When you first glanced at the car featured here did you think of the Sonata, Hyundai’s top-selling midsize sedan?

While there certainly are several styling similarities, design cues that are also shared with the compact class Elantra, this full-size Azera sedan is a new design by Hyundai’s U.S.-based styling studio.

Targeting rivals such as Ford’s Taurus, Nissan’s Maxima, Buick’s LaCrosse and Toyota’s recently revised Avalon, the Azera attacks each with two hallmarks of the Hyundai brand — value and content — plus a bold yet handsome body that evokes a strong European influence.

Cast your glance across the tapered front grille and those elongated headlamps. Follow this profile to the steeply raked windshield that flows across the back greenhouse in almost the same proportion to the front. This stance is with purpose, not by accident. Now follow the two crease lines along the body’s flanks and how they flare into the rear fascia, the top creating a subtle air dam to control aerodynamics, the other complementing the taillights and the nicely integrated chrome exhaust outlets.

Stubby metal tailpipes sticking out from under rear bumpers — eyesores for years — plus mismatched body parts are, thankfully, being banished by a new generation of stylists who command greater fit and finish as well as smarter, more fluid looking automobiles that also work better.

Hyundai’s designers didn’t fall asleep on the handsome interior either as the 193.3-inch long sedan offers a contemporary cabin with ample leg and head room for all but the tallest passengers. Rear spacing draws compliments for the comfortable seatback angle and an abundance of leg and knee room, all separated by a fold-down center armrest with pockets and slots. Overhead, the huge dual panel sunroof — with a power shade that slides from the center outward to reveal whatever level of light you want to allow inside — creates an openness that is obviously a premium sedan requisite now. The new Azera’s darkened roof also makes an attractive statement.

Hyundai must have determined that consumers not only expect a wealth of the usual safety gear and convenience accoutrements that are found in the majority of entry-level premium sedans today, it’s all here, but the sense of wealth and status should also be present.

This is where the Azera sets itself apart. A base Azera starts at $32,000; front-wheel drive, 10-year warranty, six-speed automatic with manual mode, 293-hp direct injection V-6 engine, plus fully independent suspension with 18-inch wheels are all standard. You also get front and rear heated leather seats, dual climate controls, touch-screen nav system, rear back-up camera, Bluetooth, HD radio with XM, Hyundai’s Blue Link Telematics system, push-button ignition with proximity key, plus automatic headlamp control and LED taillights.

There is one option; for $4,000 you can add the technology package, which includes 19-inch silver alloy wheels, the aforementioned Panoramic roof, rear parking assist, Infinity audio system, driver’s seat cushion thigh extender, power rear sunshade with manual side shades, power adjustable tilt/telescoping steering column instead of manual tilt/tele, plus memory seating.

Why does all this matter? Because this elevated level of equipment, combined with Hyundai’s heightened sense of quality and refinement, make the Azera quite a credible full-size sedan offering for thousands less than its contemporaries.

During 1,000 miles of motoring, the Azera comported itself confidently. Fuel economy was in the heart of the EPA estimates of 20/29 mpg — returning an average of 27 mpg — even while subjected to the vulgarities of a spirited trip from Ellsworth to Presque Isle and back on a very windy spring day. Power delivery is plenty sufficient from the 3.3-liter V-6, with the transmission a seamless performer. Ride and handling are surefooted compliant, too, while the Azera’s audio system and super-large sunroof offered ample entertainment.

The only complaints in my logbook included comments about windshield reflections from the chromed vent slots at the top of the dash and that the XM signal reception seemed to be challenged in some areas — an effect not confined to the Azera. Other comments included notes about the cleverly subtle atmosphere lighting that stretches from the door to the dash at night, the one-touch lane change action and supple controls arrayed conveniently around the power tilt and telescoping steering column. The Azera’s push-button ignition and proximity key access are also appreciated, and now expected on most new cars.

In the Hyundai lineup, the Azera fits neatly between the Sonata and the high-end Genesis on both price and size. Compact Elantra sedans start at $16,695. The Sonata begins at $19,795 while the Azera’s starting price is roughly $3,000 less than the premium Genesis. The luxurious Equus tops the Hyundai sedan chart at $59,000.

While it might be easy to criticize why Hyundai needs so many sedans — Hyundai now makes a total of 13 different models! — the fact remains that if Hyundai wants to be considered a full-line automaker it needs to offer the same variety of product that Ford and Toyota do. In a short 26 years, Hyundai has made a large impact in the American market. And except for trucks, it is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. As more products are built in the United States, look for sales gains to maintain their current rising pace.

Even though full-size sedan sales have leveled off, the Azera makes a sharp statement that it is a very viable competitor — that costs less and offers more. That marketing philosophy works for a lot of car consumers.

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