Interior
reviewed by
Regardless of model, the Contour is very much a driver's car in the European tradition, and the interior reinforces its character. There's a snug, intimate feeling to this car - it's more sports car than family sedan.
A big part of this feeling comes from the bucket front seats, which have pronounced thigh and torso bolsters to keep the driver and front-seat passenger from rattling around during hard cornering.
In addition to being supportive, the front seats provide a good range of adjustability and excellent comfort. We think they wouldn't be much out of place in a BMW.
The Contour's control layout is generally handy, and we liked some of the small touches - cupholders that pop out of the center console and a small coin bin integrated into the top of the dashboard.
However, from a cosmetic point of view the design of the dashboard isn't very successful. Although its sweeping curves are stylish, it's composed of too many smaller pieces and is busy looking.
Backseat space is the Con-tour's weakest point. Although this car is Accord-sized, its rear-seat legroom is more consistent with the smaller Ford Escort. Here's one area, perhaps, where European standards still don't translate to the U.S. market.
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