5 really-great big cars

• Base price: $32,250
• MPG: 20 city / 29 hwy, V6 only

Watch: Hyundai Azera, luxury without the high price

Hyundai is a strange sort of automaker. It makes cars, like the Accent, that compete with Toyota's ultra-cheap Yaris, to the Equus, which goes toe-to-toe with Lexus' luxurious LS, but it sells them all under the same Hyundai name.

Standing right in the middle between those extremes is the new Hyundai Azera.

In some ways the Azera seems even nicer than Hyundai's larger, more expensive models. It's design is certainly sharper and more up-to-date, both inside and out. Hyundai designers even moved the seat controls to the door, just like in Mercedes-Benz cars. The Azera rides nicely and performs decently but it's far from exciting. It has the Impala's smoothness, but not its sense of control.

It has all the features that have become de rigueur in this class including an available panoramic sunroof, a stereo that's probably better than the one in your livingroom and a trunk that looks like you could carry a subcompact in it.

NEXT: Toyota Avalon Hybrid