Well I said in my post where I put up some pics that I would be getting the car, yesterday, and I did.

So here is a quick rundown on what I think so far, this is a 2007 R/T AWD

The car is really smooth. From what I have read, the SE and SXT have a slightly better ride over bumpy roads due to the R/T having a stiffer sport suspension, but the R/T is a lot better around corners, and I have to tell you this thing can take corners like it was glued to the road.

There is minimal wind noise, this thing sounds like I am in a sound booth compared to the Explorer, I am very impressed given the cost of the vehicle.

The CVT is all kinds of fun. I dont know why people knock this thing. You push the gas to the floor and it gets up to about 6000 RPM and the speed climbs. It is a bit slow off the start, that is for sure, but it seems to be getting better as I break the car in. The Auto-stick is better than I would have imagined. The car shifts better than any manual, and faster too, since there is no clutch time or anything like that, just very solid quick shifts. Also, if you start off in first, and dont even touch the shifter, it will auto-shift to each gear up to six when the car hits a certain RPM. So its like have a six speed auto that shifts at peek RPM for Torque and HP. This makes the performance great.

I got the sunroof and Sirius and all those toys, and they all work great. The Sunroof is very well made and sealed, no air leakage or any other issues.

The interior is very very good quality, this is one of the top vehicle I have seen as far as components that move and feel sure, they wont break off when you use them and the ***** are all very smooth and solid, not loose. My only complaint here is that they used super hard plastic for a lot of stuff, like the arm rest on your left and ride side are just solid plastic, which for me is quite uncomfortable over time.

Now for gas mileage. With 30 miles on the engine I drove from Marion, IN to Kokomo, IN. Average 55-60 MPH, and was getting 26.7 MPG. Then when I got to drive it in to Kokomo, where there are a million stoplights and all are poorly timed, I still got 23.6 and that is while being a bit harder on the accel playing with the auto stick.

My major complaint is this:
I got the base radio because I wanted an Aux in. From what I had seen, you could get Sirius and I thought it displayed Song and Artist info on the radio, it turns out it doesnt. So all I see is the channel number I am on. The only reclaiming feature is that I got the Driver convenience group which means it lets me see the channel name in the driver info panel in the dash. But I still cant find any way to display artist or song name.

I am pretty bummed about this, if I had known this is how the radio was I would have taken the upgraded radio and then just got the iPod integration kit later and not cared about the Aux input.

That is partially my fault, partially Chryslers. They took forever getting out brochures, every dealer I contacted from Michigan to Indiana said they did not have brochures, even after they had gotten their first Caliber's, which is unbelievable. By the time I got info on the radios and that they had already built my car.

So yeah, that is my major complaint, having Sirius isnt nearly as fun without having the artist and song info, and I am going to miss my rewind/fast forward functions from my Starmate Replay, as well as being able to be reminded of songs and artists that are playing on other channels.

I have not had a chance to use much else, the headlights are VERY good. This is something I am very very picky about, but I am extremely satisfied with these. If you put the fog lights on and the headlights, it lights up better then most cars I have driven with the brights on. My dad has a Dodge Stratus, 05 I believe, and he said these lights were a huge improvement.

Well thats all for now. I like the car, it gets great mileage, has great acceleration, and is a blast to drive.

Oh yeah, I tried out the cooler feature for drinks, works like a charm!

 

Nice to hear! Glad you like it man.

 

Did you get the music gate sound system? If so, how does it sound? If not, then how does the stock speakers sound? Lots of bass? How far can you turn it up before there's distortion?

 

I did not get the music gate, I was not clear on what it was when I ordered the car, and was kicking myself after.

But the stock speakers are pretty good. I was upset at first because Sirius stuff did not have much Bass, even when turned up, but I hooked up my iPod and it provided some great sound and Bass, with almost no distortion up to near uncomfortable listening levels.

If you can afford the Music Gate I would say to get it, but I dont think you are going to be super upset if you dont have it. The addition of the subwoofer is the only thing really missing since the speakers seem pretty good to me.

 

I definitely plan on getting the music gate sound system with Sirius Satellite Radio. Those are 2 must haves for me along with the colored seat inserts.

 

I am giddy with excitement. I placed my order for the AWD R/T yesterday and have been given at ETA of 6-8 weeks. Hoping that this was a 'safe" estimation by the dealership up here in Edmonton Canada. They had a black R/T but it did not have the chrome rims and the power sunroof I want. In any case, I want an infernao read similar to my current 2004 SX 2.0 (Neon) which I will be trading in.

looking forward to the ads starting tomorrow!

 

Glad you like it Vulnox! Sounds liek a great vehicle! I wish I could get one!

 

:::big sigh::: AGAIN no pictures. Also what do the interior lights glow at night? Anybody?

 

I have pics in the other thread I posted, but if those arent enough, here are a few I took last night

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vulnox/...7594088430942/

I have not put them in my gallery on the site yet because the pics are not that good (quality) because it was getting dark.

The interior has a bunch of different light colors.

The dash for example is electroluminescent. I have never seen a dash like this, it is amazing. Its like a slight white/green glow that lights up all the guages completely and makes it very very easy on the eyes but you can read them better then any other method I have seen. I would try to get pics, but I doubt it would show the true "beauty".

The cup holders in mine glow kind of green, think of like a glowstick. The rest of the stuff seems like typical green interior lights, but there are a lot of things that glow red or blue because they are the temp *****, or the hazard lights button.

The interior lights are very bright, and the removable flashlight is really really good. I thought it would be some weak little thing, but I think it could go head to head with my maglight. Only in close up lighting conditions, like I would not use it to light up far away stuff, but it does an amazing job for finding things within ten feet of you. Which is usually what you need it for anyway.

Hope that helps some.

 

They glow ice blue, same as the illuminated cup holders. Will post a pic of the cup holdrs in a sec...

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