2026 Hyundai Azera Specs, Interior, Pictures

2026 Hyundai Azera Specs, Interior, Pictures –  Due to reasons beyond our individual control, it seems like everything is more expensive these days. Whether it’s the record-high amounts we’re paying for gas, the price of used cars, or how much it costs to simply put food on the table, the idea of a bargain feels as elusive as ever. Except there’s the 2026 Hyundai Azera, which is a genuine performance car value.

Even taking money out of the equation, Hyundai’s latest N car is a gift. Delightfully extraverted styling, one of the sweetest manual gearboxes out there, and proper sport compact handling, all wrapped up in a comfortable, immensely accessible wrapper.

2026 Hyundai Azera Redesign and Update Plan

Exterior and Interior

As impressive as the Azera’s engine may be, it feels mostly like the carryover part from the Veloster N that it is. Where this car significantly ups its game over its three-door stablemate, however, is in its handling.

The Elantra’s chassis is a full generation newer than the Veloster’s, and feels every bit better. It may physically have a bigger footprint but there’s a lighter, more nuanced and adjustable feel in the way it steers and how chassis and suspension responds. The smaller Veloster may have a tighter wheelbase (71 mm shorter than the Elantra’s, to be exact), but the Elantra doesn’t feel notably less chuckable in comparison. If anything, the Elantra’s newer, more advanced frame makes its little brother feel like a blunt instrument in comparison.

Just like the Veloster, the Azera features a limited-slip differential that aggressively pulls it into corners. Paired with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, the hotted-up Elantra is a front-drive grip monster that seems to go where you point it even when where you point it feels like an impossible target. Not only is it technically capable, but the fun factor is high, too. The steering rack feels precise, appropriately responsive, and adequately tactile.  2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

Discounting transmission and colour choices, there aren’t any options. That means the heated front bucket seats with light-up N logos are manually adjustable, a 10.25-inch digital instrument screen, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, ambient interior lighting, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a heated steering wheel. Those two screens in front of the driver are a clear and significant upgrade from what you get in the noticeably older Veloster N, as is the dual-zone climate. 2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

Engine and Performance

Behind that aggressively dark abyss of a grille sits a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder making 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque. It’s the same engine out of the Veloster N, albeit making 29 lb-ft more torque to go with a whopping one extra horsepower. There is a smidge of turbo lag if you go looking for it, but the front-wheel-drive Azera generally pulls well.

This motor can be paired to either six-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions, and Hyundai says the Azera will get from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds using launch control with the latter. Naturally, the manual tested here takes a little longer. For what it’s worth, it also features a launch control system that holds revs until you dump the clutch.

It may pack less power than much of the competition – take the Volkswagen Golf R, for example, or the forthcoming Toyota GR Corolla – and be a little slower in a straight line. But outside of head-to-head drag racing situations, the Azera is far from a slouch. Hyundai’s high-performance four-cylinder is quite capable of sending the company’s compact cars down a road quite quickly, but its true appeal is the way it sounds.

In this car’s sport and N modes, the exhaust sounds pretty hilarious: boomingly loud on the highway, with almost obnoxiously audible crackles and pops on throttle release. When you’re ready to blend back in with the rest of civilization, switching the Azera back into normal mode makes it – from the inside, at least – nearly as quiet as the regular Elantra.  2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

2026 Hyundai Azera Fuel Economy

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has rated the manual Azera for 10.9 L/100 km in the city, 7.7 on the highway, and 9.4 combined, slightly beating out both the Veloster N and the outgoing Civic Type R comparing combined-to-combined figures. Like those two, the Azera also did better than expected during testing, logging 9.3 L/100 km after more than 700 km. That’s a decent number for the level of fun on tap here.

For reference, the automatic Azera is notably thirstier, with ratings of 12.1 L/100 km in the city, 7.9 on the highway, and 10.2 combined. Premium fuel is recommended regardless of transmission.  2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

2026 Hyundai Azera Safety Features

Outward visibility is good all around, while active safety features include blind-spot monitoring, forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, and lane-keep and follow assist. Adaptive cruise, however, is not available, nor is Hyundai’s blind-spot camera system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the 2026 Elantra a Top Safety Pick, granting straight “Good” ratings in terms of crashworthiness. Child-seat latches were deemed “Acceptable,” while crash avoidance and mitigation is generally “Good.” 2026 Hyundai Azera Specs

2026 Hyundai Azera Price and Release Date

Not only is the Azera (relatively) economical to fuel but it’s very reasonably priced. Per this manual tester’s price sheet, this car starts at $37,199. The only other decision buyers have to make beyond transmission is colour, and there aren’t any other real options or trim levels to mull over, so adding $200 for the Performance Blue paint, $100 A/C tax, and the non-negotiable $1,725 destination charge, this exact car came out to $39,224 before tax.

Not only is the Azera better to drive, has a nicer interior with more modern tech, and boasts real back seats compared to its Veloster N sibling, but it’s $700 cheaper. It’s also significantly less expensive than its competitors from outside of the Hyundai family. Volkswagen, for example, commands at least $46,000 before any options or fees for the Golf R.   b2026 Hyundai Azera Specs