Features abound in the Azera and some of my colleagues have made favorable comparisons to some BMW products. I’m afraid that I can’t exactly go that far. However, what I will say is that the Azera would surprise most high end vehicle buyers, if they were to venture into a Hyundai dealership.

Forget the brand logo for a moment. The Azera does seem to offer more for your money than any other premium vehicle out there, and yes, I believe that it does belong under that classification.

I won’t list all the features on the Azera as it would take far too long, but I will simply point out a few which you seldom find on a sub-$40k vehicle (My tester was the top of the range Limited edition priced at $39,195). The Azera carries 8 standard airbags, including front and rear seat-mounted, with roof-mounted side curtains and active headrests. It also features an integrated memory system, which includes the steering column (electronic tilt & telescopic), the driver’s seat, and outside mirrors. Speaking of those, the Azera also boasts a Power-folding mirror feature which is rather useful when parallel parking on narrow downtown side streets (Modern units are expensive to replace when they are sideswiped).

Continuing on the mirror theme, the interior unit is an electrochromic auto-dimming unit with integrated compass, which also features a built-in Homelink garage door opener system.

The leather seating is of good quality and both the driver and passenger front seats are power adjustable. Another feature worth mentioning is the wood-grain treatment which has been stylishly applied to the interior. In fact, when sitting in the driver’s seat, the feel of the half-wood-half-leather steering wheel, and the wood and leather gear selector makes the Azera feel considerably more expensive than it actually is. On this note, I’d like to point out to buyers, and some manufacturers, that although many items are important on a vehicle, the owners spends most of their time holding on to these two particular items, and if those are sub-standard, as many are, then the whole feeling of the vehicle is disrupted.

Power for the Azera comes from a healthy, sweet running 3.8L 24 valve DOHC V6 which produces 263hp and 257 ft/lbs of torque. This is then passed through a 5 speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic.

Ride quality is very good on the Azera, although, as an old hand technician, if I were brutally honest, I’d have to say that the front suspension components could perhaps do with slightly improved rubber bushings, because although road feel is a good thing, the Azera can make that seem a little harsh at times.

Size is always a factor when purchasing a luxury vehicle. Too small, and you lose that premium feeling. Too large, and you feel like you’re driving a land yacht. The Azera does extremely well on this score, as the exterior is of moderate size, yet the interior is nothing short of bountiful. In fact, the Azera offers more interior volume than that of the Mercedes E Class, or the BMW 7 Series!

All in all, the Hyundai Azera offers buyers more features, more size, and more luxury than any other premium vehicle under $50k on the market today (Yes, I did mean under $50k, not $40k which is its actual price). I think that was the company’s objective from the start, and I’d say that they literally surpassed themselves on this score.

I believe that some buyers still have a little difficulty with the idea of a premium H badge vehicle. To those I’d say “Go and check one out”, because you’re going to be surprised, especially if you take a little peek at the brand new Genesis model. Oh yes, Hyundai is definitely on the way upward and if I were a premium car manufacturer today, I’d be watching this rather closely!