HYUNDAI says its all-new i45 is strategically important in Australia, where it hopes the sleek medium sedan will continue the Korean brand’s stellar sales growth. There’s no reason its striking exterior styling, slick new direct-injection engine and six-speed automatic transmission, impressive design and build quality, high refinement levels and unrivalled standard equipment list won’t attract more customers than its unloved predecessor, the Sonata. Despite the Hyundai mid-sizer’s new-found sexiness, however, the i45 is far from perfect and comes with a pricetag to match many of its established rivals. So it remains to be seen whether the i45 can penetrate the accomplished Mazda6’s solid private customer base, without the bargain-basement prices for which Hyundai has become known.