Interior
reviewed by
When the Intrepid was introduced, one car-buff magazine measured the
interior space, from the base of the windshield to the base of its backlight,
and found it was 14 inches longer than a Ford Crown Vic--a vehicle that's
much larger and heavier.
Therein lies the beauty of the synergy between the cab-forward design
and the long wheelbase. There's enough back seat legroom for Dick the Bruiser
to pin the Sheik with a flying leg-scissor hold. Headroom is also copious,
while the optional 50/50 split-bench front seat increases seating capacity
from five to six--and with the Intrepid, that means six full-sized adults.
Standard equipment on the Intrepid consists of a 3.3-liter 161-hp V6
engine, four-speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, air conditioning,
tinted glass, AM/FM/cassette, rear defroster, front bucket seats, dual
vanity mirrors, body side protection, interior courtesy lamps, tilt steering
and power windows/locks/mirrors.
All switches are easy to locate and operate, and dials are smartly laid
out and well-illuminated. The sporty instruments have black-on-white graphics,
with a touch of grey shading.
The eight-way power seat provides plenty of body-position configurations
at the flip of a switch, and it reclines to near-horizontal to provide
clearance for loading large or odd-shaped objects. Interior lighting is
also generous.
And can we talk cupholders? The Intrepid sets the gold standard: the
adjustable sides can be ratcheted in and out to hold cups of various girths--and
keep them in place. We wish this design was universal.
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