We found last year's 3.0-liter engine smooth and quiet, willing and free-revving. Its relative silence added to the pleasant ambience of the interior, allowing for comfortable conversation or quiet reflection. But it came up short on acceleration, particularly in this competitive class. The new 3.5-liter unit should be better. Its horsepower rating isn't much higher, edging up from 192 at 6000 rpm to 194 at 5500. But torque has swelled from 178 foot-pounds at 4800 rpm to a Taurus-beating 216 at 3500. Torque is the force that actually accelerates the car, and having it peak at a lower engine speed should translate into a snappier throttle response around town.

Returning behind the bigger engine is Hyundai's five-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic control. It shifts smoothly enough, but it always upshifts at a pre-programmed engine speed, rather than holding a lower gear when you open the throttle wide. That's unfortunate, because the XG is fun to drive, and we would enjoy holding a lower gear and pushing the engine to its redline. When left in the auto mode, the transmission is slow to downshift; and upshifts are on the long side.

The placement of the Shiftronic gate to the right side of the lever, away from the driver seems counterintuitive, but that's the way Infiniti does it, too. It would feel more natural to tug the lever toward the driver to activate the Shiftronic function as it's done in an Acura.

A hefty steering wheel invites spirited inputs; and the shape of the hood emphasizes the direction in which the car is pointed. In fact, the XG provides the driver with mostly positive feedback. The variable power assist to the steering is mostly invisible, materializing only when the transmission upshifts before you expect it to, as in exiting a turn. At that point the assist increases as the engine speed drops.

Braking is reassuringly linear.