The 2009 Hyundai Sonata may be one of the less well-known vehicles in its mid-size sedan class, but it's not for lack of trying. Hyundai's endowed the four-door with a pleasing style, great interior room and the traditional choice of four- and six-cylinder engines. This year, they've only made the Sonata better by fitting a brand-new interior and a new four-cylinder engine, and by adding some high-tech features high on the shopping lists for today's family sedan buyers.

Let's start with styling. The 2009 Sonata gets a light touch-up on its front and rear ends. It's essentially the same as the previous version, and that's welcome. The Sonata's a handsome sedan with some strong character lines but mostly, a generically good-looking shape. Inside lies real change: the Sonata gains a new interior this year, and it's beautifully rendered in soft-touch plastics on most of the surfaces you'll touch on a regular basis. The matte-paint finish reminds TheCarConnection.com's test drivers of Lexus--and of Hyundai's much more expensive Genesis sedan. A broad band of metallic-finish plastic gives the dash elegant wings, and the high-mounted radio and climate controls are visible and easy to use. A few hard finishes live in places you'll hardly see or use. It's state of the art in a class with some classy cars.