INTERIOR

The 2011 300C's interior is a huge improvement over the outgoing sedan. The interior looked refined with its real wood and metal trim, and there was an attention to detail that impressed me over and over.

In the front row there were so many features that I couldn't believe the majority of them were standard. The standard features include a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled cupholders, heated and ventilated leather seats, power-adjustable front seats and pedals, Bluetooth streaming audio, Uconnect voice-activated multimedia system, a backup camera and even a Garmin navigation system. There was even more like push-button start and remote start included in the 300C's price.

The Uconnect system was so easy to use that I want to give it advanced marks. There were handy tabs at the touch-screen's bottom that would take me to any category — climate, controls, radio, CD player, phone and nav — I needed. A detail that was overlooked, however, was how much the screen and the metal accent trim reflected sunlight right into my eyes. The screen didn't tilt to adjust for this occurrence. It was only corrected by turning the car in the opposite direction of the sun. The instrument cluster looked refined with some chrome around the gauges and cool blue backlighting. There were no issues with reflected light there.

The high-quality vibe continued for the kids, as the rear seats were heated. They couldn't get enough of that. Another source of constant enjoyment was the optional panoramic moonroof. They also loved the standard rear sunshade they could raise and lower on their own. The seat benches were very deep, but the legroom was weird. For such a long car, there were times that the kids felt cramped in the backseat. My husband had to move his seat forward more than he liked to silence the complaints. I found this odd for a car that barely fit in my garage.

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair-Ample
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair-Ample

    See also:

    Illuminated Entry — If Equipped
    The courtesy lights will turn on when you use the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter to unlock the doors or open any door. This feature also turns on the approach lighting in the outside mi ...

    Venting Sunroof — Express
    Press and release the “Vent” button, and the sunroof will open to the vent position. This is called “Express Vent”, and will occur regardless of sunroof position. During Express Vent ope ...

    Sliding Side Door Power Window Switch — If Equipped
    Second row passengers may open and close the sliding door window by a single switch on the door handle assembly. The switches will operate only when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN or ACC ...