I haven't gotten to really "get to know" my new FEH yet. I have put
maybe 70-75 miles on her, but 85% of that was highway driving.
Unfortunately, the dealership I bought my FEH at is about 18 miles
from where I live (not exactly environmental of me, but they had my
baby and for a good price!) I had to drive over there today to pick up
my floor mats, which they'd neglected to put in the vehicle when we
drove her off the lot Monday night.

Anyway, my very preliminary observations are as follows:
* The FEH has all the pep and vigor I was hoping for. Come from 14
years in a peppy 4 cylinder sedan, I don't feel any loss of power or
responsiveness. I played with her on the highway and drove my normal
speed and behavior with no complaints.

* The very first time I ever heard her whirring, thunking and
squeaking I was a little worried, even though I'd read the forums here
enough to know the FEH has more work to do after we turn her off.
Now, I think it's endearing. She's ALIVE! She's alive and
Earth-friendlier than almost everyone else on the road, at least in
her class (SUV).

* No comments on MPG yet. I'm in those harrowing early days/weeks of
new car ownership where it feels like a target is painted on your rear
end, bumper and quarterpanels. I've already had to use my horn once
due to someone running a solid red signal light that was just put into
full service (vs. flashing red 24/7) this past weekend. So, needless
to say, I haven't been looking at the energy/MPG cartoon much while
driving in traffic.

* I'm pleased with my FEH interior in most respects (and those I'm
not, I was aware of pre-purhcase). My husband has an '01 F-150
Supercrew 4x4 with leather interior so I expected a similarly
well-appointed cabin, and so far I feel that's what I got. The cabin's
quieter than I expected, given all the hybrid components breathing
life to the vehicle; the leather looks (and smells!) gorgeous; I think
there's plenty of little storage cubby's, but that's coming from a
sedan owner -- I'm sure there's more room that could have been
utilized; the GPS system has pleasantly surprised me; I can't comment
on the sound system because I've hardly used it yet; driver's seat has
all the right adjustments, same with the tilt steering (I'm not as
short as some here, but short enough to need to tilt the wheel a hair
downwards for comfort.) LOTS of room in the vehicle -- ample back
seat, cargo area, etc.
--- What I'd change about the interior: It would have been nice if
there were a little padding in the driver's/front seat passenger's
armrest as I'm probably going to wear a divot in my arm/elbow. Also,
it'd be nice if the seat back pockets were completely leather vs.
leather with a cheap-feeling foam liner/backing (I noticed this in the
non-hybrid FE Limited we rented on vacation late last year, so it's
not limited to the hybrid.) The door handles inside the vehicle feel
a little flimsy for some reason, but I had the same reaction to the
(identical) handles in the FE Limited we'd rented and think it's just
a personal quirk. The plastic doesn't feel like it'll give out over
time, I just expect something a little more substantial since it's
going to be pulled millions of times over the life of the vehicle.

* Handling: As a first-time SUV owner, and someone who hates driving
her husband's F-150 Supercrew**, I'm quite happy with the FEH's
handling thus far. It's an adjustment, but pleasantly not as much as I
thought it might be. The FEH is sure-footed and solid, and I can see
how folks could have fun in an AWD model. She's got the heart of an
offroad vehicle, if nothing else!

I'm still very much adjusting to the feel of the brake pedal. I can't
really describe it, but it feels like the brakes take a slightly more
concerted effort to press in the FEH while the accelerator takes a
lighter touch than I anticipated. Neither is a glaring change, it's
just something I'm sensing as I pay attention to my driving, her
handling and the relationship between the two.
(** Regarding the F-150, it's just far too big for my tastes -- a
P.I.T.A. to park -- and requires way too many adjustments for me to
get seated comfortably in the driver's seat after my husband's driven.
I love the F-150 as a passenger, just not as driver.)

* Any regrets? Nothing, really. My FEH was in the showroom for awhile
and developed a couple little visual imperfections during that time --
a 1 in, hairline scratch on the bumper (can't even feel any
ridge/gouge in teh pain surface), a little swirl of scratches where
people sloppily pulled the cargo cover out and let it fly back, and a
few more scratches (limited to the size of a nickel) on the passenger
side dash, that I can probably get out with some careful cleaning.
These are so minor, but I mention them because after 14 years of
driving the same car (and knowing every little scratch, swirl and ding
because I took such good care of her paintjob that she still looks new
today), these are noticable to me. But they're not deal breakers and
I've looked her over good and hard and can't find anything worse than
that. Some joker did leave an F-150 brochure sitting on top of my
hybrid battery, but below the fabric/felt cover, though. I think my
salesman probably did it, after the long and animated conversation he
and my husband had about their '01 F-150's. Nice try, but my husband
contends he's driving his Supercrew "until the wheels fall off."
Hopefully, that's a good long while, yet! :-)

More soon. I still haven't taken any photos yet, and now she's a
little dirty (excessive tire dressing at the dealership = greasy
residue all over my rockerpanels; followed by a visit to my parents,
whose landscaping service was over and blew mulched leaves and grass
clippings all over my new baby! heheh)

- Shannon (Geek Gal)
http://www.geekhabitat.com/