The seats in the 2.5i models are designed to be comfortable on commutes and long-distance drives. The seats in the GT Limited models offer bigger bolsters on the sides and seat bottoms to better hold the driver in hard cornering. Head and hip room is ample. Adjusting the front seats for six-foot drivers restricts rear legroom, however.

The rear seats are adequate. It's a low seating position without a lot of leg room and the seat bottoms are relatively flat. The center head restraint on the rear seat is fixed in the sedan and adjustable in the wagon.

Controls are ergonomically located and generally easy to operate. The stereo controls are properly positioned above the climate controls. Our only complaint is with the stereo's tuning function: Instead of a tuning knob, it's a rocker switch located below the volume knob that requires scrolling through frequencies to locate a station. Where the tuning knob would normally be is a round, PDA-type rocker button dedicated to selecting the sound source.

Pedals are well-placed, if not especially conducive to heel-and-toe downshifts. (If you don't know what that means, then you'll find the pedals to be just fine.) The steering wheel rim is thick and contoured for comfortable and confident grip at the recommended 9-and-3 positions. The shift lever is conveniently placed, and shifting can be accomplished without reaching.

The sloping hood makes for good forward visibility. Good-sized rear quarter windows minimize blind spots from the C-pillars. Thin sails leave room for an expansive backlight (rear windshield) that fills the rearview mirror.

The bottom portions of the door panels hold fixed map pockets rather than the expanding pockets coming into vogue. Front and rear seats get two cup holders. Nets for magazines are attached to the front seatbacks. The center console isn't commodious, but it has an auxiliary power outlet for cell phones, leaving the lighter outlet in the base of the C-stack available for other accessories, such as a radar detector.

The sedan's trunk is fully finished, with its gooseneck hinges enclosed to prevent inadvertently smashed groceries.

The station wagon cargo area offers two covered storage bins.