Just got back from vacation hauling the family (wife and 2 little ones) from Phila. to Fla. and back...2500 miles. All I can say is we brought the right car! The driver's seat was fantastic...no numb butt like I get in our Explorer. Plenty of power even with a loaded trunk. I actually think the extra weight in the trunk helped smooth out the ride a bit. Drove mostly 75 mph to 80 mph most of the way and managed about 27-28 mpg. Only gripe - the cup holder. A 12oz coffee cup gets lost in the damn thing and pops the lid off when it finally hits bottom. You need to buy the big @ss cup just so you won't lose it in the holder.

One unfortunate thing. Went from 1 to 10 dings in about 15 seconds on I-95 north of Baltimore. There was so much gravel on the road due to construction the stones bounced like hail off of the hood as we got pinned in behind some trucks in rush hour traffic. ARGH! My wife and I just cringed as our beautifully Zaino'd Maj. Blue hood got hammered! Time for touch up paint. Now I know why people buy car bras. It would be worth it just for long trips on the highway.

So anyone else out there w/ some thoughts they would like to share after a long road trip? BTW, we now have 6500 mi. on our car, running great, no clutch screech, no rattles. Did not see the hood flutter we experienced previously on the highway during high winds.