Twenty years ago, Hyundai was a punchline. The oxymoronic Excel, like so many European and Japanese pioneers before it, was the first Korean car to come to America, where it promptly began to rust, stall, and cause consternation in consumers who foolishly thought that they might be getting something for nothing. And like those European and Japanese pioneers before it, the Excel initially forced early adopters to swear off buying another Korean vehicle, sullied the Hyundai name to one of the largest potential customer bases in the world, and produced smirks, chuckles, and guffaws in Detroit’s boardrooms.

Detroit isn’t laughing anymore. Neither is Japan – if it ever was. Because a scant two decades after trying – and failing – to make a dent in the U.S. market, Hyundai is now the fourth best-selling import brand in America. And when you test drive the redesigned 2006 Hyundai Sonata, it’s easy to see why. This car proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota aren’t the only car companies that can produce safe, durable, and appealing family sedans.

Four years of intensive consumer research went into this car to serve a target buyer that is younger than those of chief rivals, open-minded, smart with money, practical, hard-working, and loaded with common sense. In other words, Sonata buyers don’t care about the Hyundai brand’s lack of luster and know a good value when they see one. As do we. After a week behind the wheel of an example equipped with every option, though we found flaws with the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, we can see that it offers undeniable appeal in the family sedan marketplace.