By far the most impressive aspect of the Suzuki Reno is the interior. I'm going to spend a lot of time applauding the work the company has done to this cool little hatchback. Again I'll compare it to the Kia Spectra that was redesigned this year and also marvel at how come other brands can't make cheap cars feel not so cheap.

Notice the first picture here (click on it for larger version) and see the semetric bar going across the dash and the cool air vents. This is plastic made to look like metal but is nice to the touch and offers a very stylish contrast of dark and light greys to the cabin. I'm no design student or critic but I know what I like and the Reno is one of those rare economy cars that will not make you feel like you're driving an economy car. It also follows the Chevy Aveo in making something inexpensive look more upscale. The Spectra felt cheap to me at all times. Flimsy map holders to a boring center stack reminded me that no one will be impressed with the Spectra.

In the Reno there are tons of trays, cubbies and two front cup holders that can adjust to fit small water bottles, a must these days. I wasn?t impressed by the CD player and speaker quality but the sound system was head and tails better than the last Suzuki I tested, the much more expensive Verona, and obviously it?s better than the Chevy Aveo.

There is a rather large for the class sunroof that opens easily. The door panels also follow the lines of the dash and are laid out well. The driver?s side window has an auto-down function and I guess that means it matches that feature on the double the price Subaru Legacy GT. And the doors have some decent weight to them adding to the aura of better quality.

Some things I don?t like include the tray under the CD player. It is popping up a little from the plastic underneath. It?s not a huge deal but shows some poor quality in an otherwise very tight package. I?m also a bit disappointed with the seat support and I?m not a fan of leather in a car in this price range but overall I?d give the interior a big thumbs up.

Check out Day 1 and Day 2 in the Suzuki Reno.