I'm a newbie and I'm interested in an 08 FEH 4WD. I had a few questions for any owners out there, as well as any hybrid enthusiasts. I live in Colorado, which is why I'm considering an SUV hybrid.

1) The absence of AdvanceTrac Roll Stability Control on the 08 hybrid is a concern to me. My wife and I are wanting to start a family and safety is important to us (and our dog). With the FEH's smallish size compared to larger SUV's, how important is this feature? Of course the dealer we went to said it's not crucial (how convenient!) Are there plans to add stability control to the 2009 FEH? Also the 3-star driver frontal crash rating from NHTSA seems discouraging (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/cars/4296.html). Why did the rating drop from the 07? What does Ford think about this?

2) This is our second car (we need the 4WD) so the FEH could sit for months at a time during the summer. I read that the battery can lose its charge or its charge capacity if it's not run regularly. How frequently should it be run and is its charge capacity (battery life) decreased after a period of sitting? Also how do Ford's batteries compare to Toyota's and Honda's?

3) Has anyone driven the 08 FEH in the snow? Does it have enough power? Does it "stick" to the road? How much does cold weather affect performance? And I read some posts about the seat warmers being funky in the 08 (turn on super hot then feel like they've shut off). Any thoughts?

4) How good is the navigation system? How are the touchscreen's graphics and controls? From what I've seen they're not pretty. If I choose not to get it, I won't have the mpg display. I read that the scangauge is a good 3rd party mpg gauge. Any other recommendations or tips?

This forum has been a great asset to me. I've been to two dealers now and felt like I knew way more about the car than they did! That's not a good sign! Thanks for any feedback.