Okay, so making this kind of comparison might strike some of you as slightly blasphemous, but I took one of my Jags to the dealer today to have them look at the diff and was given a loaner to drive home... a rental fleet '07 Impala LS with 4000 miles on it. I spent about 30 miles in it, some city some highway, in rush-hour traffic. It may be somewhat regrettable, but I think some points of comparison might be worth making.

The overall interior fit & finish is a bit less refined than the Azera, but not by much. Whatever it lacks, it lacks in design quality - the feel of buttons, the layout of the dashboard. I don't think there were any squeaks or rattles. The stereo isn't BAD but most cars these days have adequate stereo systems. It is not in the same league as the Azera's Logic 7 system.

The Azera is quite clearly more powerful. This Impala has a 3.5L V6 that is not quite as silky-smooth as the Azera, but it is really very solidly mounted in the engine bay, so despite a slightly lesser smoothness, it feels pretty solid when it moves. The 3.5L V6 produces 211hp, which is significantly less quick than the Azera, considering that the Chevy weighs only about 75 pounds less. However, for whatever reason, the 3.5L shortblock is very compact in the engine bay and leaves a LOT more working room around the edges than the Azera's big 3.8. The acceleration is also, expectedly, not nearly as smooth as the Azera's, but I'd guess not many cars are - and fewer still that are front-wheel drive.

The transmission in the Impala felt like a 4-speed (though I don't know that for a fact); it had a little more trouble figuring out which gear it wanted to be in rush-hour traffic. HOWEVER, the transmission's shifts in the Impala were split-second fast, much much tighter than the Azera. So, some pros, some cons.

The steering is a little 'cheaper' feeling and a little less precise. Also, as with many (all?) other American cars in the last 20+ years, the steering pump whines when it gets near the gates. I've observed the same on Fords and Buicks. My '67 Newport didn't have the steering pump noise. I don't know how it could be THIS hard for an entire nation's automotive industry to suffer from the same curious malady, but here we are. None of my BMWs, Jags, Volvo, and Azeras, have ever shared this steering pump noise, even when they're a bit longer in the tooth.

There is more body roll / wallowing on the Impala, but not much. Handling is a little "awkward"; I don't know how else to describe it. May be an alignment issue I was feeling.

Where the Impala cleans up with the Azera is suspension quality. It is whisper quiet over bumps. This is what a new car's suspension is supposed to sound like. Now I can differentiate between this and what the Azera's suspension SHOULD sound like over rough road. Driving through downtown Raleigh, the Azera's suspension just sounds like something is loose at the top of the strut tower or something. It is now well-known that this is a problem with the 1st version of the struts, and I imagine that both our cars, having been mfd in April '07, do have the originals. But I'm waiting until Hyundai figures out how to make a strut that actually fixes the suspension noise before I bother taking it in to the dealer to have it fixed. Perhaps there would be an aftermarket solution that meets the Hyundai OEM specs?

Of course, the way the Impala FEELS doesn't compensate for the fact that it is just dreadfully ugly, and that is one advantage that the Azera will always hold over the head of is aesthetically-challenged friends such as the Impala.

Overall, the Azera is clearly the Impala's better, but not dramatically so, as I had expected. I guess most manufacturers are trying harder to put together tight, solid, smooth-running vehicles today... it's a bit of a humbling experience to drive a $20k American "hunk-o-junk" and find out that it's actually pretty solid and quiet. So I guess this comparison is less to downplay how spectacular of a ride the Azera really is, than to say that most cars nowadays are at least DECENT (except Hummers).

I would never consider buying an Impala, new or used. Not worth it. I'd still rather have a 1-year-old Azera than a new Impala, any day of the year. But I'm a car snob, I like to try the best, and the Azera is right up there. I guess if you can accept fewer features, ever so slightly lesser refinement, and a... shall we say, regrettable aesthetic, this is a fine option. I mean... look... some people even bought the AZTEC. Try to figure that one out! :innocent:

Cheers! :460:

This post has been edited by andyman32: May 15 2008, 05:27 PM

Nice review andy. I pretty much have the same view on "American" cars. The fact that cars made in Korea have a better reliability record (Consumer Report) than American cars is shameful.

