I've had my 2006 LX V6 AWD for 3 weeks now, here's what I've seen so far:
Overall, it's just a blast to drive. Good pickup, very nimble. I've had it on some pretty bad dirt and rock tracks for work, and in snow, and it's been just fine. I need some better tires for how I use it, but the factory siped radials should be great for most folks.
Pluses:
Fit and finish, interior design.
Great exterior styling.
Drivability is excellent.
I've seen people writing that the engine sound is excessive, but when it growls so nice, what's not to like?
Very comfortable to drive and ride in.
Folding seats are very well designed and handy.
I like all the tie downs in the back, although the ones on the back of the seats don't much like having lateral force put on them (i.e. attach a bungee cord side to side to them). I stopped doing that, looked like they might break.
Best cruise control performance I've ever seen, hands down.
Sport shifter is fun and easy to manage.
Pretty darn good stereo in the LX. sounds great.
The tray under the floor in the back in a great idea, very handy.
Some minuses:
Mileage. I knew this before I bought it, but still it hurts a bit seeing 16 mpg. Same as my F150. I get about 16 or 17 in mixed driving, and almost 21 on the highway.
Road noise a bit higher than it should be at high speed. Not terrible, but still. Crank that great stereo.
The ride is good most of the time, but the short wheelbase really shows if you have to rock crawl this thing off road. Rough. 'supposed to be stiff, I know, but this makes me have to slow waaaay down on roads I can fly over with my government Ford Expedition.
Minor annoyance, but who puts a speedo in a car these days with 10 mph increments? At least 5 mph would have been nice. I like a tick mark every mph. I doubt that state policeman is going to be forgiving if I blame it on the speedo, though.
Another minor annoyance, the cubby below the radio where the coffee cups holders are is very dark at night. Like a black hole. I installed a little after market power plug light cause i couldn't dock a coffee cup while driving at night. They should have put a little dash light down there or something.
third minor nit-picky thing - like fords, in defrost positions the AC comes on automatically. I'd rather the choice to decide wether I want the AC or not, especially since they have provided a button for it. So, AC is on in defrost mode, the AC light doesn't show it but it's on anyway, and there goes another mpg.
One word describes the wiper control arm: Byzantine. But, I got used to it pretty quick. Minor one.
The arm rest could use some improvement. More positions needed.
The transmission in the 4sp auto needs improved shifting performance, especially first to second gear, where it seems to stay with first too long. I've actually seen the engine at redline with the pedal floored in automatic. Not good. I know, don't floor it like that. Just testing, you see.
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