2013 Hyundai Azera vs. Its Competition

Bengt Halvorson Senior Editor

The 2013 Hyundai Azera lands in a market middle ground among premium sedans, between comfort-oriented mainstream models, super-refined luxury sedans, and those that put a little more priority on style.

For a long time, the Lexus ES 350 has been the pick for those who want the creamiest, most isolated luxury-sedan experience; the ES family has been redesigned for 2013, and with better rear-seat room and a new 300h Hybrid model in the lineup, it's better than ever.

The Toyota Avalon offers a more straightforward presentation, although it's also becoming more stylish with an upcoming 2013 redesign.

The Buick LaCrosse gets a standard eAssist mild-hybrid system, paired with a four-cylinder engine, and now achieves 37 mpg on the highway.

The Ford Taurus is the largest vehicle of this bunch on the outside, yet somehow its interior feels like one of the smallest; next year a new version of the Taurus is in the works, with a more efficient turbo four-cylinder engine as well.

The Acura TL may be the most exciting of this bunch to drive; it handles very well—even in its base form—but its back seat isn't as roomy.

The Azera is roughly the same length and width as the Acura TL, or about three inches longer than the Maxima, or a couple of inches longer than the ES 350.

But that also makes it most of a foot shorter than the Taurus, as well as a few inches shorter than the Buick LaCrosse.

Going by interior space, the story is quite different; the Azera has more interior volume than any of those other models, as well as more cargo space than all but the Taurus.