Beautiful, Driveable, Comfortable, Luxurious, Dependable!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Everything. Very thoughtfully designed machine. Top notch materials, solid feel to all controls.

Cons: Needs rear park assist sensors, motorized folding exterior mirrors and rear heated seats.

The Bottom Line: 
Best SUV on the road. Quiet, comfortable, responsive, great mileage, solid in manufacture and craftmanship.

Author's Review
This is one of the most pleasing "cars" to drive and handle you could ask for. Enough smaller than a suburban to make it easy to park and drive, but still large enough to handle 6 to 7 people for a few day trip. If you need to haul 6 or 7 people and a bunch of gear, you need a trailer or a suburban. There is a fair amount of luggage space, but not enough for a long road trip for 7 unless you pull a trailer. We have the ultimate package..sunroof, leather, heated seats, Bose sound system, Rear air suspension system, chrome 17 inch wheels, etc. Love everything about this SUV.

I enjoy the electronic 4WD control with the lowspeed transfer case option. The AWD option has been great for snow on the highway, while the 4WD option provides full traction for rough going. I use the low speed when backing up trailers, just idle and steer. Nice and easy!

Gas mileage is as good as it gets in such a large and comfortable vehicle thanks to the 6 cylinder inline engine we chose over the V8. We get 22mpg on the highway at 70mph and 18.5 average around town. This inline 6 cylinder engine is unbelievably smooth, quiet, efficient and powerful enough to haul our 3500 pound trailer with ease. Justifying the V8 option would be difficult unless your trailer was over 3500 pounds. Personally, for that, get a suburban.

We have owned it 15 months now and enjoy it as much each time we drive it as when we first picked it up. The automatic dual air conditioning system is the most comfortable of any car we own..better than our Audi Allroad! We set it 72 degrees and forget it..summer and winter. It is very intelligent! The heated seats are first rate with ability to select the "back only" option that we use even in the summer for back "therapy" when it is 100 degrees out!

The cornering lights are bright and very nice to have for making turns at night. The automatic headlight system is also very smart..turns on when dark rainclouds threaten and at night and then off when enough light is present to not need headlamps and taillights. Wow! And, the rain sensing wipers are the ultimate. I won't buy another car without them. No more fussing with interval wiper setting, just drive and watch as these amazing wipers come on at just the right moment to clear the windshield, all automatically.

Every seat is comfortable. We can drive 4 or more hours at a stretch in complete comfort. The middle row outside seats recline enough to provide nice napping conditions. The rear seat is comfortable for 6 footers.

Get the Bose sound system. It makes CD listening or even AM radio listening a delight. Great, realistic bass response and clean, clear midranges and highs. Just love it and continue to be amazed at the great sound!

All the controls, including the radio, are large enough to see easily and handle with your fingers, even with gloves on, without difficulty. They are all illuminated at night. The rear wiper control could be in a more convenient location, but hey, the rest of this car is so wonderful I can live with that little problem.

We love the air ride in the rear. It keeps the car level at all times independent of passenger or trailer hitch load.

We have 30,000 miles on it already and the tires are wearing beautifully with rotation every 5000 miles. They have at least another 15000 to 20000 miles on them. Oil changes could probably be every 10000 miles according to the oil change sensor in the computer. I change it every 5000, but he computer shows 60 to 70 percent oil life remaining when I do that. Sparkplugs, engine coolant and transmission are 100000 mile service items. Fuel filter is 30000 and about 60 bucks. The serpentine belt is probably ok for near a 100000. Brakes still look new!

Workmanship is top rate and we have had only 2 minor problems: a malfunctioning exterior temperature sensor and a loose handle on the transmission shifter. Both were quickly and easily handled (half hour each)while we waited at the dealers.

The memory driver seat and mirrors is ok, but the europreans have a more user friendly system. It can be a little tricky to set the computer options around what you want the mirrors to do when you put it in reverse, select door lock and unlock options, radio options, and several other of a half dozen options you can select, but just have fun with it. The trip computer is fabulous and the instant and average gas mileage readouts are really helpful in learning what driving habits provide the best mileage.

I have also found the memo recorder much more useful than I anticipated. It is neat when you learn to use it. Of course, Onstar is wonderful. I don't subscribe to the cell phone piece and the basic emergency service is a couple hundred bucks a year, but, if you pay $45000 for the car, what is a couple hundred bucks a year for the peace of mind Onstar provides. The cell phone piece is always availabe in an emergency if you have a credit card on you!

The only drawback has been some intermittent wind noise from the roof rack under certain weather conditions (crosswinds). Probably without the sunroof you wouldn't notice it. Otherwise wonderfully quiet and comfortable.

The only addition I would make to this wonderful machine would be power folding exterior mirrors and backup sensors for parking assist. I added rear park assist, as this is a long and tall vehicle, with a european system similar to my Audi's (looks factory installed and looks 100% better than Ford's factory boxy sensors) for $225.

We are trading in the Audi next spring and will probably get the short version of the Envoy for our second car. We just totally enjoy this vehicle!