The Hyundai Grandeur (Korean: 현대 그랜저, Geuraenjeo) is a mid-size car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 1986. From 1986 to 1996, the Grandeur was a flagship car for Hyundai's South Korean lineup before the Hyundai Dynasty came out. The Grandeur has evolved through five generations with intermediate restylings, and is marketed under various nameplates worldwide—prominently as the Hyundai Azera (현대 아제라, Ajera). As the Azera, it was considered the flagship model of Hyundai's United States lineup until the arrival of the Genesis sedan. Since the launch of the separate Genesis brand, the Grandeur/Azera has redeemed its place as the company's flagship instead of being slotted between the Sonata and the Genesis G80 as a less sporty option of the latter.
As of July 2017, the sedan is available in South Korea, China, the Middle East, and the Americas (except Mexico); as of the 2017 model year, the Azera is no longer sold in the United States and Canada but continues to be sold in the aforementioned regions.
The first Grandeur was a rebadged Mitsubishi Debonair produced by Hyundai. Initially launched with Mitsubishi-sourced 2.0L SOHC MPI version of the engine used in the first generation Sonata, a 2.4 L SOHC MPI engine was added in 1987. A V6 3.0 L engined model was launched in 1991 to better compete with the Daewoo Imperial.
Before the 1988 Seoul Olympics, most of the luxury car market of South Korea was held by Daewoo Motors and its Royale Series. From October 1978, Hyundai built its luxury car, Ford Granada Mark II, in Korea but the competition with Daewoo Royale seemed that it already had ended. As Hyundai was looking to enter the luxury car market, it tried to make its own luxury car. In the face of tough competition from Daewoo Motors' much more powerful brand, Hyundai abandoned the attempt to design its own luxury car, and instead borrowed the platform, technology, and internal configuration from Mitsubishi Motors to create the first Hyundai Grandeur.
In the early eighties, Mitsubishi Motors also wanted to renew its aging Debonair model, which had not been substantially updated since its market launch in 1964. Given the existing relationship of sharing technologies and innovations, Mitsubishi accepted Hyundai's request to share a platform, internal configuration, and most importantly, an engine. As Hyundai was an official sponsor of 1988 Seoul Olympics, it used this opportunity to notify all the executives and important people about their new car, the Grandeur. Because of its Mitsubishi basis and good quality, it became very popular in Korea.
Also called "Gak (angle)-Grandeur", it succeeded Ford Granada Mark II. Before the 1988 Summer Olympics, the official sponsor Hyundai Motor co-developed it with Mitsubishi Motors of Japan, and launched it in July 1986. The design was done by Hyundai Motors, but the internal configuration was done by Mitsubishi. It was the second FF layout model in Korea after Hyundai Excel. Originally, only a four-cylinder 2,000 cc engine and manual transmission were offered, but later a 2,400 cc engine, a V6 3,000 cc engine, and automatic transmission were equipped. The Grandeur became Korea's bestselling large car by a considerable margin. It was also sold in Japan as the Mitsubishi Debonair V, but the demanding class was already absorbed by the Toyota Crown, Nissan Cedric/Gloria, Mazda Luce, and Honda Legend and the Debonair was not competitive. Taillight design was changed in 1989, and ABS first became available in 1991. It had 4-speed automatic transmission or 5-speed manual transmission. It was discontinued in September 1992, after 122,074 had been built.
The New Grandeur and the third generation of the Mitsubishi Debonair were the products of a joint development between Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors. Mitsubishi was responsible for the powertrain, and Hyundai was responsible for the body and trim design. Production of the car began in September 1992 and ended in 1998.
The "New Grandeur" came in various trim levels and only V6 engine combinations (2.0L, 2.5L, 3.0L, and 3.5L). The new Korea based Grandeur became a huge success following the first generation Grandeur it replaced. However, the reception of the same model marketed by Mitsubishi in Japan was perfunctory eventually leading Mitsubishi to discontinue it earlier than expected.
The 3-liter and 3.5-liter engines developed by Mitsubishi were substantial legacies to Hyundai, which at the time did not have the ability to manufacture engines of that size on its own. Following the Debonair's discontinuation in Japan, the Hyundai-Mitsubishi partnership led to the production of the Hyundai Equus and Mitsubishi Dignity premium flagship sedans, and the slightly smaller Hyundai Dynasty and Mitsubishi Proudia. Since the production of Hyundai Equus, Hyundai develops all engines in its product line on its own, such as the industry-acclaimed 4.6-liter Tau Engine featured on the Hyundai Genesis.