When I'm looking for a new car, American cars are never on the short list because of their consistantly poor track record. BMW gave me a Pontiac Gran Prix once for a loaner... what a POS! The tactil feel of the switches, fit and finish and interior quality of material was awful.

GM and the rest of the American manufacturers have been competing with compaines like Toyota for a long time... and in all intents and purposes never "caught up". Toyota now the #1 world wide car seller.

The old CEO Roger Smith was quoted as saying, "GM is not in the business of making cars... we're in the business of making money".

This post has been edited by raw6464: May 15 2008, 07:14 PM

I just don't understand GM's styling department. How could they have let monstrosities like the Rondevous (sp) and the Aztec come to the market and still come up with really pleasant designs like the Solstice, Sky and almost any Corvette? Speaking of Azera styling, I still am enthralled looking at all the understated curves,flowing lines and general attractiveness of this almost 4 year old design.

We all know that the suspensions on the Azera and Sonata, for that matter(I have both) are noisy. That being said the Azzy has so many attributes that it is hand over fist above the American made cars and many others. My 06 Azzy Limited in beautiful Pearl White has 15,500 trouble free miles and it is still as tight as when I purchased it. :grin:
Don

That's true. The Solistice and Sky are really very nice... but GM is doing better with SOME sedans in most brands as well, the '08 Malibu, the Buick Lucerne, Saturn Aura, new Cadillacs. May not be everybody's cup of tea but at least they're something to look at - not as dated / boring as they used to be. I guess there are just some holdovers that maybe aren't high-volume or high-profit enough to justify well-timed redesigns. And, honestly, there is some room in the market for ugly and/or boring.

So the suspension in the Sonata is noisy over bad road as well? It almost sounds like the piston is shuddering around inside the barrel of the shocks...

But run over bumps at low speed, or 'gentle' bumps (like folds in pavement) and it sounds perfect, whisper quiet. Just sharp bumps that make the noise. Ah well there, everything (literally EVERYTHING) else about the car is great.

The Impala isn't a bad car and they are pretty reliable as I have seen them with over 100k especially with GM's great 3800 engine.

The Aura isn't bad, G6 is ugly and other sedans they have aren't that great.Look at the Aveo and Cobalt, the Accent and Elantra are so much nicer. The Malibu stlying is growing on me, but I would still rather have a Sonata. I love the Lucerne but come on, 38,000 for a loaded up CXS. That is ridiculous. The only GM's I really like are the Enclave and Acadia. While I like SUV'S, I think these CUV'S are too bulky.

Well, here's a little follow-up to my initial input. I drove the car to work and back today, and ran some errands, another 25 or so miles.

1: WHY

:offtopic:

Because it turns out that the dealership overtorqued the nut on the pinion shaft of my Vanden Plas when they re-installed the shaft after replacing the pinion shaft oil seal. In about 150 miles of driving in the last 2 months since they did this work (I ignored the sound in city driving but on the highway it sounded like dry knife blades scraping together) the differential was almost destroyed. The pinion was bad; the gear ring was worse (this car has an open diff on it). And that's a long way to slide for an enormous heavy-duty diff like this with only 39k miles on it. Downstream effect: The dealer admitted they made a mistake re-installing and agreed to install a NEW FACTORY DIFFERENTIAL free of charge. :-o

2: Relevant facts to this thread

As I spend a little more time with the Impala its quality is sliding a little. There was a little suspension noise going over the same bumps and potholes along St Mary's Street in downtown that I drive along every day, though not nearly as much. The doors have a cheap, light feel to them, with a sound when you close them as if there's no rubber seal - a cheap 'clunk', like the first decade of Tauruses, or Grand Marquis. There IS a squeak inside the dashboard when going over rough road (with 4076 miles on it as of pulling up to the house a moment ago). The imprecise steering is even more pronounced to me today. The stereo, contrasted with the Azera's IS just plain poor (but not poor compared to my '94 BMW E34 or the stock system in the '96 Jaguar X300s). The 3.5L V6 in this car isn't really underpowered, but as I said, not NEARLY as quick as the Azera. Also, I noticed a lot more of that "grumbly" pepper-grinder GM V6 noise today than I did yesterday. Same throaty, "struggling" noise my 3.1L '91 Regal and 3.8L '02 Regal made.

I want to make this point carefully, since it sounds like I'm immediately contradicting myself:

I think I may have overestimated or overstated how close to the Azera this '07 Impala really is. It isn't close.

