Here we go...

Well, it's been almost four months since we picked up the van. These are my impressions. Starting at the back and moving forward. The tailgate handle is great. It's easy to grab onto and open. The rear seats fold into the floor with no difficulty, leaving a lot and I mean a lot of space. There are of course two metal brackets that stick out, but understand there is still mucho room in spite of that. We have the tri-zone heat and a/c, which is really nice. With this much space I shudder to think of trying to heat/cool without it. There are ceiling vents for the third and second rows, along with a second set of controls above the second row for the heat and a/c. Very well done. We found the a/c to be extremely effective. We had a stretch of summer dangerously close to the 100 degree mark, and the a/c easily kept up with it. I've had cars with less than half the space that had trouble keeping the temp below 78. There are 9 cupholders total, counting the ones in the front doors, but three are along the third row, and two are to the left and right of the second row seats, not too handy for sure. The second row seats have a lever to tilt/slide them forward to ease access to the third row. However, guess what? Put a car seat in the second row, and that function is useless. You could lean way over and pull the lever to slide the second row forward, but that's a pain and a stretch.We haven't used the third row, but thats how it is. I guess I should sit in the second and third row sometime for a drive to judge their comfort level, but so far I haven't. That second row slides forward to within 4 or 5 inches of the front seats, which adds even more cargo space. Again, nice. I have not attempted to take the second row seats out, partially because there has not been a time when I have needed two, and partially because I haven't completely figured it out. Our salesman was a bit unsure himself. Yeah I know, but he was a nice guy and gave us a good deal. Also above the second row, just ahead is the DVD player. Not that it is a super special one, but just having it is great. The controls for it are on the same panel as the rear heat/ac controls on the ceiling, as well as a remote control. Pretty straightforward.

Now what everyone has been waiting for: the front seat and control detail. I'm 6 ft. with long legs, and most of the cars I have driven are short of rearward seat travel for me. I would like a few more inches here as well. The seat has, let's call it an aggressive lumbar setting, with no adjustment. I have not felt uncomfortable in it so far though. Both front seats have swing down arm rest in the center which is entirely too small. I feel like I have to keep my arm centered or it will slide off. The sun visors slide out further on their arms so when you swing them to the side and happen to have your seat more than 2 inches from the steering wheel, they will actually block the sun. What a concept. There is a convex "conversation mirror" as they call it, that swings down from the ceiling. A great thought, but unfortunately, because it is so high up it makes you take your eyes off the road too much to look into it. We have one for our daughter that clips on your rear view mirror, so you can check the rear seat without much distraction. There also is a compartment on top of the dashboard a la' Subaru, which measures about 12"x12". Strangely, except for a 3x3" square in the middle, the depth of this compartment is about 1". So if you put papers in it, (which is about the limit of what will go in there) you invariably have to lift them up to reach coins or whatever else small items you put in the recessed middle square. Curious. Between the seats however, is a narrow, but deep covered compartment as well as several bins in the console and doors.
The van has the optional 17" tires, which don't transform it into a sports car, and the van leans a bit on its suspension, but works good enough. The engine, the base 3.9 liter, goes pretty good, and it makes a bit of noise when you step on it, but is quiet while cruising. The instruments are great. Very clear and readable. The audio system is just the base one, but is useable. They put a digital clock on the lower right hand side of the display, which is not very useful, so I put another larger one above it.

Problems so far have been few and nothing very big. There is a low tire pressure monitor. The first day I got the van, the warning light was on. I told the salesman, and he had one of this tech guys top the tires off and it went out. The next day it was back on. The tires were at the proper inflation, so I said we would just watch it. Well a week went by, and it was still on, so I checked the tires again, and wouldn't you know it, all four tires were low! I topped them all off again, the light went out and has stayed out ever since. No further trouble. I would say, however, that as good as an idea the monitor is, it doesn't tell you what tire or tires are low, so you have to check all four every time. Oh well.
Cheap plastic is the dominate theme throughout the van and It doesn't seem like Ford tried very hard to make it look anything more than what it is. Most, if not all, the doors and covers on anything you can name are flimsy plastic. I really wonder who Ford is testing these vehicles on. It seems the bean counters have the absolute final say on just about everything. Another example is the front controls for the rear ac and heat. There are these tiny indicator lights which are just that, tiny. Why in the world would they not recognize this to be a problem?
An item of note, our van has the rear obstacle detection system which is great and works as advertised, but I found out that the front, believe it or not, is the end that needs it. The way the nose slopes out of view makes it hard to judge just how close you are to that car parked in front of you. Guess how I know this ;-)
All in all I would give it a B-. In part because Ford was offering a $5000 rebate. For us, that was a very compelling argument. Nothing about the van so far is unacceptable. One more thing, car makers all say they give good value. But the definition of value as it relates to cars is a good car for a good price. Not a lousy car for a good price or a good car for a lousy price. Is this van a good value? I would say yes, but what is considered good and what is considered lousy are open to interpretation.