1) I love the V8. Quiet and civilized most of the time, but throaty and aggressive when you punch it. I still haven't totally unleashed the beast, but I've hit 800 miles now, so I'm gonna let it rip pretty soon.
2) I'm loving the 4x4 in the rain. Maybe it's just me imagining things, but I sure feel a lot more sure-footed and confident driving in the rain now than before in my 4x2 Tahoe.
2a) I actually like the Dunlops so far. Maybe they will show their failings when they start to wear, though.
3) The Shadow Mica is pretty sweet, but definitely shows the dirt. Paid big bucks for a nice hand wash and wax the other day, and I already have lots of dirty water spots from all the rain this past weekend. I will probably get a silver car next time, but I just had to get the "black car" desire out of my system.
4) The back up mirrors in the rear cargo area are very useful and such a neat touch. I use them daily when backing out of my single-car garage at my apartment complex.
5) All-Weather Mats are a must. Maybe the best $70 I've spent in a long time.
6) The wheels are great. I love the design and the 17". I had only had 15" wheels up to this point.
7) The running boards seem pretty pointless to me. Maybe this is because I am 6'2", but it is very awkward to use the running boards. It is much easier to just step directly into the car. They are sometimes helpful when getting out if I need to jump to a curb or over a puddle, etc.
8) Loving my first sunroof. It's huuuuge.
9) The damping on the glove compartment and the little cubbyholes in the console is really cool.
10) I wish I could turn on a dome light with the dash dimmer switch. I am used to this from my American cars, but my girlfriend says she did not have that feature in either of her Hondas.
11) Foreign windshield wiper controls are also differen than domestic. Still figuring out how to use them the most efficiently.
12) Steering wheel controls for the stereo are awesome. I'm really going to have to have these from now on.
13) The iPod capability is OK, but what is really cool is being able to play MP3 data discs in the stereo. I burned a lot of data discs as backup once, and now they are coming in really handy.
14) I wish the seats would go back just a bit further. I'm really long-legged.
15) Range, MPG, and average speed are really neat to know. I never had access to data like this in the past.
16) I'm still a bit irked about the placement of the powerpoint and the fact there is only one. I'm going to have to hardwire my radar eventually.
17) Really glad I did the leather upgrade. It really gives the car a whole different feeling than it initially had with the cloth.
18) The size-adjustable cupholders are really useful. I love that they will hold a 32-oz Gatorade bottle.
19) Not sure how useful the bottle holders in the doors are, though.
20) I am still wishy-washy on the double decker. I use it, but I could probably be fine without it, too. I am taking my first roadtrip tomorrow, though, so maybe my opinion will change soon if it is very helpful.
21) Not sure I like the ASL feature on the stereo. It just seems to make the music sound really bass-y. I tend to leave it off. I wish there were some preset equalizer settings. My old car had different settings for "news" or "jazz" or "rock." I kinda liked that.
22) The rear window is sweet. I wish I could open AND close it with the key fob, though.
Overall, this car is EXTREMELY driveable, and I feel great about my purchase. The next step will be to take it down some light trails and get it dirty eventually.
I know a lot of this stuff gets discussed in various places on this board, but I just wanted to kinda sum up my impressions for anyone that might be on here considering a 4R.
2) I'm loving the 4x4 in the rain. Maybe it's just me imagining things, but I sure feel a lot more sure-footed and confident driving in the rain now than before in my 4x2 Tahoe.
2a) I actually like the Dunlops so far. Maybe they will show their failings when they start to wear, though.
3) The Shadow Mica is pretty sweet, but definitely shows the dirt. Paid big bucks for a nice hand wash and wax the other day, and I already have lots of dirty water spots from all the rain this past weekend. I will probably get a silver car next time, but I just had to get the "black car" desire out of my system.
4) The back up mirrors in the rear cargo area are very useful and such a neat touch. I use them daily when backing out of my single-car garage at my apartment complex.
5) All-Weather Mats are a must. Maybe the best $70 I've spent in a long time.
6) The wheels are great. I love the design and the 17". I had only had 15" wheels up to this point.
7) The running boards seem pretty pointless to me. Maybe this is because I am 6'2", but it is very awkward to use the running boards. It is much easier to just step directly into the car. They are sometimes helpful when getting out if I need to jump to a curb or over a puddle, etc.
8) Loving my first sunroof. It's huuuuge.
9) The damping on the glove compartment and the little cubbyholes in the console is really cool.
10) I wish I could turn on a dome light with the dash dimmer switch. I am used to this from my American cars, but my girlfriend says she did not have that feature in either of her Hondas.
11) Foreign windshield wiper controls are also differen than domestic. Still figuring out how to use them the most efficiently.
12) Steering wheel controls for the stereo are awesome. I'm really going to have to have these from now on.
13) The iPod capability is OK, but what is really cool is being able to play MP3 data discs in the stereo. I burned a lot of data discs as backup once, and now they are coming in really handy.
14) I wish the seats would go back just a bit further. I'm really long-legged.
15) Range, MPG, and average speed are really neat to know. I never had access to data like this in the past.
16) I'm still a bit irked about the placement of the powerpoint and the fact there is only one. I'm going to have to hardwire my radar eventually.
17) Really glad I did the leather upgrade. It really gives the car a whole different feeling than it initially had with the cloth.
18) The size-adjustable cupholders are really useful. I love that they will hold a 32-oz Gatorade bottle.
19) Not sure how useful the bottle holders in the doors are, though.
20) I am still wishy-washy on the double decker. I use it, but I could probably be fine without it, too. I am taking my first roadtrip tomorrow, though, so maybe my opinion will change soon if it is very helpful.
21) Not sure I like the ASL feature on the stereo. It just seems to make the music sound really bass-y. I tend to leave it off. I wish there were some preset equalizer settings. My old car had different settings for "news" or "jazz" or "rock." I kinda liked that.
22) The rear window is sweet. I wish I could open AND close it with the key fob, though.
Overall, this car is EXTREMELY driveable, and I feel great about my purchase. The next step will be to take it down some light trails and get it dirty eventually.
I know a lot of this stuff gets discussed in various places on this board, but I just wanted to kinda sum up my impressions for anyone that might be on here considering a 4R.
