Hey All...Another NewB here.

Greetings and salutations all. You can read my thread in the pricing forum for more details on how we ended up with the car, but here's the net:

Year: 2008
Milage: 8900
Options: Pk #6, carpet mats, cargo net. NOT touring.
Price: $25,500 (before tax)
Colors: Black with beige interior.

We've averaged about 47.5 MPG over 250 miles since we picked it on Saturday, and overall, we like the car a lot. This was picked up to replace my wife's 2000 Volvo V70XC, and while we'll really miss the AWD, I think it'll work out well. I'll continue to get 45+ in my Jetta TDI, and our overall fleet average will be quite impressive now.

My initial impressions:
- Really really dig the smartkey!
- Nifty gadgets. Love the milage graph, nav, bluetooth, etc.
- Very roomy for it's exterior size. Seemingly a lot of cargo space.
- Can't argue with the milage, now can you?

My initial peeves:
- 11 gallons? AND ambiguity? Come on. I consistently get 700+ to a tank on my 16 gal Jetta...
- Visibility out of the back will take getting used to.
- REALLY could use seat height adjustment and a telescoping wheel.
- Heated seats and a sunroof would be nice.

All in all, we really like the car. The positives outweigh the negatives, and I think it's great that Toyota has an optioned up version which has most of the nifty stuff that the higher-end car lines come with. The short list for mods includes tint (20% back half), a skid plate (you should see the underside of the one on the Jetta), snows on the 15s for winter and a set of 16s for next summer. Perhaps dealer installed XM, but that's really up to the wife, as it's her daily driver.

Will obviously keep in touch here, and read up as much as I can. Once we get the car detailed and the rain stops, I'll snap some pics and post them.

~ Jason