Hyundai’s Flagship: Grandeur
Hyundai, Hunday, Hundai… A brand pronounced differently by everyone, but it might be the automaker that has made the biggest strides in recent times. We can say that Hyundai has shattered the perception of Far East cars being dull, ordinary, old-fashioned, and lacking in comfort. Producing vehicles in almost every segment, Hyundai sells cars worldwide. From the N series cars that outshine Europeans moving away from hot hatches due to emissions, to the most natural and user-friendly electric vehicles, compact city cars, various SUV models, and even luxury sedans, Hyundai offers models with only a 1.6-liter engine capacity for Turkey. Although it probably won’t come to our country, the Hyundai Grandeur, or Azera as it is known in some places, is a rival to the S-Class and showcases what Hyundai is capable of.
The futuristic and minimalist design language is frequently encountered in Hyundai’s new models. The slim LED light strip, the main lighting group positioned at the edges of the grille, and the front face designed with straight and thin lines may seem odd at first glance but are quite impressive. The Grandeur, with its long hood and bulging fenders, looks both noble and powerful. It continues this design towards the rear with its wide side windows and streamlined side lines. The rear butterfly glass detail found in the first Grandeur released in 1986, along with the horizontally extending taillights at the back, is also a reference to this model. Although Hyundai is not a very old brand, they have achieved a great feat by making references to their roots. The rear design of the car is also filled with simple and straight lines, after all, Grandeur is an elegant model.
Hyundai continues the minimalist design in the interior, achieving a premium ambiance with a seamless screen design and LED ambient lighting extending from the screens. The interior, produced with high-quality materials and craftsmanship, features a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and an equally sized multimedia screen. Grandeur presents all shortcut buttons in a touch-sensitive manner below the ventilation channels and includes a touch screen for climate controls underneath. With a 12-inch head-up display, Hyundai adds a unique design element to the interior with a steering wheel consisting of three rounded rectangles and four LED warning lights above it. The gear lever is moved to the steering column, creating space in the center console. Grandeur allows control of many settings through the console in the middle of the rear seats, enhancing the comfort of rear passengers with electric curtains, adjustable incline, and heated and ventilated rear seats. While massage function is offered in the rear seats of German rivals, its absence in the Grandeur is a significant drawback.
Grandeur, monitoring the indoor air quality and activating the interior air purifier when the air quality drops, enhances the comfort of passengers with the Predictive Electronic Suspension Control (Preview-ECS) system. This system actively monitors the suspension damping by scanning road irregularities. As a flagship model, Hyundai’s Grandeur is equipped with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, a Bose sound system, and proximity sensors that track your phone or smartwatch, allowing keyless entry and enabling you to start the car with your fingerprint. Although the interior is quite technological with the ability to sterilize using UVC lights on the center console, it falls slightly behind the benchmark set by the S-Class in its class.
In this quite appealing design, offering a 2-liter, 198-horsepower hybrid and a 3-liter, 300-horsepower four-wheel-drive petrol engine reflects a significant drawback for the car. Hyundai may face a disadvantage in global sales as higher power is expected in this class of vehicles. The absence of Matrix headlights, a feature present in all its competitors, is another downside for the Grandeur. Although details like frameless windows and hidden door handles are nice, the flagship Grandeur should have had at least a 400-horsepower option. Features such as navigation-supported predictive gear selection are essential to captivate those looking to buy a car in this class. The car meets class standards quite well with 10 airbags, automatic overtaking, navigation-supported Level 2 autonomous driving, reverse direction indicator lights, remote vehicle control, and many other safety features. In my opinion, the Hyundai Grandeur is a very good car, but it should not be referred to as a flagship. Hyundai has a long way to go to become the best car manufacturer, but it is certainly on the right track.