The interior is where this lady really shines and pampers me (as a single mom, I'm totally OK with the idea of someone pampering me for a change). For those blessed enough to live in warm climates year-round, the GX's ventilated front seats are such a pleasure. For the rest of us in cooler climates, both the front and second-row seats have tush-loving seat warmers.

What I really loved was the heated steering wheel. Just a few seconds after pressing the button located just below and to the left of the steering column, the steering wheel warmed up and was just as comforting as wrapping my hands around a cup of cocoa. Truly, the only thing better would have been to have a cup of cocoa at the ready in one of the front cupholders.

My crotchety parents, who rode in the second row for our road trip to my brother's college town, were thrilled not only with the heated seats but also their very own ambient temperature controls. They could warm up or cool down at a moment's notice without asking me to do it for them. Air vents for all three rows are great for keeping even those sitting in the "way back" feeling cozy.

My parents also liked the reclining second-row seats, a feature I had to show them how to use after they made some noise about the seats being "too upright." In their defense, I think they were just trying to "help" me review the car... and that they did.

I appreciated that the second row slid fore and aft and made extra legroom room for either the second- or third-row passengers, depending on your people-carrying needs. The third row is suitable for kids or smaller adults when the second row is moved forward.

When you need to put the third row down to carry your baby brother's new snowboard (that he totally doesn't deserve based on his college grades), you can do so simply by pressing and holding the power-fold button located in the back of the cargo area.

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

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