General Comments:
I bought this vehicle for its good cabin layout, good view from the driver seat and the smooth action of the throttle, brake, steering, and transmission (auto).
The steering is light - good in parking lots and city, but not giving enough confidence for high speed maneuvers. It is more suited for cruising use.
Its seats are big and firm. However it is flat and not very well contoured to the body. The seat cushion can tilt, which is good, but I would appreciate it if it can come a little lower (i.e. be 8-way adjustable instead of 6-way).
The power from the 2.5L gasoline engine is adequate to me. It has lots of torque at the low-end. Despite a tall final drive which gives a leisurely 2200rpm at 100kph, it does not always require a kick-down to pick up speed or go uphill.
The gas consumption with a mix of city and highway driving is 11L/100km with 2WD, and 12L/100km with Auto-4WD.
The ride is on the firm side meaning harsh on less than perfect pavement, but quite stable on the highway.
I still find it unnatural to look to the center for the gauger, but it's not a big problem.
My only major complaint on this particular vehicle is there are lots of rattles in the cabin. I brought it back to the dealer and they fixed one (from the heater box, they said) for me, and now there are others that are come-and-go. I hope I can show it to them when I brought it in for service next time.
Otherwise this is a very good vehicle to me - easy to handle, smooth running, and economical.
2nd Mar 2014, 09:01
Update - Mar. 2nd, 2014: (I believe this is my original post...) Still doing well. No major problems that I can remember, except for some panel under the engine compartment, which came loose, but fixed with a few tie wraps.