Electronics aid driving and comfort. Switch on the ignition and a blank area where the instruments should be lights up with seemingly three-dimensional gauges. The instruments are lighted from behind, and the red pointers for the tachometer, speedometer, and fuel and temperature gauges appear to float above the instrument faces. It looks slick, and it's highly legible.

Mounted on the dash just to the right is a set of controls used to adjust ride quality and power-steering assist to the driver's preferences. In the same cluster is a trip computer that calculates miles to empty, average mpg and instant mpg, among other road-trip data. Push the check button and the status of various systems is displayed.

Owners can program a myriad of other functions, such as whether to have the doors lock when the car moves forward, or to have the horn chirp when the remote locks the doors, or to have the rear-view mirrors dip when the transmission goes into reverse. Moreover, all of that can be stored in a pair of memory buttons, so two different drivers can have the car set up for their individual preferences, eliminating potential trouble spots between spouses. Simply push the driver ID button; select 1 or 2 and all your preferences will be selected.

Continental's standard seating arrangement includes a split (50/50) front bench seat and soft leather upholstery. Comfortable front bucket seats and a full-length console are listed as a no-cost option, but they can be ordered only with the $605 Driver Select System and $575 Alpine stereo.

Either way, there's lots of rear-seat legroom. Three adults can sit in back with reasonable comfort, and shoulder belts are available at all three positions.

A passive anti-theft system uses an encoded radio frequency between the key and the ignition capable of generating 72 quadrillion codes, making it virtually impossible to be beaten by even the most persistent bad guy.