2006 Hyundai Azera SE

2006 Hyundai Azera SE - We were surprised, because the Azera has a nondescript look to it, especially when shod with the 16-inch wheels that come on the base SE version. The sheetmetal blends American, Japanese, and Korean styling elements in a nearly cohesive, if slightly dull, way. From the plain look of it, one would never suspect the Azera is capable of running from 0 to 60 in 6.1 seconds and turning a quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds at 96 mph.

The source of the Azera’s speed is an emboldened 263-hp, 3.8-liter version of Hyundai’s 3.3-liter DOHC V-6. Although it’s down five horses from the Avalon’s rerated 268-hp V-6, Hyundai’s larger-displacement 3.8-liter makes more torque. Coupled to the engine is a five-speed automatic that does its job smoothly and unobtrusively but did show some reluctance to downshift.

Despite the eager and thirsty engine, the rest of the package doesn’t exactly encourage one to search out twisty back roads. Steering feel is on the numb side yet accurate enough not to be considered sloppy. The Azera doesn’t suffer from mirror-scraping body roll, but neither does it turn in like Fernando Alonso’s Renault. Let’s just say it’s flatter than a Kia Amanti’s handling profile, a car that an American Kia official once described — quite privately — as the Korean Packard.

The structure is essentially a long-wheelbase version (the wheelbase has been stretched two inches) of the mid-size Sonata unibody architecture. The extra length provides a spacious and comfortable back seat as well as a 16.6-cubic-foot trunk. At highway speeds the cabin is isolated and serene (we recorded a low 66 decibels at 70 mph). It’s more quiet inside at that speed than an Avalon or even the last Cadillac STS we tested.

The cabin has all the luxury-car cues: tightly grained plastics, a band of fake wood that wraps around the dash and cabin, multiple shades of beige, and switchgear that has a Lexus-like look, if not feel, to it. About the only gripes we had with the interior were the econocar-like gauges and the not-quite-terry-cloth-but-definitely-not-Alcantara seats.