Kia claims it has the ‘power to surprise'. And we have come to believe those good guys from South Korea, especially after driving the Cadenza mid-size saloon, which was our family saloon of the year in 2010. But the real surprise came this year, not from Kia, but from its sister concern, Hyundai, in the form of the Azera, which shares a platform and engine with the Cadenza. Hyundai has come a long, long way from its early, notorious years of churning out unreliable, ugly automobiles. It created ripples globally with its Genesis luxury saloon and later with the Centennial super luxury saloon. This experience seems to have rubbed off on the new Azera, as it is a drastic step up, not only from the previous model, but also from the rest of Hyundai's offerings.
Looks-wise, it's a mix of the Sonata and the Centennial, but blended in a nice way. The Azera is 10mm wider and 20mm lower than before, while the 2,845mm-long wheelbase frees up substantially more room inside the car, which can seat five full-sized adults in comfort. There is no part of the cabin — whether it be plastic, wood or leather — that can be termed cheap.
This leap in design and build-quality is amply backed up by the 3.0-litre V6 unit, which is as silent and refined as any found in Japanese, American or European competitors. The level of refinement in the cabin is way more than you would expect in a car that has a base price of just Dh112,000 and goes up to Dh118,000 for the top-end model. So are the features. The driver and passenger seats in the new Azera are up to 10-way adjustable, and get a massage function as well.
Other features packed into the car include Bluetooth, dual climate control, perforated leather seats, sat-nav, a sharp and clear rear-view camera, a panorama sunroof, rear window sun shades, 18in aluminium wheels and an Infinity hi-fi sound system. Of course, for a family saloon, safety features are a big consideration as well, and the Azera impresses here too, with nine airbags, electronic stability control, tyre-pressure monitoring as well as advanced smart cruise control, which maintains a safe distance from other vehicles ahead.
To sum up, the 2012 Hyundai Azera offers most of the goodies you'd get in a Lexus or a BMW in a package that costs as much as a Toyota Aurion or a Honda Accord, which do not have half of these features. Without a doubt, the Best Family Saloon of the Year.