Although it was not exported outside the home market, the second generation Grandeur was a success in the Korean domestic market as the flagship sedan of Hyundai lineup. This model became a status symbol in Korea, which many politicians and wealthy business executives have used.
The Grandeur XG was a mid-size luxury car. In some other markets, namely North America and also Japan, it was called the Hyundai XG. The first two generations were essentially rebadged Mitsubishi Debonairs, with the third generations developed entirely by Hyundai, with technical experience learned from the first two generations. It shared a platform and engines with the Kia Opirus (Amanti in North America). After their success with the Grandeur, Hyundai decided to develop the next generation Grandeur on their own from the ground up with the technology they have accumulated through the past Grandeur generations. This allowed Hyundai to export the XG outside South Korea without any possible legal issues.
The XG250 was debuted in 1999 with a 2.5 L Delta V6. It was also called the XG25 in some markets. It was produced until 2005. There was also a two-liter model called the XG20 for some markets, including the domestic South Korean one.
The XG300 debuted in 1999 with a 3.0 L Sigma V6.
It was called the XG30 in Europe and in Asian countries. It was produced from 2001 to 2003. A 2.5-liter model, called XG25, was also sold in some countries such as France. The XG30 boasted many options available to only high-end luxury models at the time such as the Mercedes E-class and BMW 5 Series. The XG30 is also longer and wider than most of its rivals, and it is just a fraction smaller than the Audi A6.
In the United States, the XG300 equipped with the 3.0-liter V6 engine was available for the 2001 model year only. The "L" model included heated front seats, rear seat reading lamps, two-position driver's side memory seat and outside mirrors, power moonroof, 6-speaker Infinity AM/FM/CD/cassette stereo system, wood-tone accented steering wheel, electrochromic rearview mirror with a built-in three-channel HomeLink-compatible garage door opener, and a parking aid feature that automatically tilted the dual exterior mirrors downward when the transmission is in reverse. A slight discount was available on XG300 models that deleted the automatic electronic climate control in favor for a manual three-dial system. Other options included a power moonroof on the base model, and a trunk-mounted eight-disc CD changer for the L model.
The 2002 XG350 models were equipped with a larger 3.5-liter V6 Sigma 194 hp (145 kW) engine. While only providing 2 hp (1.5 kW) more horsepower than the previous engine, it offered an additional 38 lb⋅ft (52 N⋅m) of torque, now rated at 216 lb⋅ft (293 N⋅m). New 16-inch bright 10-spoke alloy wheels were an inch larger than for the 2001 model year. In the United States, the power moonroof was no longer an option on base models. 2003 brought a new instrument cluster, and updated graphics for the console trip computer.
In the 2004 model year, the XG350 received larger front brakes (discs went from 10.9- to 12-inch), which in turn required a 16-inch spare tire as standard equipment, replacing the 'space-saver' design used since 2001. Also new this year were restyled front and rear bumpers, bodyside moldings, headlights (now with HID availability), driving lights, tail lamps, grille, and deck lid with recessed license plate holder. The high-mounted stop lamp in the rear window went to an all-new LED design. The interior wood-tone trim changed to a lighter shade, glove compartment and storage bins were now covered in charcoal gray material (formerly black), the door-mounted power window switch panels now matched the interior color (previously, they were high-gloss wood-tone), recessed seat tethers allowed for secure installation of child seats in all three rear seat positions, and the trunk hinges were now supported using hydraulic pistons. Standard equipment leather upholstery was available in solid deep charcoal or a two-tone finish featuring a tan interior with brown dashboard/center console and upper door trim. The L versions were equipped with specific 12-spoke silver-painted allow rims featuring center caps covering the lug nuts. Minor equipment changes inside included redesigned levers for the hood release and tilt steering column, an updated cruise control switch, a recessed trunk pull-down handle, and leather trim around the console armrest tray.
2005 was the last model year for the XG350, as it would be replaced at the top of the Hyundai line-up by the 2006 Azera. Both the base and L models now offered the formerly optional carpeted floor mats as standard equipment, while the L model was now equipped with a standard trunk-mounted eight-disc CD changer. The driver's door switch panel featured a restyled power door lock button; it was now designed to feel less like the adjacent power window controls, for ease of differentiation by touch.
2.0 and 2.5 Delta engines were available in South Korea.
The Grandeur TG is a mid-size sedan introduced for the 2006 model year. A redesigned XG350, it shares a platform with the Sonata. It is sold as the Hyundai Azera in North America, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Iran, Malaysia, The GCC (Persian Gulf states), South Africa, Singapore, Peru, Chile and Brazil. In Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan it was sold as the Grandeur.
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