The CTS' cabin quality has held up well since this generation first hit the road as a 2008 model, and it's still competitive against newer entrants like the 535i and M37. Among the highlights are consistently applied premium materials including stitching on the dashboard and door trim, and smartly integrated features like an available navigation touch-screen that can rise from the dash or, when lowered, display a list of radio presets. The location of the air-conditioning controls at knee-level seemed a little curious, but it didn't take long to understand the logic of the setup; your hand falls right to the controls, so you barely need to move it to adjust the temperature.

While the cabin is high on premium materials and luxury features, what it doesn't have in abundance is space. The front of the cabin is comfortable but snug, and the optional Recaro-brand sport seats — similar to those available in the CTS-V — contribute to the sensation with adjustable side bolsters that keep you locked down in corners.

The Recaro bucket seats have adjustable lumbar support, but even with it backed off completely, you can still feel the curve of the backrest pushing against your lower back. It wasn't painful, but if you're sensitive to this kind of thing, it definitely warrants extra attention if you take the CTS for a test drive.

The CTS sedan's bigger problem is backseat space. Despite being significantly larger on the outside than the redesigned BMW 3 Series sedan, the CTS' backseat feels smaller. I'm 6 feet 1 inch tall and didn't have enough legroom or headroom. It's not nearly as comfortable as a midsize four-door needs to be.