Interior room is comparable with the major players in the Amanti's target segment, comprising, in addition to the LeSabre, the Chrysler Concorde, the Ford Crown Victoria and the Toyota Avalon. In front-seat accommodations, the Amanti boasts best-in-class head and leg room and gives up no more than in inch in hip room. Rear seat passengers enjoy best-in-class head room but otherwise don't fare as well, losing 1 inch of leg and hip room to the Avalon and 2 inches to the LeSabre and Concorde, although the rear doors' limo-like openings are some compensation.
The Amanti comes up short in cargo space, by more than 3 cubic feet to the Concorde, but by less than 0.5 cubic feet to the Avalon. Kudos, though, to the trunk's full finish and the inside pull-down, sparing fingers from the dirt and muck that road trips routinely leave on a car's trunk lid.
The glove box is unique, the top third fitted with two cubbies to keep small items from rattling around. Otherwise, interior storage is routine, with the usual door-mounted map pockets, seatback-mounted magazine racks and cup holders. Three accessory power points are provided, one at the base of the center stack, another in the center console and the other on the back end of the center console for rear seat use. Missing, though, is a detent in the center console rim to allow a cellular telephone cord to fit beneath the closed console cover.
All controls, save for the front-seat power buttons, are conveniently placed and return good tactile feel. Easily scanned and comprehended climate control and stereo functions and settings are managed by familiar and user-friendly knobs, buttons and roller switches. Headliner-mounted assist grips are nicely damped front and rear, the latter fitted with garment hooks. Next Page