BUT

For what is effectively a modern-day economy midsize sedan, it is really nice. The late-'80s to early-'90s Tauruses are cars I'm familiar with, and they pale in comparison. Compared, also, to the dismal Chryslers of the '80s and early '90s. My '91 Regal may not have had the same refinement but it was actually a spectacularly reliable car, smooth on the highway well in to its 10th year, and got me over 20mpg in all-city driving and over 30-34mpg on the highway. I still think of that car as a champion of "doing what cars are supposed to do EXTREMELY well". Anyhow, the counterpoint to the fact that the Impala isn't very close to the Azera is that it IS still a good car, a fine car. I never thought much of Chevrolets - I mean NEVER. But this car just ain't bad.

I Just thought I'd follow up (and... ok, maybe gloat about my new Borg-Warner differential and to commend Leith Jaguar for being very honest about making a mistake with a $350 pinion oil seal job). So I'm not trying to redact my earlier review, but rather refining it.

Tally-ho Azera! :grin: :beer:

This post has been edited by andyman32: May 16 2008, 08:49 PM

Of course, Andyman, we both know my '85 XJ6 VDP was the most beautiful car ever to grace American roads......Right Andy? Back on topic, please!!

"Redact"?
You were able to use (correctly) the word "redact" in a post on Azera cars!
I am impressed.
You, sir, do not fit the profile for posters on this forum.

:laughing:

I done went and redacted my danged car again. :blink:

I'm dead on that profile thingy I bet :gitara:

We don't need us no fancy werds here! *shakes fist angrily at... self?*

uh-oh... :whistling:

andyman32;

I drove my brother-in-law's '07 Impala with 3.8L V6 from Little Rock, Arkansas back to Texas - about a 150 mile trip. This was on I30, some of which is older close-sectioned concrete with tar strips between segments and then paved over with asphalt. I did not like the harshness of the Impala's ride. By the time I arrived at his home, my back was protesting. I found the operation of some of the accessory controls confusing. I eventually learned how to operate them by trial and error.

The car had plenty of power and as to looks, it is not a bad car. I just like the Azera better. The Impala had enough power for the size car it was and seemed to be reasonably thrifty on gasoline. I never was able to find a really comfortable adjustment for the driver's seat, which was a power seat.

The Impala had just less than 36K miles on it and it had to have a complete 4-wheel brake disc replacement plus front struts (at least that is what the dealer told my brother-in-law). Some dealers may be guilty of performing work that is not really needed during warranty just to be paid by the manufacturer. The brakes were still working but my brother-in-law said they were grabbing and squealing too. There was a shake in the front end that he complained about. I did not notice it when I drove the car, but that may have already been repaired.

The Impala was reasonably quiet and solid feeling. I would say it was at least equal to many other current cars. The Azera provided me with immediate comfort when I sat in it and took it for a test drive. My wife was equally impressed with the Azera. We had already test driven a number of other cars. I am retired, so creature comforts rank high on the scale of desirable characteristics in a car. The safety features of the Azera were also another factor in our decision.

One of my sons has an '06 Sonata with the 2.7L I4 and is quite happy with it. My wife and I rode in his car several times and that is one reason why we decided to look at Hyundai products. :thumbsup:

Joe

Good input Joe. I suspect the 3.8L motor in the Impala is the same 3800 V6 that was in my '02 Regal and that was a fine motor, without a doubt. I also had to fiddle with the environmental and stereo controls for a while and try punching buttons that do not, at first blush, appear to be buttons. I agree: it's not a bad car! It's just no Azera. I think I may have been a little too generous in my initial post, given the fact that I was expecting to drive a clunky, throaty, underpowered rattle trap with fumbling transmission and washy steering, and found that not to be the case.

Engine power, steering, braking, environmental controls & system quality, audio controls & system quality, materials, safety features and creature comforts are all far and away better on the Azera, and suspension quality and transmission quality are at least on par. (I might even give the Azera transmission the edge because 5 speeds and good programming keep it so "torquey" and smooth at any speed.)

"I would never consider buying an Impala, new or used"

Nor would I but they obviously sell like hotcakes. Today on a 140 mile round trip client visit I saw more Impalas than I have seen Azeras since October '06.

True enough, there. They are EVERYWHERE.