My impressions after driving first 1000 miles…

  • It is a bloody gas-guzzler. After driving a compact sedan for 10 years, every time I fill up gas is a shock. High gas prices are adding to that. 17 to 19 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on one long mainly highway trip. That is quite pathetic considering what I was used to: 25 in city and 30 on highway. But, I knew what I was getting into when I bought an SUV. No use crying over it.
  • I love all the gadgetry, especially the navigation system. It is very cool and an essential tool for every driver. Every car should include this as standard equipment.
  • Bose sound system is quite good. In-dash 6 CD changer is very handy. I am also planning to get the dealer to install a iPod link to the sound system. The car came with 3 month subscription to XM satellite radio. I don't plan to extend that. Wasn't impressed by the music channels. Only ones I liked were Deep Tracks (Rock), Public Radio and BBC news. Considering the little amount of time I spend in the car, the monthly subscription is not worth it.
  • Built-in bluetooth hands-free phone system rocks.
  • The best part of all is that everything in the car works with voice commands: from controlling the A/C to sound system to navigation system. Just talk to the car and ask what you want done. It has some problem with my accent, but I am getting used to saying certain things a certain way for the car to understand. If it fails, I just ask Ashwini to say it, then the car understands. :)
  • It runs fairly smoothly. The V6 engine with 253 hp and 5 speed automatic transmission is very quiet and powerful enough for the car. There is some road noise at high speeds, but it is nothing compared to what I was used to with the Jetta.
  • I am not very pleased with the aesthetics of the car. The zebra wood accents are just horrendous. Don't know why people like these laminated wood pieces in the cars. To me, they are just unnecessarily expensive and look ugly, just like Paris Hilton. Even the leather interior doesn't look like the same quality as our other cars: VW Jetta and Volvo V70.
  • The body doesn't seem as solid as our other cars. The doors are very light comparatively. Hope they have enough strength to withstand a crash.

Overall, I am very impressed with all the electronic gadgetry, engine and the ride. The body and interior is alright, but not great. Hopefully, I’ll get used to it in a few months.