Hyundai Azera – Brian Chee’s Opinion of Quality:
And to think that they told me this was a Hyundai, when clearly it’s a Toyota. This car’s nice materials, careful construction, and silent cabin must mean that, yep, it’s a Toyota. Wait a minute – it is a Hyundai, and it just goes to show how important it is to build your cars off of a smartly designed platform. From the Sonata to the Azera, and, recently, the Santa Fe, Hyundai has a strong winner on its hands, especially when it comes to the quality of its construction and the materials used. Already, awards are pouring in for the Sonata and its sister cars – a trend that’s likely to continue. Judged on its own merits, the Azera – at least the two sedans we’ve driven – makes a strong quality statement when other, more well-known purveyors of quality seem to be struggling a bit in the lining-up-of-the-parts-and-the-putting-it-together thing. For now, anyway, the Hyundai Azera is getting it right from the materials used inside the cabin to its initial quality and construction.

Hyundai Azera – Ron Perry’s Opinion of Quality:
Hyundai has come a long way, but our Azera’s exterior still shows room for improvement when it comes to fit-and-finish. Door and fender gaps were all pretty consistent and tight but the areas where the front fender met the A-pillar varied dramatically from side to side. Surround gaps on the grille and headlights were also slightly off and the front fascia moved freely when tugged, unlike the rear fascia.

Inside, minor gaps were also present around the glovebox and upper dash panel. These were minor issues and teeter on being nit-picky. The Azera’s interior exudes quality, from the nicely appointed leather to the distinct textured metal look trim and the faux wood used throughout the interior. All covers and assist handles are dampened, continuing the upscale feel of the interior. Closing the doors results in a resoundingly solid thud, solidifying the Azera’s well-built impression.

Hyundai Azera – Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of Quality:
Hyundai is officially a world-class auto maker. If you still think Korean cars are sloppily assembled of cheap parts, take a gander at the Azera. Outside, almost every panel lines up evenly, fits flush, and exhibits tight gap tolerances. I uncovered minor fit issues with the rear fascia, the trunk lid, the chrome greenhouse trim at the rear doors and quarter windows, and where the front fascia met the hood on either side of the grille. Note that I think these were issues that wouldn’t be noticed at a glance. Indeed, this Hyundai matched up with any recent Honda or Toyota we’ve evaluated. Inside, an even better level of attention to detail is exerted. In fact, I didn’t find anything out of place, and all the parts and pieces were solidly affixed.

As for materials, the signal and wiper stalks were a little shiny and cheap-looking, the leather on the seats exhibited a bit too much gloss in sunlight, and the center of the dashboard was hard plastic rather than the soft material used for the dash top and door panel sills. Otherwise, the Azera is impressively upscale thanks to the mesh headliner, quality plastics, dampened control action, shiny fake wood, and plastic trim on the center console that does a fair job of mimicking metal. I took a car-load of Hyundai malcontents to lunch in the Azera, and each was mighty impressed with how nice the car was.