Faults:

Hmmm, let's see. So far, just this winter, the 4x4 mode did not work; not sure if it was bought like that. As I am a college student, my father bought it for me.

One snowing night, I shifted to 4x4, I think it was fine. Days after, my dad says not to shift it because it does not work, and has not been working (maybe I had the last run :/..)

Bad if the 4x4 does not work; the vehicle is light and high; bad handling.. The worst situation happened when driving on the highway; it was not snowing bad, and my father, sister and baby were in the car! The car literally did 360's all over the highway, even crossing lanes into opposite direction. Luckily no traffic was coming.

Muffler sounding.

Rims get dirty so quick; from the brakes I'm guessing.

General Comments:

Seats are alright; not the best to sleep in.

Windows, mostly in the back, sound like they are still open when fully closed at high speeds.

Cup holder is in a bad spot... right in front of the A/C. The drink will either melt or get a little cold, not to mention it's blocking your A/C.

People get surprised when told it's a 4 cylinder. Getting on highway can be a headache, as it's slow getting up to speed, especially on a hill... Best it has done on the highway hill is 65-70 top, with the pedal to the metal, almost killing itself to go faster with traffic going around me, although the fastest I've gone is about 105 in it.

Handling is bad especially when turning; can hear the tires rubbing for nothing.

Brakes are good, never had problems with them.

Gas... not sure, I seem to waste it like nothing, in even one day. My dad says it is good on gas, but only when he drives it...

Hate the exposure of the trunk, everything you have on your trunk can be seen like if it were in your front seats, assuming they aren't tinted.

I don't like the fact that I have to slam the trunk lid for it to close.

Other than all this, it has satisfied me as a vehicle to get me where I want to go, so it's not bad.

Speakers are great; I think they are loud. I would not have expected this from this little SUV.

Have not had any engine problems ever, or transmission shifting, other than the 4x4.

Faults:

Surprisingly enough, not much... or anything.

General Comments:

Got this car back in 2000, from the SD mile of cars. First off I found out AFTER I bought it that you have to pay upwards of $2000 if you buy it there. This is for "bragging rights" for buying it there. Avoid the mile at all costs.

I have read MANY reviews of this car from many places, and I have come to the conclusion that I own the ONLY one that works. Some talk about the rear axle falling off, or that the windows stop working. I've had the car for about 10 years now, and the only things that have gone wrong with it I have done to it myself.

I am the type of person that buys things to be used, not looked at, so I decided early on to use my car to the fullest and see what happens.

I started by not changing the oil... ever. I got the car with about 50 miles on it. I changed the oil the first time at 65,000 miles. This was about 6 years of driving 1.5 hours to and from work. When I did get an oil change, the guy there said that the oil looked like it had been changed 4000 miles ago and was quite impressed. It's been another 23,000 miles and no oil change yet. My average MPG is around 25 (all freeway).

The brakes had been changed 1/2 of one time. The guy at the brake shop said that the front ones were gone and needed to be replaced, but the back ones were fine because the line to them had somehow been cut so they weren't working at all (I didn't work in the best neighborhood at the time). The tires have been replaced once. One window needed to be repaired, and other various fluids needed to be changed.

The biggest gripes with the car is that the clock gets covered when you use the cup-holder, and that the huge windows make the car feel like a fishbowl. Again this is some weird freak thing where the car I have is the same name and type as everyone else's, but works to perfection.

BOTTOM LINE: (From my opinion of my car) This car is small, reliable, easy to drive, fun, and can be used for anything. The seats fold up to give you as much room as a small truck. The 4X4 mode is a blast to use (even though you can actually see the gas level in your car dropping). The list can go on for me. I've read a ton of reviews saying how many things for this car have gone WRONG. I wanted to just tell whoever reads this next that the one I got worked to perfection, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Well maybe a Mazda 6...