First of all, I must give Brazzel full credit for the following information. He pointed out this site on another Azera thread.

Go to this site and be prepared for a good study of the Hyundai Corp. and what they have in mind for the North America market as opposed to other parts of the world including Korea.

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/show/1221

The main thing I learned about the Azera is that it was built for the Korean market. The koreans want a good Urban car, very soft suspension with less rebound control. This describes the Azera exactly and this is exactly where the Azera shines, IMHO. Our Azeras were built with a lot of thought behind them but not for the north American crowd.

When I am driving my Azera in the city, I have absolutely no compaint with the vehicle's suspension or control of the car.

It is my educated guess that the Azera will continue to be built next year but not available over here any longer.

Brazzel, thanks for the links. They all were very informative.

David <><

I watched that show on TV and the Azera wasn't even mentioned. I wonder what they are going to do with it.

I think they did not mention the Azera because it won't be in the U.S. market next year.

If you listened closely, it was mentioned that the Koreans want a different feeling car than the U.S. market. The Koreans want a very soft suspension and the Americans want a more stable, quick rebounding suspension. Hence, the Azera was not designed for us.

I could be wrong, of course, but I believe the Azera will still be in all the other markets with the exception of Canada and the U.S. That's probably why you never heard a word about the future of Azera.

I don't think they will redesign the Azera just for us and based on the number of complaints regarding the Azera's suspension, I imagine there are many of hundreds of the same complaints hitting dealers which we never hear about on this site.

After all, we are but a drop in the bucket as far as Azera owners compared to the rest of the non forum Azera owners.

My Hyundai dealership mechanic told me that they have had complaints from most of the Azera owners who have purchased from them. That includes the 06,07 and 08 Azeras. This dealership sells quite a few Azeras based on their Azera turnover.

Every time I go by there, which is quite often due to having a good friend working there, the current fleet is mostly gone with 6 or 8 new Azeras replacing them. The sales manager told me that they are doing quite well with the Azera and most of the people who are totally satisfied with the car are people in their 70s and 80s who never drive much over 65 on the freeway. As a matter of fact, he believes most of the satisfied customers are using them just for around town cars.

One thing for sure, according to the hype on those videos, the Genesis Coupe is definitely being designed for the U.S. market. However, based on projected trade in values for our Azeras, it will be difficult for the average guy to be able to afford one without taking it very seriously in the shorts.

David <><

I watched the video and came away with a BIG GRAIN of salt. Bragging about how tuned in they are then with innuendos blames the Koreans for wallowing suspensions THEY sold in the USA, the man is an idiot… no matter if it’s true or not. I don’t believe his veracity.

This post has been edited by raw6464: Jun 2 2008, 04:29 PM

I agree, in vew of the blood bath at trade-in not many will trade-up from the azera.
But also a lot of us azera owners aren't likely to foray in a more upscale car in view of how the azera was marketed, even without a trade-in. As far as the genesis goes, if they list it at some of the prices I've seen it will lose against makes with more cachet and if they gow below it will be in the current azera prices.
I think hyunday decided to run before they could walk!

I'm not spending too much time trashing Hyundai but I've got to agree with you here Russ, the guy talks about the softer suspension the Korean customers prefer. Do Korean customers also prefer clunking noises? And I guess they haven't any highways or thoroughfares that have high speed limits? Interesting dodge.

Andy,
There was no intent to trash Hyundai... the company. I think the Hyundai guy was using the opportunity to justify the reason why the soft suspensions to mitigate the customer complaints. The justification being a difference between Korean drivers and American drivers.

IMHO it was an opportunistic patronizing excuse to put the “blame” for a Hyundai screw up, on drivers in two different countries. Why the **** did they bother building that 7 mile test track in California for… test rickshaws?

You introduce a car here that you already know the US drivers don’t like how it rides? Which in and of itself is very subjective to say the least… even if Koreans do like a soft and wallowing suspension it is not an acceptable excuse for $30K buyers here.

But I do like the car.

This post has been edited by raw6464: Jun 2 2008, 09:13 PM

They did NOT test the azera on the California test track, for obvious reasons and of course the California design team was not asked to do so.

If they had been asked to test the Azera for the north American market, it would not have passed their requirements. Now they are having to make excuses for it such as blaming the Korean preferences. Pretty lame excuse, of course. The Azera should have never been marketed here without suspension tweaks according to the north American taste.

Bottom line, the Azera is a great car for urban use and not so great for high speed driving on less than very good highways such as most Interstates.

Just make sure you do not have to make a high speed manuever to avoid an accident.

My 07 Santa Fe has a very nice ride and handles quite responsively. I feel far secure in it than I do in my Azera at highway speeds. After watching the videos, I now understand why. It was truly designed for the north American market

I really enjoy my Azera because it is very comfortable but because I live in a very rural area, much of my driving is done at relatively high speeds unless I am going to Tucson which is 50 miles to my north.

As I have stated in previous threads, my Azera is a perfect urban car and an extremely comfortable highway car. I just happen to know from first hand experience how hard it is to control it during a high speed emergency maneurver.

But Alas, I am not a professional driver, only one who has a paltry 50 years of experience. :) (As someone else on this web site pointed out recently)

I really enjoy life and have made great decisions and not so great decisions during my 66 years of life. However, I take 100% responsibility for every one of them and hopefully have learned something useful from them all.

I am still deeply into the learning process as well.

This web site is a great way to stay in the learning mode regarding Hyundais and automobiles in general.

David <><

David,
Your first hand experience is exactly why all of us non-pro drivers need a suspension that is forgiving as well as a comfortable ride. I can't imagine taking a hard high speed avoidance maneuver with the Azera and its hinged strut. This suspension in an SUV would be a death trap.

Russ

The Regional Service Rep is scheduled to drive my car on the 17th. I have excerpted from the above and will share that with him. Of course, he'll say it is what it is and then I can send copies to CEO in CA.

Yes the suspension is highly suspect..... I appreciate you taking the stand that you are taking. Do not back down. Tell the rep the truth, as we know you will. I have driven many middle priced vehicles in my life.... but, this is the only one that, when I see a bad piece of pavement in front of me, I brace for it, and then, I am still surprised at the severity of the reaction of the car. This car should behave better over rough surfaces and still retain some semblance of "good handling" while being driven for performance.

My big ol bouncy Envoy has a smoother, quieter ride thatn the azera. Takes rough roads better too but that's to be expected since it is a truck. The surprising thing is that while the azzy is a bit tighter in manuvering and cornering than the envoy (i suspect only because its not a big top heavy SUV) the envoy doesn't scare the crap out of me at highway speeds with the skittishness of the azzy.

Bob, I am curious to know what the rep says after his drive in your car...keep us all posted

Will do and thanks for the support. I am still curious about those who say theirs have great ride and no problems at all. If true, it means there is something that can be done.
I e-mailed the discussion excerpts to the SM so he can be prepared when he gets here.
Still amazed at how many people see the car and admire its exterior styling. I recommended it to one guy, with the proviso that he go for a ride in mine to demonstrate the wallowing. I think he is looking for something in a Camry level car though and he is not into bells and whistles. :beer:

Today my dad did tell me that his '07 Azera (mfd in 10/06) is making some clunky suspension noise in city driving, 7500 miles. I told him about the discussions here, he's going to take it in to the dealership.

Doesn't surprise me. I feel the same about my 1999 Mitsubishi Diamante which I've never changed the shocks in.