The all-new Azera replaces the XG350 as Hyundai's flagship model. The new car features more mainstream styling than its predecessor; an all-new 263-hp 3.8L V-6 with 5-speed automatic transmission; and a boatload of standard equipment, much of which is usually found only on expensive luxury vehicles. Hyundai expects buyers to turn to the Azera not only as luxury-car alternative, but also as a way to get more room and standard equipment for the same price as a less expensive mid-size car.

Twenty years ago, the notion of Korean automaker Hyundai building a car to compete directly with the likes of Nissan, Honda, and Toyota would have sounded like fiction. Yet, that's exactly what Hyundai is doing. The Azera is brimming with high-content features, from a new 263–hp, 3.8L V-6 with variable-valve-timing up front to fashionable LED taillights in back.

The Azera, Hyundai's new flagship sedan, has quite a few noteworthy claims to fame: faster acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour than the BMW 530i and Mercedes-Benz S430, more standard horsepower than the Ford Five Hundred and Buick LaCrosse and more torque than the Toyota Avalon. In addition, the Azera's 3.8-liter engine is the largest in its competitive segment, and the Azera has more standard safety features than the Toyota Avalon or Nissan Maxima, including eight airbags and electronic stability control. The Azera is also the fastest sedan that Hyundai has ever built, with 60 miles per hour, from a standing start, arriving in just 6.5 seconds.