Two inches longer, two inches taller, and stretched an inch between the contact patches, the EPA classifies the 2006 Hyundai Sonata as a large car, not a mid-size car. No matter, it competes against the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry. Hyundai says the Sonata is wider than the ’06 versions of all three.

Looking at the Sonata, you wouldn’t peg it as a big car. This is a tidy design that looks more expensive than it is, but in a derivatively plain way. We see strong Acura and Honda influence in the exterior styling, which will age gracefully. Key elements of the Sonata’s look include the strong character lines in the hood, its jeweled projector lens headlights, and its appealing 17-inch wheels. The 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes in your choice of 10 colors in solid, metallic, and mica finishes.

Like the exterior, the Sonata’s cabin looks upscale thanks to two-tone décor and the restrained use of fake wood and decorative accents. The control layout is simple, making everything easy to find, understand, and operate. All markings are clear and legible, and Hyundai provides many storage solutions for managing the detritus of daily life. Even the design of the air vents won staff praise, and we thought the buttons, knobs, and stalks featured refined operation. If there’s any quibble with the Sonata’s interior design, it’s with the location of the radio high and in the center of the dash, above the air vents. It’s a stretch to reach it in this location, and we think the vents should swap spots with this oft-used entertainment feature.

As good as the interior’s design might be, the materials could stand an upgrade. We like that Hyundai offers gray metalgrain trim with gray interiors and fake wood with beige interiors, that the patterns on all surfaces match, that the storage compartments are lined to reduce excess noise, and that the LX model’s leather is decent to look at and touch. However, the Sonata’s dash pad looks glossy in bright sunlight, the headliner is a bit fuzzy, the control stalks are shiny, and the buttons and switches look a bit cheap.

Build quality also could stand improvement. On our particular test car, the center console assembly was poorly installed, with an errant plastic tab sticking out of a seam between it and the lower portion of the dashboard. This quality flaw absolutely should have been caught at the Alabama factory before shipment. We also noticed a few loose screw-top covers, and a driver airbag cover that was slightly askew. Outside, another potentially fatal flaw: the trunk lid was tweaked and rubbing on the left rear quarter panel above the taillight when it closed. Rust had already begun to form. Beyond that, the front fascia was not on straight, the right rear door fit poorly, and the chrome window trim did not line up at B-pillars on both sides of the car.