From the driver's seat, visibility is good out all windows, improved upon by power remote side mirrors and an optional height adjustable driver's seat. The manually adjustable front seats are extremely supportive and covered with optional tan leather in my test car - cloth is standard in the LE. Unfortunately the seats aren't heated, a popular option for our cold winters.

A well placed armrest divides driver and passenger, incorporating dual compartment storage bins. The lower one is fairly deep, and houses a 12-volt power outlet. Integrated into the door armrests that flow upward toward a chrome interior door handle, a small piece of wood grain trim highlights the power window and lock switches. Just ahead of the armrest on the left side of the dash is another small covered storage compartment. Looking up, past the auto-dimming, compass equipped rearview mirror, Toyota has included an optional tilt-and-slide, sunscreen covered glass sunroof.

What about driving dynamics? Well, I was hardly disappointed here either. The new car is much improved over the outgoing model, with a tauter suspension and 195/65R-15 all-season radials on 6-spoke alloy wheels, making it more capable during athletic maneuvers. Still, it doesn't hold as tight to the corners as the Ford Focus or Mazda Protegé. Its ride, however, seems better than most of its rivals, that is until the pavement gets choppy and its rear end hunts for adhesion. Still, Toyota's partially independent suspension, consisting of front MacPherson struts and a twist-beam system in the rear, performs better than some competitor's fully-independent suspensions.