Still loving it!

We purchased our 2006 Ford Freestyle used in January 2007. I had done some research and new it was the car I wanted. My biggest desire was to not get a minivan, but we have three children and needed the 3 row seats. I thought the Freestyle would have enough room, but had more of the look of a station wagon than a van.
We have had no problems with the car, other than some noise in the rear brakes, which turned out to be a recall, and all four brakes were replaced at no cost. We purchased a 100,000 mile warranty with the car for extra security. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is little luxury or high technology with this car. I know to some that would be a negative, but it was just what we wanted. I enjoy the simplicity of it, I wanted a safe reliable car, not a showpiece. It gets great highway mileage, and has a large gas tank. We live in a hilly environment, and it does fine, but gets better mileage on long trips. I have never had AWD and it is impressive. I have never slipped on an icy road, it is the best bad weather car we have ever had. We have to use all three rows daily, so storage in the back is limited compared to a minivan. In our experiences we have never been uncomfortable or crowded in it, even on long trips. If I have any complaints it would be that with the separate seats in the middle, I am constantly on my kids about stepping on the seat to get to the back. I would prefer a bench seat for two in the middle, with access to the back on one side. I also had to purchase seat covers for the backs of the front seats, my youngest tends to put his feet on them. Another small negative is that you really have to close the doors with some force, and the hatchback. I have some trouble keeping the upholstery clean, but that is part of having 3 children. I plan to get seat covers for the middle and back seats. In the front the car is comfortable and practical. My husband is 6'2 and drives and rides comfortably. There are numerous drink holders in the center and on the doors. There are several storage compartments and a built in small mirror to monitor the backseat. It has been a year and we are still very happy with our Freestyle and plan to have it a long time.