There is 68 cubic feet with the third row folded away, 102 cubic feet with the second row down. The distance between the wheel housings is 48 inches, good for loading wide cargo. And from the outside, the liftgate opens very easily. The cargo floor is relatively low thanks to the rear suspension design.
The second and third rows are notably easy to access, as the rear doors open an exceptionally wide 84 degrees. The second-row seat easily flips forward with the touch of one hand, and the seatback flops flat just as easily. This is no small virtue.
The second-row seats recline and have their own climate control, so back-seat passengers can snooze in comfort. Details are thought out, including convenient grab handles cleverly molded into the stubby rear leg of the second-row seat, which ease climbing back to the third row. Once back there, there is a small bubble in the ceiling to give an extra bit of headroom.
The front seats are comfortable, neither too soft nor too firm, and the four-spoke steering wheel is nice. The SLT has orange-hued wood trim, while the Limited presents a cleaner look with its brushed aluminum. (That's real wood and real aluminum, not plastic.)
Instrumentation is clean, handsome, easy to read and easy to operate. It looks classy. We especially like the simple black-on-white gauges and rectangular black Venetian-blind style heating and cooling vents. The center console is deep, under a removable tray. Forward of that is another important compartment designed to serve as a fast-food bin. Two integrated cup holders with removable neoprene for different sizes of drink containers are provided.
We found the SLT's manual heating controls and the wiper controls a bit fussy, and the high beams seemed a little lacking one wintry night. Better are the Limited model's high-tech climate-control panel with automatic temperature adjustment. And we welcome the availability of seat heaters on 2005 models.
Another Limited option is the hands-free, voice-command cellphone system compatible with Bluetooth phones, utilizing a microphone in the rearview mirror and the sound system's speakers.
