About 83.7 percent of reviews and road tests concerning a new Hyundai starts out with something to the effect of "Hyundais used to be garbage back in the 1980s, but have gotten progressively better ever since. This [insert model name] is yet another example of exponential improvement." Much has been said on this blog hailing the Azera's interior design and quality, but after driving it back-to-back with the all-new Veracruz SUV, I must say that yet another improvement has taken place.
The Veracruz's materials are even better and the overall design more stylish -- I particularly like our test car's Black/Saddle two-tone interior. Maybe it's because I drove a 2000 VW Jetta VR6 for six years, but I'm also a big fan of the Veracruz's cobalt blue dash lights (that are also found in the Santa Fe and Elantra). The Azera's lighting is a color mix-and-match, with the center stack in particular harkening back to the last generation of Toyota and Lexus (much like the rest of the Azera).
James Riswick, Associate Editor @ 15,609 miles
carlisimo says:
05:00 PM, 08/27/07
They FINALLY got rid of the green center console lights!
In '03 I was looking at the 5-door Elantra, and one common complaint by (mostly happy) owners was that the gauges looked cool, but the other lighting in the car was cheap green. And it continued, until now it seems. I hope you guys take the lead in writing more creative intros to Hyundai reviews. Somebody has to, it's just so old by now.
jr1m90 says:
06:30 PM, 08/27/07
It's good to see Hyundai update the vents on the Veracruz vs. the Azera also, whereas the Azera's vent air direction controls remind me of the Chevrolet Impala I drove for drivers training last year, the Veracruz's look somewhat like the Lexus RX's gauges. Improvement indeed!
opfreak says:
05:33 AM, 08/28/07
I wish all the lights would match though. I'm not a fan of the mismatching lights. feels like 3 different people worked on the car instead of one company
banhugh says:
06:06 AM, 08/28/07
green lights blue lights, all good points but is that navigation screen that I see in the center console or is it my imagination?
BTW, I like Hyundai but for some reason their SUVs and some of their sedans look a little goofy to me. Too many pointless curves. Is it me only?
altimadude00 says:
07:23 AM, 08/28/07
IMO, Hyundai is ahead of GM in the dashboard dept. (except for the upcoming Malibu which I want to check out). Hyundai has superior layouts, materials and ergonomics.
Banhugh--i agree that the previous Santa Fe was a bit quirky with all of it's curves and creases and blobs, they have cleaned it up well. And while the Elantra went from cutting edge to a soap bar, it still looks fresh(in a Corolla sort of way).
It is my hope that after Hyundai introduces it's Genesis production car, they'll refresh the Azera to make all the journalists and naysayers happy with better quality leather, an interior redo, and goose up the SE's sportability.
vic_pe says:
01:13 PM, 08/28/07
Many people compared the Veracruz interior to the RX. Quite frankly, while there are some shape similarities, it stops there.
On its own though, it's one hell of a beautiful interior. Stylish, modern and the blue gauges never tire. Our Santa Fe has that interior and I am surprised few reviews even drove the SUV at night to see just what a nice interior it really is. The illuminated cupholders, while some see that as a gimmick, are really nice and are actually a good safety addition as you look less at night at the location and have to fuss less to fit the cup back in.
The Azera's interior is really nice in person, but don't think these yellowish colors are really yellow, that's the camera's exposure. It really is a more yellow-greenish effect. Thank god they switched to electrochromic high quality gauges though from the 2006 version's green lighting. Not sure if they will transfer the colors to the dash too though, the green is a little outdated in an otherwise stunningly comfortable and nice vehicle interior.
Banhugh I agree, I think that is indeed a nav system!
I do know the 2008s will start including them, as hyundainews.com seemed to show some models with such spec as option.
jriz says:
01:38 PM, 08/28/07
There will in fact be a navigation system available on the 2008 Veracruz Limited. It's a option that includes the 10-speaker Infinity Logic7 surround sound system.
The nav system is made by LG and features touchscreen controls. There doesn't seem to be voice commands nor XM NavTraffic.
wenhead says:
06:05 AM, 08/29/07
How does the interior smell. Does it have a strong toxic chemical smell? To me a car with a fewer toxic fumes emmitted by the interior is much more important than looks. But, I am sensitive to chemicals.
1487 says:
06:11 AM, 08/29/07
"IMO, Hyundai is ahead of GM in the dashboard dept. (except for the upcoming Malibu which I want to check out). Hyundai has superior layouts, materials and ergonomics. "
Whoa, I wouldnt go that far. The Veracruz is nice but the Sonata, Tuscon and Azera are not on par with GM's better interiors in terms of design. The Sonata and Azera's interiors are decent quality but appear to be from '90s era Toyotas, they are not up to date. In fact, the Azera reminds me of the last gen Avalon on the inside.
jriz says:
09:13 AM, 08/29/07
wenhead, I'm interested to hear which cars you have found that have this strong toxic chemical smell, and which ones smell like roses?
Is it chemical like new car smell, because some cars have a strong new car smell, but are aromatically very pleasing -- Volvo for instance. Or is any sort of smell bad?
altimadude00 says:
12:02 PM, 08/30/07
"The Veracruz is nice but the Sonata, Tuscon and Azera are not on par with GM's better interiors in terms of design."
1487 -- Which better interiors are you referring to?
Of course it all boils down to personal preference. You have an obvious soft spot for GM vehicles. That's fine. I like to have a broader perspective, and I give credit where I think it's due.
stephen987 says:
12:11 PM, 08/30/07
"1487 -- Which better interiors are you referring to?"
I'm not 1487, but I'll take a guess: Saturn Aura? It's quite attractive, with color choices that are a bit Audi-ish. At least they get past the choice between light beige and black leather. Granted, as noted elsewhere, there have been some quality problems with Edmunds' long-termer. . .
*ducks*
altimadude00 says:
03:50 PM, 08/31/07
Car manufacturing is an ongoing process. Just as GM's newer models have better interiors than it's older ones (take the previously mentioned Aura to it's platform-mate Malibu), Hyundai's newer products are an improvement on it's older ones (Sonata and Azera were introduced a few year ago and Veracruz and Santa Fe this year).
Only if all cars were introduced at the same time could they be directly compared. But they usually stager their introduction, usually upstaging each other in one aspect or another. You really can't say one is better than the other because the target is always moving.