Hyundai has made some modest but notable changes to the 2014 Equus sedan.

It’s a big year for premium luxury car buyers, what with some major new products hitting market in the months ahead – notably including an all-new version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. But while Hyundai isn’t starting from the ground up with the 2014 Equus update, the big sedan is impressive any way you approach it.

The elegant sedan’s long, sleek silhouette conveys an enhanced sense of luxury, style and sophistication that is harder to ignore with the update for the 2014 model-year. Hyundai’s decision to update the Equus might, in fact, seem surprising since it was seemingly introduced only yesterday.

In fact, the Hyundai Equus made its American debut in 2010, and a lot has happened in the luxury market since then, as the new S-Class underscores. So, Hyundai’s timing is on target, enhancing the visual appeal of the 2014 sedan, adding a mix of new features and tweaking the car’s performance and handling.

Exterior changes, such as those to the taillamps, are relatively modest.

The exterior updates for 2014, while relatively modest, have been deftly handled, starting with a front grille and fascia redesigned to deemphasize the somewhat heavy-handed chrome accents of the original Equus.  LED fog lamps are now standard.  Meanwhile, the tail lamp graphics have been redesigned and made more horizontal. Also new for 2014 are 19-inch turbine-blade alloy wheels.

The overall look of the exterior is cleaner and more sophisticated, something Hyundai needed to avoid being seen as a copycat or, worse, a caricature of the better-known German competitors such as the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series.

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The interior of the 2014 Equus also been systematically revised to give it more sophistication — without making it ostentatious — and to enhance the premium feel throughout the cabin.

The instrument panel and center stack have been updated and the center console controls and shift lever are now all within easy reach of the driver’s seat. Hyundai’s designers selected new, upscale materials throughout the cabin and the seats, both front and rear, are quite comfortable, which also enhances the overall ride comfort.

Hyundai loads the new 2014 Equus up with a range of new technologies.

The Equus is loaded with welcome technical features , such as the 7-inch LCD display that offers various driver menus that can be accessed directly via steering wheel  controls.  A driver assistance package with blind-spot detection, lane departure warning and a long list of comfort and convenience features — such as heated and cooled seats , electronic key and power tilt and telescopic steering wheel and Bluetooth – are either offered standard or as packages, depending upon the model you choose.  A head-up display comes standard on the “Ultimate” version, for example.

The layout of the rear-seat has been revamped with a new rear console and button layout.  Dual, 9.2-inch, high-resolution, adjustable seatback video screens are now available, as are rear controls for heating and cooling as well as seating functions.

One clever innovation allows the rear passenger to type an address directly into the navigation system  while the car is moving even when the navigation screen is locked down for those in the front seats.  Thus, the passengers in back can look for landmarks or restaurants and provide navigation system directions directly to the driver’s navigation screen.

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The rear seating is spacious and offers its own range of new technologies for 2014.

Those who have followed Hyundai over the years know the Korean marque has made significant strides in terms of design, features and performance. If there’s one place Hyundai – admittedly – struggles, it has been in terms of steering and suspension dynamics.  Those are two of the top priorities Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik tells TheDetroitBureau.com he is focused on addressing – and the 2014 Equus suggests the maker is starting to deliver.

The premium sedan has been equipped with an updated, driver-selectable suspension system.  The first, or normal, mode delivers a soft, comfortable ride that works on smooth pavement. But the Equus seemed to ride and handle better with the sportier setting, which firms up the suspension and holds the road better over broken and patched pavement.

We were also impressed with the tweaks made to the 2014 Hyundai Equus electric-power steering system.

But the Equus drivetrain, carried over  from earlier versions of the sedan, is one of its strongest elements, delivering power smoothly and efficiently with the assistance of the finely-tuned,  eight-speed transmission.

The Equus sedan's V-8 is a carryover but remains one of its strongest features.

The Equus packs plenty of power, the 5-liter DOHC V-8 producing 429 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 376 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm.  The fuel-economy isn’t exactly great, at a thirsty 15 miles per gallon in the city and 23 miles per gallon on the highway — with a combined 18 mpg rating – but it’s acceptable in this high-end segment.

For customers that live in northern or mountain climates, a new Snow mode function was added to the selectable settings.  But, if anything, that highlights one surprising lapse in Hyundai’s planning for the Equus.  All-wheel-drive, now a virtual must for luxury products sold in colder climes, is still not available on the 2014 Equus.

While the Equus suspension and driving dynamics are quite notably improved, in the luxury sedan segment  Hyundai is being measured against some tough competitors , such as Mercedes and BMW, who have written the book  on what a premium luxury car is expected to not just look like but how they’re supposed to perform and handle.

The driving dynamics of the 2014 Hyundai Equus have markedly improved - but price will likely remain its big selling point.

That’s where starting price of $62,000 clearly comes in.  It gives the maker the same sort of cost advantage it has used, over the years, to gain a grip in other segments of the market.  Even at $68,920 for a fully-loaded Equus Utimate, it’s hard to argue that the 2014 Hyundai Equus is one impressive vehicle even if it isn’t quite the “ultimate driving machine.”

There are a lot of potential buyers who will be one over by the fact that they can buy an Equus and, when compared to an S-Class or 7-Series, still have enough money left over for a Sonata or an Elantra.