The 264-hp 24-valve V6 engine is now competitive with just about everything else in the class in terms of power output, smoothness and quietness in operation. It sounds virile and healthy when booted or downshifted, and it has a whopping 32 percent more power than its 3.5-liter predecessor, so accelerative power is prodigious, even at 3770 pounds. Yet, in fifth gear overdrive, you can hardly hear it running. If it had a sixth-gear overdrive like most of its contemporaries, it would be even quieter at highway speeds. The transmission shifted quickly and quietly, and is equipped with a manual-control gate for performance driving.

The EPA classifies the Amanti as a large car, and it is, with a 106 cubic-foot interior volume, but it drives and feels like a smaller, more nimble car overall.

We liked the way the new suspension system handled bumps, potholes and crashes, but we thought there was still a bit too much body roll (the car leans in corners). The power steering system doles out steering assist according to engine speed, not vehicle speed, a cheaper strategy. As a result, it is overboosted and uncommunicative, though within acceptable limits for a family car.

The brakes are as powerful and as quick to act as the throttle, which means they're very good, very linear brakes, with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution as backup.