The seats are covered in premium cloth fabric with silky embroidery stitching on the center inserts in a matching color. Side bolsters on the front buckets have contours for a comfortable fit. The driver's seat moves easily in eight directions, and we had no trouble adjusting it to fit long legs and a tall torso. In back is a bench with indentions for two passengers.

The steering column adjusts vertically, and we liked the feel of the thick wheel. For the O-Z Rally, it's padded and covered by stitched leatherette. Big, bold analog gauges are clustered beneath the arching cowl. Black gauges with white lettering are for ES and LS trims, while OZ Rally gets white-faced gauges.

The uncluttered design of the dashboard impressed us, as did the look and tone of materials used to dress the cabin. A band of plastic trim stretches across the upper part of the dashboard and divides it into top and bottom sections. For ES and LS versions, the plastic resembles dark walnut veneer and divides the dash into two-tone regions, with a dark color on top and a lighter one below. The O-Z Rally switches to brushed aluminum color for the trim panel, which blends nicely with the cabin's black color scheme.

The dash has scooped sections in front of each seat but bulges in the middle to extend a center panel of audio and climate controls closer to driver and passenger. Three rotary dials for the ventilation system are large and easy to use. Above the HVAC controls is the audio system, which suffers from tiny dials.

The Evolution model gets Recaro racing seats in blue and black cloth and a three-spoke Momo steering wheel. The center console includes a special button that controls a water-spraying system that helps cool the turbocharger's intercooler to provide maximum horsepower for drivers who compete in weekend club rally events.

Lancer also comes with many standard safety features, including frontal airbags and three-point safety belts for five positions. Front seatbelts have pretensioners with force limiters plus height-adjustable anchors, all of which can help reduce belt injuries in an accident.