From the driver's seat, almost everything about the XG350 is friendly and familiar. The hefty steering wheel trimmed in wood and leather invites spirited inputs and features re-designed cruise controls with more pronounced and readily discerned delineations. A smooth, quiet dashboard houses gauges in a well-shaded recess. Faux-wood trim suggests luxury and is lighter in color for 2004 for a roomier feel.

Instruments are straightforward, clearly marked and easy to read, using white markings on a black background. The speedometer is placed in the middle of the display, the tachometer is on the left side and the fuel level and engine coolant temperature gauges are in a large display on the right. A big emergency flasher button is mounted just to the right of the steering wheel, easy to reach when quickly for those times when the traffic ahead comes to a sudden standstill.

Audio and climate controls are paragons of ergonomic excellence. They are mounted high on the center dash, with the stereo properly positioned above the climate control panel. Buttons for both are large, clearly marked and easy to operate. The air conditioning automatically switches to recirculation mode when outside air quality deteriorates. LED readouts are large and easy to read. The stereo features an in-dash CD player, but the sound lacks dynamic range. A trip computer above the audio/climate controls includes a clock that's easy to read.

Luxury in a sedan is as much feel and features as it is spaciousness. But even in the latter, the XG350 measures up. It bests the likes of the Taurus, Maxima, Impala, Concorde , Camry and Avalon in most interior measures by at least an inch and sometimes by almost two inches.

The XG350 offers good rear-seat headroom, but is a little lacking in legroom. It beats all but the Camry in rear seat headroom, but in rear-seat legroom it comes in behind all except the Maxima. Rear-seat head restraints lock into their selected positions and ratchet forward, making them more effective at preventing injuries. When in position, they block rearward vision somewhat, but they can be removed (with a struggle) when not being used. XG350 does not have a head restraint for the center of the rear seat. However, it does have ISO-specification anchors (covered when not in use) for child safety seats across the rear bench.

Picking up the dry cleaning is a breeze. The design of the garment hooks show attention to detail. Instead of being suspended from the roof-mounted assist grips, they fold out from the headliner, making them much more user-friendly, and less likely to dump the week's dry cleaning onto the floor. Few manufacturers make garment hooks that work as well as this Hyundai's.

Trunk space is more limiting, where the XG lags behind mid-size sedans. An inside pull-down has been added for 2004 to spare getting your hands dirty when the trunk is covered with slush or rainwater. Gas-pressurized struts replace previous years' goose-neck hinges to ease the lifting and lowering. Beneath the floor resides a full-size spare mounted on a matching alloy wheel. Like with most new cars, the XG's trunk features an inside release, useful for children or car-jacking victims who find themselves locked in the trunk.