While I'm not too worried about the effects spicy of food, my test car came in LS trim just the same. I longed for the VR-X that was parked in the back lot of the dealership, with its racy rear decklid spoiler, white analog gauges framed in a two-toned sport steering wheel, and bolstered buckets featuring the model's "VR-X" designation embroidered into the seatbacks, but alas my week was to be tamer in comparison.

The Diamante LS has a refined and classy look. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

The LS is classy, with chrome adorning the door handles and side moldings, window surrounds and marker lights. The rear lights, rear license plate surround, and emblems are done in brightwork too, back and front, with the latter flanked with two chrome embellished grille openings. Overall it's one refined looking package.

On the inside the Diamante is laid out in a more conventional manner than the Japanese brand's latest offerings. The comfortable, supportive seats are leather clad, one of many standard features, complimented with crinkled leather on the door panels. The "environmentally friendly" woodgrain is fairly authentic, with higher quality tactility than the majority of domestic brands and some imports. Its red tone and fine grain mimic mahogany, giving the cabin a unique appearance when compared to more common walnut.

More conventional than Mitsubishi's newer offerings, the interior of the Diamante is well appointed and fairly refined. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

The center stack is the first of only a few of my gripes. Oh, the Mitsubishi/Infinity audio system is good, don't get me wrong. It boasts 270-watts after all. But the way it integrates into the console comes across looking aftermarket, not up to the level of the majority of its competitors. Just underneath is an open compartment identical in size and shape to the audio head unit overhead. It looks designed to hold CDs but they tend to slide out while accelerating, leaving a gaping hole that seems as if it should be filled with another stereo component. Please Mitsubishi, fill it up with something. Even a lid would do.