[ASIMO]

"although we appreciate the rear seat's ability to recline and slide, we could use even more head- and legroom."

Give me a break. The rear seat area is huge. The big (6'2") TFL Offroad guy fits fine.

3:58 to 4:20 of this video.

 

[ASIMO]

Ultimately, you have to test drive any car you are considering. Knowing the alleged inconsistent behavior of the 9-speed transmission, I would be sure to test it out in various stop-and-go situations as well as acceleration/passing scenarios. Drive it in both Econ and Sport modes.