 My fiancee wanted another Explorer, even though she had numerous mechanical problems with her previous Explorer.  She was talked into buying the Freestyle, partly because of the CVT. The car is noisy, sluggish and cramped. The capper?  The vaunted CVT failed after 50,000 miles.  The price tag? $7,000.  Ford disavows the possibility that it was a defect.  Have you driven a Ford lately? Good Luck brother!