lux version of the Azera, the Aslan for its domestic market - which flopped.

4th, from the start, Hyundai wanted to differentiate Genesis from the Japanese lux-brand by going w/ a RWD/AWD lineup.

(The one exception may be the small GV60 CUV as both the MB and BMW entries in that segment are FWD).


If Hyundai had brought over the Aslan for Genesis as their ES competior, would have been a mistake imo.

May have garnered some sales (unlike in Korea), but would have diluted the brand.

You can't compare the Sonata to the Areza they are a completely different class of car. I owned a 2012 Sonata until the engine blew up after 3 years. There is no comparison between the Sonata either in fit and finish or ride quality.

 

[YEH]

Your points are well taken but Sonata and Azera are basically in the same class of sedan and the differences are night and day - I own the Azera and gave up a Sonata for it after one year. NO COMPARISON.

You can't compare the Sonata to the Areza they are a completely different class of car. I owned a 2012 Sonata until the engine blew up after 3 years. There is no comparison between the Sonata either in fit and finish or ride quality.

As stated, the Azera is one segment up.

And what I had stated is that the (current) Sonata is better than the Azera within its respective segment.

Yes, the Azera has a bit more room and a more premium interior, but that's about it.

The Azera has somewhat of a flinty ride and pretty lifeless steering.

For its refresh, Hyundai did a pretty decent job of improving the ride and handling of the Sonata.

It's no Mazda6 in those depts., but it's more than competent for most drivers and suspect that the next gen will be even more so.

And speaking of the next gen, the Sonata will get a little roomier and more premium - so that's why it kinda defeats the purpose of bringing the Azera back (while there have been some rumblings of bringing the Azera back to the US market to serve as the Hyundai flagship sedan, think they will keep things as is - as the Palisade will take over flagship duty).

 

[jailer]

.
The current Korean market Azera is a nice car.. but this is reaching quite a bit.. Bringing it in place of the G70 is like saying why did'nt Toyota just forget the IS cars and put the Avalon in it's place. C'mon people.

 

[mikemu30]

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The current Korean market Azera is a nice car.. but this is reaching quite a bit.. Bringing it in place of the G70 is like saying why did'nt Toyota just forget the IS cars and put the Avalon in it's place. C'mon people.

Ill buy that comparison. Good one

 

[orion007]

Ill buy that comparison. Good one

I just feel like Hyundai is missing a whole car segment without a V6 in the lineup. The 2.4L always felt underpowered in my Sonata which is one of the reasons I stepped up to the V6 Azera. The 3.3L has been a great motor with plenty of power. Perhaps if Hyundai is bringing a bigger more premium Sonata they will have the 3.3L as a high end option.

On a side note I did test drive a G70 this past Saturday. Love the way the car looks but sadly it’s just a tad to small for my taste. Would be perfect with 3-6 more inches of legroom in the rear and 1-2 more inches width. I just felt cramped inside. I also tried out a G80 Sport and it was perfect so I will probably go that route when they do a refresh next year.