The Cirrus is just as attractive inside as out, with smooth, organic curves to its nicely integrated dashboard design and better-than-average control location.
Major instruments are grouped under a curved cowling, which helps keep reflections off the glass panel. The cowling is elevated slightly above the rest of the dash, just enough to make it easy to check the instruments at a glance without intruding on the driver's forward sightlines.
At night, this display be-comes especially attractive, with warm red and gold lights.
The climate controls, located at the bottom center of the dash, use rotary switches - a little easier to operate than slides, especially if you're wearing gloves; the audio controls are just above them. The latter could benefit from slightly larger switches and push buttons, but they're bigger than some.
Power-window switches and side-mirror adjusters are set into the angled portion of the driver's armrest, and both are user-friendly.
The center console contains a pair of cupholders just ahead of the shift lever - a little awkward to get to, and they would interfere with the ashtray if there was one. If you want an ashtray in your Cirrus, it's a special-order item, a phenomenon we expect to see in other new cars as we march further into the no-smoking era.
The center console also has a built-in coin bin, a little tricky to use because of its proximity to the hand brake, but welcome nonetheless. There are storage pockets in the door panels, as well as a lockable glove box.
Interior roominess has been a key design priority in recent Chrysler designs, and there's plenty of it here, particularly in back, with more legroom than either the Accord or Camry. There's also good elbow room, thanks to this car's relatively wide dimensions, and decent headroom, even though the roofline is relatively low.
Our LXi's leather seats were nicely contoured and well-padded. They're not quite as supportive as, say, the Ford Contour bolstered buckets, but they're sportier than the Accord or Camry seats, with a good range of adjust-ability. The bottom cushions could be a bit longer - some drivers mentioned a shortage of thigh support - but we think most folks will find them comfortable.
The Cirrus trunk has a couple of odd angles inside, but it's good sized, and the trunk lid swings up high - almost at a right angle - to make it easier to reach the cargo area.
Even with the slightly stiffer touring suspension, the handling of our Cirrus wasn't in the same razor-precise league as the Contour - but few cars are.
Its responses to sudden moves with the steering wheel are prompt and decisive - there's no mushiness, no hesitation. Body roll is well controlled, and there's virtually no front-end dive under hard braking.
The Cirrus provides a strong sense of confidence and control on winding roads, as well as excellent straight-line stability on the freeway. And its ride quality is generally smooth and quiet. There's the occasional sense of stiffness on sharp bumps, but that's the trade you make for firm control.
Engine performance is generally good, but perhaps not quite as peppy as the car's styling. The V6 engine has more than enough power to hold its own in urban traffic wars, and it's smooth on the interstates.
It begins to feel as though it's running out of breath, though, when the driver kicks the transmission down to second gear for a hurry-up pass on a two-lane highway. We also detected a subtle, high-pitched whine from the drivetrain when we were cruising between 62 and 65 mph.