Faults:

Initial TSBs issued by Ford that the dealer resolved. There were around 10. Once these were done in the first month of ownership, no other issues.

General Comments:

Large, heavy, highway cruiser with AWD, that will surprise those driving cars costing 2X as much in the 0-60 sprint from a stoplight.

This car, while having a MSRP of $45k, has heavy dealer and customer incentives. Most do not pay anywhere near that price.

The car is very comfortable. With heated/cooled/massaging front seats and rear heated seats, it was a class leader in 2010. The rear shade keeps the car cool in the summer. The rear camera with collision detection and cross traffic alert is a great feature. I even had it once alert me to a child on his bike. Sync works fine and controls most features, though I rarely use the voice control.

The AWD and weight of the car translates to a sure footed drive on snowy roads. The AWD also helps to put down 365HP to the pavement when you need. Of note, a simple tune of the ECM will get you around 420HP for under $700. The exhaust on this car is a true dual exhaust.

The auto headlights, auto wipers, and auto cruise control leads you to just steer the car on the interstate. The car also features auto radio volume based on speed to keep you from having to constantly adjust the 10 speaker Sony radio system. 911 assist, standard with the car, is free as long as a phone is paired via Bluetooth. The HID, true Xenon, headlights are very bright and shine the way.

In regards to maintenance, I've only changed the oil and filters at spec. I've recently flushed the transmission fluid and change the PTU fluid (AWD) outside of Ford recommendations due to some forum suggestions. I've spent less than $1k on normal maintenance. I've had to put one set of tires on the car at a cost of $1,500.

This is the first new American make I've owned and I can say I'm impressed! I thought going to the dealer and knowing your service adviser by his first name was just a normal car owning experience (former Subaru and Nissan owner).

I'd buy another in a heartbeat, but, why, this car is just fine!

Faults:

Nothing... Still on the original brakes.

Need to replace the front summer tires this spring.

General Comments:

Excellent in all areas. My car has the performance package and accelerates to sixty in about 5 seconds. It stops on a dime.

The AWD system gives it great handling and inspires confidence. The car out performs most sport utility vehicles in snow.

I am getting 21-22 miles per gallon.

The seating position is very comfortable.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

Driving is what I expected. Smooth ride, smooth acceleration, nice options, good sound system... I like the car OK?

I do have issue with the new radar controlled cruise control. It will cancel operation if other radiation sources are sensed. It will "clear" itself after some time, then you can reengage cruise. It does not cancel cruise often, but when it does, it seems to take too long to figure that it is OK to reengage. I tested this by stopping and shutting the engine off, and restarting, thus rebooting the cruise control chip. In this way I can immediately use cruise again. If left to its own devices, this could take up to 4 minutes.

Also, it senses objects in your path and will actively brake the car. It treats objects on the right just fine, but is overly sensitive on the left. i.e. highway driving in the fast lane going past a slowing vehicle in a left turn lane; the brake will engage until the vehicle on the left is at least 3/4 of a lane away from your car.

In short, there should be a "reset" for the cruise control, and in cases where radiation is heavy, it should have the ability to shut off the technology and go back to normal, non radar control. It seems odd that this wasn't built in already.

I almost forgot, it can be unsettling going through a turn with the cruise on and the speed setting too much above the vehicle in front of you. The radar can lose sight of the vehicle in front as it goes into the turn, and will begin to accelerate to the set speed. Of course when it "sees" the car in front again, it will brake for you, but it gives one pause when the car revs up a little, then suddenly brakes right after.