2009 Hyundai Azera

"Most full-sizers cater to comfort- and luxury-minded buyers (usually older Americans) who value loads of passenger and cargo space," says Edmunds.com. "For this type of buyer, the 2009 Hyundai Azera is an excellent choice."

All Azeras come equipped with advanced safety features, including electronic stability control and rare standard side airbags for the backseat. Still, the Azera gets lower scores in crash tests than the Toyota Avalon or the other two safest full-size sedans, the Ford Taurus (*est. $25,170 to $37,170) and its twin, the Mercury Sable (*est. $25,120 to $31,230).

In a 35 mph head-on collision with a similar car, the driver and passengers in a Hyundai Azera have an 11 to 20 percent risk of suffering a serious injury, government crash tests show. In most family sedans, the risk is 10 percent or less.  In side crash tests, the Azera gets perfect five-star ratings. But when the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety simulated a pickup or SUV hitting the Azera in the side at 31 mph, the Azera did a "poor" job protecting the driver's pelvis and leg and only an "acceptable" job protecting the driver's torso (the highest rating is "good"). "A fracture of the pelvis would be likely in a crash of this severity" for the driver, IIHS concludes. "Rib fractures would also be possible."

The Hyundai Azera has been about as reliable as the average car, according to leading owner surveys -- unlike the very dependable Avalon. Testers at ConsumerGuide.com noticed a thumping noise from the suspension in one Azera test vehicle. At Edmunds.com, editors noticed squeaks and rattles, and the glass popped out of one of the Azera's side mirrors more than once during their year-long test.

Kelley Blue Book predicts that a 2009 Hyundai Azera will lose 66 percent of its value within the first year. By contrast, the Avalon is expected to lose only 48 percent of its value in one year, and 56 percent after three years. However, the Azera is backed by Hyundai's five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which are much longer than Toyota's or most other manufacturers' warranties.

The entry-level Hyundai Azera GLS (*est. $24,970) comes with a 234-horsepower, 3.3-liter V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. It delivers 21 mpg in mixed driving (18 city/26 highway), which is two mpg less than the Toyota Avalon.  The GLS lacks very few of the more expensive Azera Limited's features, although the Limited's heated leather seats and power sunroof are optional on the GLS. The Limited's bigger engine delivers 20 mpg in mixed driving (17 city/26 highway).

Consumer Reports provides the most valuable coverage of the Hyundai Azera, testing it thoroughly and ranking it against its peers. ConsumerGuide.com, Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book and Car and Driver also conduct independent road tests. Edmunds Inside Line kept a 2007 Azera in its long-term fleet for a year, and testers wrote regular blog entries about its performance -- a valuable resource, especially considering that the Azera hasn't changed much since then. Other review sources concentrate on a single aspect of the Azera -- safety, fuel economy or reliability.