Front seats are nicely bolstered, but not overly so. Seat bottom cushions could offer a bit more thigh support. Inexcusable is the omission of a dead pedal for bracing the left leg, which might reduce fatigue on longer drives. But the shift lever falls readily to hand, and the steering wheel adjusts to any driver, tall or short, lanky or otherwise.

Gauges are large, round and easy to read, if covering only the basics, like engine and road speed, fuel level and coolant temperature, leaving some important data to digital displays that have to be punched up on information screens. A nice visual touch is the color coordination of the gauge faces with the buyer's choice of exterior paint color. Misleading, however, is the 200-mph top speed promised by the speedometer, as the GTO is electronically limited to 155; the gauge face is a direct transplant from Australia, which uses metrics, and instead of redoing the gauge face, GM incorporated an electronic adjuster that changes the needle movement between metric and English, allowing the retention of the single set of metric-based numbers. However, we can appreciate that decisions like that do help keep costs and, therefore, prices down.

Outward visibility is about par for a sporty coupe, even a four-passenger one. The steeply raked windshield is no picture window, but it's adequate, and the sloping hood gives good visuals for close quarter maneuvering. Rear quarter vision, though, is limited by the thick C-pillars. And the rear spoiler blocks the lower portion of the back window.

Quality of interior materials and fit and finish are several notches above today's mainstream GM products; plastic, of course, but quality plastic, and snugly fitted panels and trim pieces. Power window buttons are located in the center console, which makes for easy use by the passenger and saves the cost of a button on the passenger door and associated wiring, but its placement is not intuitive and we found ourselves fumbling for drive-up windows and parking attendants. Rear side windows are fixed.

Rear seats are exemplary, a new standard for coupes, with deep buckets, solid head restraints and ample leg room. Access, though, is a pain, requiring long waits while a slow electric motor moves the front seats forward, then back. This makes the GTO a good option for someone who wants a sporty coupe but has one or two kids and another car in the family.

Interior storage is, again, adequate, nothing special or innovative, but with the requisite door map pockets, incorporating expanded rounds for beverage cans, and an average-size center console; the power point is located in the center console, convenient for cell phones but inconvenient for radar detectors.

Practically speaking, the trunk is a joke, more appropriate for a two-seat sports car than a four-passenger coupe. But logically, it makes sense: The gas tank in the Australian car from which the GTO is derived sits beneath the trunk and behind the rear axle, and GM felt compelled for safety reasons to further distance it from rear end crushers, and the only space available was behind the rear seat.

Stereo and climate control switches are convenient and for the most part of sufficient size and heft, and displays are legible even in bright sun and through polarized dark glasses. One major problem with the ventilation system is the spatial relationship between the windshield defogger vents and the windshield glass. At any fan speed, with the system set to defog, the air from the vents deflects from the glass and blows directly into the front seat occupants' eyes. Contact lens wearers, especially, beware.