Anyone who has ever spent time in a Buick or any other six-passenger GM sedan will feel right at home in the Century. Full-width seats front and rear hold six full-size adults on soft cushions covered in smooth, attractive cloth. All six will find head- and legroom to be more than adequate, and they will have easy access through four large, well-shaped doors. Fancy trim is kept to a minimum; small wood panels in the doors surround the power-window switches and provide a contrast with the interior's monochromatic appearance.

Buick buyers may be comfortable with the single-color interior scheme but having steering wheel, dashboard, door panels, seats and carpet finished off in what is as close as possible to the exact same hue may look strange to some transferring from other brands. But that's up to individual taste. In any event, the color-coordination has been handled skillfully.

The Century's cabin layout is indisputably excellent. All control buttons and switches are large, well-marked and properly located for easy use. Instruments are clear, too, though there are only three. The Century's intended customers are unlikely to care for much more information than speed, fuel level and engine water temperature anyway. Warning lights and chimes will alert them to any problems.

Though a midsize sedan when judged by pricing and dimensions, the Century feels more like a large luxury car from behind the wheel. Buick knows its customers aren't looking for the firmness of a German autobahn-burner. They want a Buick. And that's what they get.

Ride quality is the Century's outstanding feature. It is soft and compliant over any road surface. Bumps, dips or ridges on the pavement are seldom heard or felt. Instead, there are smooth up-and-down movements that indicate, in a muted way, that the Century has been driven over something, with little indication as to the nature or size of the obstruction. Road and suspension noise are absent.

Buick has abandoned its mushy Dyna-ride shock absorber calibrations this year, opting instead for a slightly firmer ride. This in no way detracts from ride quality, but does reduce some of the body roll and rocking-horse motions common to previous versions.

We'd like to see the Magnasteer electronic power steering tuned slightly different, however. The low steering effort is nice in tight parking quarters, but there's not enough steering feel at low speeds. Then again, we may not represent what a Century driver wants. Few, if any, owners will ever drive a Century down a canyon road at anything above a modest speed, and fewer still would want the car's steering to have sports car precision.

The bottom line is that the Century is quite pleasant to drive when used as its designers intended. The 3.1-liter V6 engine and 4-speed automatic transmission that come in all Century models deliver enough power to meet demands and they are smooth and quiet and deliver good fuel economy. The brakes also do a good job, though we felt the ABS coming into play a bit earlier than expected during hard stops.

It may seem that our praise for the Century is somewhat muted - as are our minor criticisms. There's a good reason: There is little, if anything, about the entry-level Buick calculated to generate excitement.

But if the Century does not thrill, it does satisfy. The only real surprise is the price. At a whisker over 20 grand when well-equipped, the Century represents a fine value for buyers shopping for comfort and well-executed understatement.

In its particular corner of the midsize market, the Century has all the attributes of a winner. It offers a smooth, quiet ride, competent handling and good performance. It's easy to climb in and out and the interior is attractive and user friendly. And that is what Buick buyers want.