The XG350 also offers more rear-seat headroom than what's found in the Taurus, Maxima, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Intrepid or Toyota Avalon.

From the driver's seat, almost everything about the XG350 is friendly and familiar. A smooth, quiet dashboard houses easy-to-read gauges in a well-shaded recess. All of the necessary controls for the sound system and air conditioning fall readily to hand, with the stereo properly positioned above the ventilation panel; although audiophiles will likely note that the stereo lacks dynamic range.

Faux-wood trim accents suggest luxury. The leather-clad seats, front and rear, are comfortable, balancing on that fine line between firmly welcoming and aggressively hard. They are flat like a Mercedes seat, but lack support in the seat bottom. Rear head restraints lock into their selected positions for improved safety, ratcheting forward for comfortable adjustment. When in position, they block rearward vision somewhat, but can be removed (with a struggle) when not being used. A center head restraint in the rear seat would reassure the rare fifth passenger, but the XG350 does not have one. It does have the new, ISO-specification anchors for child safety seats across the rear bench, however.

The one category in which the XG350 brings up the rear is trunk space, where it gives up more than half a cubic foot to the next smallest trunk, the Maxima's. At least the XG350's boot has an inside release, in deference to growing concerns about children locking themselves in car trunks. A nice plus is that the release doubles as a pull-down for closing the lid, sparing your hands from the road grime that commonly attaches itself to a car's back end.

Garment hooks inside reflect thoughtfulness. Instead of being suspended from roof-mounted, rear-seat assist grips, they fold out from the headliner, making them much more user-friendly, and less likely to dump the week's dry cleaning onto the floor. Why hasn't anyone else thought of this?