2003 Hyundai XG350 Luxurious sedan at mid-size prices. By Tom Lankard, New Car Test Drive .com

Hyundai is not a name associated with luxury, so you're not to blame for viewing the Hyundai XG350 luxury sedan with a measure of skepticism. That was our first reaction.

What we found, however, is that Hyundai's flagship does offer styling and appointments that place it in the near-luxury class. It also offers mid-size roominess and practicality with a sticker in the mid-20s, close to the price of a mid-size sedan. Add in Hyundai's five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and the XG350 represents a good value.

For 2003, Hyundai has upgraded the XG350 with an instrument cluster that's easier to read and a new trip computer.

Hyundai's XG luxury sedan comes in two trim levels: XG350 ($23,999) and the XG350L ($25,599).

Befitting its near-luxury status, XG350 comes with power everything, climate control, leather-faced seating surfaces and a six-speaker CD stereo. Four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel ABS are standard, as are front-seat side-impact air bags. As its name indicates, power for the XG350 is provided by a 3.5-liter V6 driving the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.

XG350L adds a power tilt-and-slide moonroof, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heat and memory for the front bucket seats, a leather-and-woodgrain steering wheel, even rear-seat reading lamps.

The only option available at either level is a compact-disc changer ($500). Dealer-installed accessories include a trunk cargo net ($38) and an air deflector for the moonroof ($62).