You look down from your driver's position, and there's a big square in the center of the panel (with nicely rounded corners), with clearly labeled knobs and buttons to control the radio/CD and heater/AC. Whether it's polished aluminum in the XLS, or simple black in the LS, it's tidy and fail-safe. It was a hot day when we tested the Raider, and we found the AC to be pretty good, with a strong fan, although unable to match the fantastic cold blast of the Honda Ridgeline.
The gauges themselves are lovely to look at, an off-white background with sharp black numbers and lines: speedo in center, tach on right, gas and temp together on left. Three circles, perfectly balanced. The gauges appear to be the same as in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and other Daimler-Chrysler family vehicles, and we've got nothing but praise for component sharing in this case. The driver peers down through a nice four-spoke steering wheel, leather-wrapped in the XLS, which is the right thickness and diameter, and feels nice in his or her hands.
There are storage bins small and large within easy reach of the driver, including the doors. Twin cupholders tucked under the radio, and a third giant one that can be used for big drinks or other stuff. Under the driver's elbow, the center hatch is one big compartment.
We drove Raiders with both cloth and leather, and both materials were of high quality. A buyer who doesn't want to spring for leather could be quite happy with the basic cloth. Options in the Extended Cab include nothing but a storage space behind a front bench seat, or a small bench seat.
The rear bench seat in the XLS Double Cab was relatively spacious, with a decent 36.4 inches of legroom, although the headroom was pinched by the roofline at the top of the windows. There are two cupholders and door pockets back there, too, as well as a third seatbelt for a small person to squeeze in the center.
