spwolf

dollar for dollar value makes zero sense. You can buy an Yaris for 12k and will you really be so much happier in LS for 70k more?

It is just silly.

And of course, ehm, Avalon?
Hyundai has issues to pitch Azera vs Avalon, let alone LS.

-J-P-L-

As for the Sonata and Accord this has been debated a million times but will still say there is no similarity. Is it because of the rectangular taillamps?
There are hundreds of other cars throughout history that had rectangular tails. Do they all look the same? Didn't think so.

As for the others, c'mon, totally different designs as well. Might as well say that all minivans look the same.

-J-P-L-

Yes!

Was I suppose to say yes or no?

If I get what your saying...in other words...

Does 1 LS cost more to build than 7 Yaris's? No.

Is the LS worth it? YES!

-J-P-L-

How about this one??

Oh yeah, and the Hyundai ain't too shabby either.

mmarshall

12K or not, despite Toyota quality and reliability, the Yaris interior is a joke. Like the Saturn Ion, Scion xA/xB, and the outgoing Nissan Quest, you are forced to look way to the right at the ridiculous center-mount gauges every time you want to check something.


No. I have reviewed all three vehicles, and are familiar with them. Neither the Azera nor the Avalon, of course, can equal the LS460's engineering.....nor, for the price, are they expected to. But, apart from that, the Azera gives up little to the Avalon, except for slightly more road noise (again, determined by which tires it gets at the factory). The Azera, IMO, beats the Avalon in interior fit/finish, quality of trim, and, of course, price and warranty. And, the Azera, even in its FIRST year of production, even beat the Avalon's reliability record by a substantial margin, to become the best-in-class reliability. How's THAT for a first-year introduction? Don't believe me?...check Consumer Reports.
The Azera does not offer a Touring model like the Avalon does, but the Touring has not proved to be very popular...people who buy that class of car usually want wood trim inside and a relatively soft suspension, not metallic trim and firmed-up steering, tires, and underpinnings like the Touring model has.

Now...don't get me wrong. The Avalon is indeed a good car, and would be one of the top 10 on my shopping list if I was in the market right now for a new car...right behind several different Subarus, the Azera, and the Lexus IS250 AWD. There is little about the Avalon I dislike, apart from the terrible orange-plastic-swirl wood trim and the layout of the console/stereo controls and high-level stereo readout.

LexLaw

Oh they're knocking off Maybach now?? I can't front that thing looks good.

-J-P-L-

Just saw the other commercial with Hyundai comparing the Sonata with a BMW 5-series, lol. It's not as ridiculous as the Azera/LS commercial but still a joke.

mmarshall

Call it a joke all you want but it's working. People are buying the new Sonata in droves. Of course, on the road, the Sonata is not a 5-Series, but it's not meant to be a sports sedan, despite any ads to the contrary. And the Sonata beats the 5-series in fit-and-finish and general assembly quality.

bizzy928

Your statement is fundamentally flawed. Dollar for dollar value makes perfect sense in this case. You get a lot for your money when you buy the Azera -- and that is value.

-J-P-L-

I know. I'm the other Hyundai supporter remember?

I'm just saying, after now seeing the commercials, that they are kind of silly making comparisons to cars costing more than twice their models. I know Hyundai can stand up to the best of their own classes and has some of the best quality in the industry but they aren't 5 series and LS's and a serious comparison shouldn't be made.

I've noticed in the commercials that Hyundai compares there features to common features that just about any $25K+ car has.

Maybe the next commercial will be: "The Azera has seating for five, the
$100K+ LS600hL has seating for only four."

LexBob2

It's interesting with Hyundai's competitive offerings, their sales seem to be down or flat. According to their Jan-March sales report, Sonata is -30% and XG350/Azera is -6%. I would have thought with their pricing, warranties and cash incentives they'd be doing better.

mmarshall

The XG350 is gone. It was replaced a year and a half ago. To some extent, for non-AWD and non-SUV vehicles it is normal for sales to drop during the winter.....especially during the Christmas season, when most people are usually buying everything BUT cars.

LexBob2

In Hyundai's sales reports they list the sales as , "XG350/Azera", probably to indicate the sales are tracked for both the old and new models. In any event, the Jan-Mar sales for '06 and '07 would both capture the seasonal slow down in car sales, so it would be apples to apples. It just seemed a little unusual that these two attractive cars (IMO) wouldn't be doing better in the market vs. their competition.

flipside909

I think the Hyundai commercials are hilarious but ambitious. Sure it maybe mocking Lexus and BMW, but the marketing team did what it was set out to do, get everyone's attention. Now we're here talking about it.

mmarshall

Marketing, today, isn't what sells these cars. They themselves do. As the Hyundai slogan says.....Driving is Believing.