Its responses to sudden moves with the steering wheel are prompt and decisive - there's no mushiness, no hesitation. Body roll is well controlled, and there's virtually no front-end dive under hard braking.

The Cirrus provides a strong sense of confidence and control on winding roads, as well as excellent straight-line stability on the freeway. And its ride quality is generally smooth and quiet. There's the occasional sense of stiffness on sharp bumps, but that's the trade you make for firm control.

Engine performance is generally good, but perhaps not quite as peppy as the car's styling. The V6 engine has more than enough power to hold its own in urban traffic wars, and it's smooth on the interstates.

It begins to feel as though it's running out of breath, though, when the driver kicks the transmission down to second gear for a hurry-up pass on a two-lane highway. We also detected a subtle, high-pitched whine from the drivetrain when we were cruising between 62 and 65 mph.