The 2011 Hyundai Azera adds power and efficiency to a model known for its luxurious appointments. The updated large sedan now includes an advanced six-speed automatic transmission and other powertrain refinements raising the bar on fuel economy in its class, while still gaining horsepower. The 2011 Azera will be available at Hyundai dealership in spring 2010.

POWERTRAINS

The Azera GLS is equipped with an enhanced 3.3-liter, DOHC V6 engine that now produces an estimated 250 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 233 lbs.-ft. at 4,500 rpm of torque. The performance gains were achieved by incorporating Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (DCVVT) that improves engine breathing on the intake and exhaust camshafts for better fuel economy and lower emissions. Depending on engine load and speed, DCVVT can extend or shorten the duration of the valve opening and closing for more power. Previously, the 2010 Azera only had CVVT on the intake camshaft. Now, the Azera GLS features a specially tuned intake manifold surge tank to take advantage of the new DCVVT configuration. As the first member of Hyundai’s ‘Lambda’ engine family, this new engine also has all-aluminum construction and four valves per cylinder. It also features a Variable Intake System (VIS) that further broadens its power curve to improve the vehicle’s off-the-line acceleration and passing performance. Fuel economy estimates for the Azera GLS are 20 mpg city / 29 mpg highway.

The Azera Limited delivers powerful performance due to its revised clean and efficient all-aluminum 3.8-liter, DOHC V6 engine, which delivers an estimated 272 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 262 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm. To maximize the power spread, this engine also uses DCVVT and a Variable Intake System (VIS) to help cylinders breathe efficiently at both low and high rpms. Estimated mileage figures for the Azera Limited are 18 mpg city / 28 mpg highway.

To help Azera drivers get the most out of their vehicles, Hyundai has added a fuel economy indicator in the 2011 model. The ‘Eco Indicator’ displays a green light to indicate when driving habits are contributing to good fuel economy.

Price: $25,495 – 30,095.

TRANSMISSION

Hyundai’s commitment to making the Azera extremely fuel efficient continues with a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual control. This transmission offers smooth shifts and a wide ratio spread that ideally suits both engines’ characteristics.

Hyundai’s all-new six-speed automatic transaxle helps the company meet its goals of improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Shifts are silky-smooth with an option of manual control through the SHIFTRONIC feature.

Designed for transverse engine applications in passenger cars and CUVs, the new compact transmission puts Hyundai into an elite class of auto manufacturers who have designed their own proprietary six-speed automatic transmissions. The strength of the design is its unique layout which makes it smaller, more compact and lighter than any other six-speed transmission on the market today.

The gearbox has no dipstick because it is filled with automatic transmission fluid that increases vehicle life under normal usage conditions, thereby reducing maintenance costs. The gearbox has three planetary gearsets and a unique flat torque converter that shortens the unit’s overall length by 0.47 inches. Four pinion differentials improve durability and further minimize size.

STRIKING FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Azera is reborn with a more handsome exterior design. The most noticeable exterior upgrade is a new sleeker front bumper fascia, with a number of subtle design tweaks. Design updates up-front also include redesigned headlamps with LED surround accent lighting, new chrome grille and round foglights. A high-gloss window trim treatment enhances Azera’s profile. The rear of the 2011 Azera features redesigned signature LED taillights, redesigned bumper with integrated chrome tailpipes and a matching decklid. Modernized 17-inch alloy wheels and revised side repeater mirrors with all-new bright puddle lamps light the way to Hyundai’s refined premium large car with near-luxury attributes. Overall, Azera’s proportions remain elegant, purposeful and aerodynamically efficient, reducing wind noise while adding maximum stability on the highway.

SAFETY FEATURES

Maintaining Hyundai’s emphasis on class-leading safety technology, the 2011 Azera boasts impressive active and passive safety features to protect its occupants in the event of a collision, earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) top crash test ratings for frontal offset impacts. The Azera continues to set standards by making key life-saving active safety technology standard, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with a Traction Control System (TCS).

Also standard are independent double-wishbone front- and multi-link rear suspension, large four-wheel disc brakes and an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that includes Brake Assist, which provides maximum braking force when a panic stop is detected, and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), which automatically adjusts the amount of force applied to each of a vehicle’s brakes for optimal performance under poor road conditions, speeding, loading and other potentially hazardous situations.

Additionally, Azera offers impressive passive safety features including eight standard airbags, active front head restraints to help prevent whiplash, a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system for children’s seats and three-point seatbelts for all positions while shingle-style rear-seat head restraints provide drivers with improved visibility. Security is further advanced with an anti-theft engine immobilizer and remote keyless entry with alarm.

COMFORTABLE AND CONTROLLED SUSPENSION

Hyundai engineers benchmarked the best cars in the category before designing the Azera’s double-wishbone front and multi-link rear four-wheel independent suspension system. By using high-tensile steel in critical unibody areas, the Azera features increased stiffness and rigidity, which ensures formidable resistance to flexing and enhanced ride and handling, while lowering interior noise levels. Attached to the Azera’s rigid structure is improved suspension and steering hardware to keep the vehicle even flatter through turns and more compliant over bumps. The suspension features four twin-tube, gas-charged dampers, softer bushings and a quick steering rack. The Azera also has front and rear stabilizer bars and rides on new 17-inch wheels and 235/55VR17 tires.

DETAIL

Inside, Azera’s spacious cabin provides not only roomy comfort, but a luxurious look with a new attention to detail that makes both driver and passengers feel like they are riding in a luxury sedan. These details include a new brushed metalgrain finish applied to the gear shift indicator area, cup holder cover, ashtray cover and center console cover and ‘EZ Lane Change Assist’ (one-touch triple turn signal stalks). Slight movement of this new turn signal stalk will cause the turn signals to blink three times and then automatically go off – an ideal feature for highway passing.

The 2011 Azera offers luxurious appointments and spaciousness that rivals the finest premium competitor brands. It offers a roomy cabin with nearly 44 inches of legroom up front and more than 38 inches of legroom for rear-seat passengers. Hyundai engineers have created efficient packaging to maximize interior volume with the 2011 Azera offering more interior volume (123.5 cu.-ft.) than the Toyota Avalon and Nissan Maxima.

The Azera comes standard with dual front automatic climate controls, solar control glass, power seats for driver and front passenger, as well as woodgrain and metalgrain interior accents. An AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 audio system that includes a four-channel, 172-watt internal amplifier and six speakers comes standard in the Azera GLS. Audiophiles with even more demanding tastes will be impressed by the available Infinity audio system that includes a seven-channel, 315-watt amplifier with an in-dash six-disc CD changer and 10 speakers, standard in Limited trim levels.