| COMFORT AND EQUIPMENT RATING: |
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Trim is austere in places, with even the V6's leather seeming a bit artificial - the 'tweed' in the 2.0 is almost tough enough to strike matches on. But the seats themselves are very good, large and supportive, and all that space means long distances should pass in relative comfort. Surprisingly good refinement will also help here, as the only real infringement on peace is perhaps-predictable wind noise at high speeds. Otherwise, the Maverick is impressively smooth-running - unless, of course, you rev the engines hard. The Maverick scores highly here. It's been designed to accommodate hefty Americans, so has masses of space in the front, middle and back, for passengers and all of their luggage. Indeed, so big are the seats, passengers often find themselves sliding along them through corners. It's one of Ford's famed 'big button' units, and is about as difficult to use as a light switch. Every control is foolproof, and even visible to those without owl-like vision. A clever in-dash 6-CD changer is available too (standard on the V6), whose sound is just as impressive as the standard stereo. Turn the good old-fashioned rotary volume knob up, and enjoy 'kicking beats' of impressive quality.
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