The Grander body is available only as a 4-door sedan. The location of the motor in front with front-wheel drive. It is a competitor of such cars as Mercedes E-class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Nissan Teana, Volkswagen Passat, Peugeot 508, Toyota Camry, Honda Crosstour and Infiniti M. From 2000 to 2017 inclusive, sales in the United States amounted to more than 160 thousand vehicles.
Until 1986, in South Korea, the executive car market was completely controlled by Daewoo with its Royale car. From October 1978, Hyundai in Korea produced its Ford Granada Mark II business class car, but it did not win the competition with Daewoo and production was stopped. But this did not stop Hyundai from their desire to enter the market for such cars. Instead of developing a car from scratch, they took the Japanese Mitsubishi Debonair, which was produced from 1964 to 1998, as a basis. Everything was taken from him - the platform, internal configuration, technology and engine. But the design was developed independently.
First generation (L, 1986—1992)
The car began production in 1986, 2 years before the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Since Hyundai was the official sponsor of the games, they used the event to promote the new car. Thanks to the successful Mitsubishi prototype and good quality, the Grandeur has become very popular in South Korea. The production of the first generation was located only in Korea, the city of Ulsan. In total, 122 thousand cars were produced.
Initially there was only a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder in-line gasoline engine (code 4G63, SOHC) 120 hp with a 5-speed manual transmission, and in 1987 a 2.4-liter engine was added (code 4G64, SOHC) 140 hp In 1991, a 3.0 liter 6-cylinder V-twin engine became available (code 6G72, SOHC) 185 hp with 4 speed gearbox.
Second generation (LX, 1992—1998)
First next-generation car to be codenamed «LX» came off the assembly line in September 1992. It was a joint product of auto giants Mitsubishi (transmission, engines) and Hyundai (design, body, finish). Production was also limited to Ulsan, South Korea. The second generation achieved even greater popularity in the domestic market and the car became a status symbol for many politicians, executives and wealthy businessmen.
The car had different levels of trim and equipment. Also, only 2.0 petrol 6-cylinder V-engines remained (6G71), 2.5 (6G73), 3.0 (6G72) and 3.5 liters (6G74) power from 118 to 186 hp There are two transmission options - 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.
Third generation (XG, 1999—2005)
Next generation with code «XG» appeared in 1999. In the USA, Japan and some other countries, the car was called the Hyundai XG. The first two generations were followers of the Mitsubishi Debonairs, while the third generation was completely developed by Hyundai, taking into account the experience gained from the first two generations and further developed independently. The car has the same platform and engines as the Kia Opirus (Amanti in North America).
Only V-shaped 6-liter gasoline engines were installed on the car with the following volume (and modifications) - 2.0, 2.5 and 2.7 liters (Δdelta) or 3.0 and 3.5 liters (ΣSigma) power from 135 to 194 hp The 2.0 and 2.5 liter Delta engines were available in South Korea. Depending on the size of the engines, the car had the names XG20, XG25, XG30, XG35 in some markets. Transmission only automatic 5-speed H-Matic with manual gear selection «Shiftronic».
Fourth generation (TG, 2006—2011)
This generation appeared in 2006 under the code name «TG». Has a common platform with the car Hyundai Sonata. In some countries (Brazil, Iran, China, Malaysia, USA, Chile, South Africa, etc.) sold under the Azera name. This car was the most expensive in the history of Hyundai before the introduction of the Genesis model. The assembly was carried out in South Korea and the Czech Republic. In 2007-2009, minor improvements were made to the model.
The range of gasoline engines includes the following volumes and modifications - 2.4 liters (Θ Theta II I4, 175 hp), 2.7 liters (μ Mu V6. 192 hp), 3.3 liters (Λ Lambda V6, 237-260 HP With) and 3.8 liters (Λ Lambda V6, 265-283 hp). Also for the first time there was a 4-cylinder diesel engine with a volume of 2.2 liters (CRDI VGT) 155 hp Torque is sent to the front wheels via a five- or six-speed H-Matic automatic transmission with manual gear selection «Shiftronic».
The basic equipment of the Azera is equipped with front airbags for the driver and passenger, front and rear curtain airbags for the head. According to «Insurance Institute for Highway Safety» (IIHS) the car has a good overall score in a frontal crash and an acceptable score in a side crash. According to the agency «National Highway Traffic Safety Administration» (NHTSA) safety is assessed as follows:
- Driver - 4/5 stars
- Front passenger - 4/5 stars
- Rear passengers - 5/5 stars
- Car flip - 4/5 stars
Fifth generation (HG, 2011—2017)
Fifth generation (HG code) was introduced at the 2011 Los Angeles International Auto Show as a 2012 model. The development took three and a half years and $450 million. Ate judged by size, the fifth Grandeur takes place between Sonata and Genesis. This generation's competitors include vehicles such as Ford Taurus, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Impala and cars class luxury Buick LaCrosse, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, Chrysler 300. In 2014, the model was updated and new options were added.
Gasoline engines have the following specifications - 2.4 liters (Θ Theta II I4, 178 y.o. with.), 2.4 liters (Θ Theta II I4 GDI, 198 hp), 3.0 liters (Λ Lambda II V6, 247 liters. with.), 3.0 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 GDI, 266 hp), 3.3 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 GDI, 293 hp). Also installed one 4-cylinder diesel engine with a volume of 2.2 liters (Hyundai R engine) 202 hp, turbocharged. All cars were equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions.
Sixth generation (IG, 2018—present)
On October 26, 2016, Hyundai introduced the sixth generation codenamed «IG». Sales began in 2017 as the 2018 model year. Will be sold in North America due to low demand. Platform based «Hyundai-Kia Y7», which is also used for Sonata seventh generation. Assembled at a factory in Asan, South Korea.
Gasoline engines are offered in the following modifications - 2.0 liters (Θ Theta II I4 GDI, 190 hp), 3.0 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 MPI, 247 hp), 3.0 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 GDi, 257 hp), 3.3 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 MPI, 270 hp) and 3.5 liters (Λ Lambda II V6 MPI, 286 hp). There is one diesel 6-cylinder V-shaped turbocharged engine with a volume of 2.2 liters (E-VGT R2.2 I4) 198 hp For vehicles with 2.0 engines (GDI) and 3.0 (MPI) a 6-speed automatic is installed, and the rest - an 8-speed automatic transmission.