New Transit Owner in TX

I've been on the forum for a couple months gleaning information and asking questions in preparation for our wagon order with Matt Ford, but haven't posted an introduction thread. Picked it up the van yesterday and brought it home to Houston. I'm very happy with it after ~800 miles. We are a family of 6 with two large labradors that travel with us. We see both sets of grandparents & cousins, etc. regularly in addition to having several friends with kids we spend time with, so we went with the 12 passenger for the seats and additional cargo space in the rear. I can fit the wagon and two seater stroller in the back with room to spare, or I can setup the dog's crate for travel.

Timeline:

• Ordered 8/15/16
• Received VIN 8/24/16
• Projected Build 10/10/16
• Window Sticker 10/16/16
• Build Date 10/17/16
• Delivered 10/24/16
• Picked up 10/27/16

2017 T350 XLT 148WB MR Options:

• X2C.....LWB 12 Passenger Wagon High Roof
• 302A....XLT Trim
• UX....Ingot Silver
• CB.....Charcoal Cloth
• 16E....Vinyl Floor Covering Front & Back
• 21R....Charcoal Cloth 10 Way Power Driver & Passenger Seat w/ heat
• 99G....3.5L EcoBoost X3L 3.31 LS Axle
• 446.....6 Spd Auto
• 92E....Privacy Glass
• 57N....Rear Window Defogger included with privacy
• 542.....Short Arm Power Heated Mirrors w/ Turn Signal
• 153.....Front License Plate Bracket
• 64S.....Easy Clean Aluminum Wheels
• 63C.....Heavy Duty Alternator
• 63E.....Dual Heavy Duty Batteries
• 67C.....Upfitter Switches
• 87E.....Auxillary Fuse Box included with upfitter switches
• 53K.....Modified Vehicle Wiring System Included with Upfitter switches
• 53B.....Heavy Duty Towing Package
• 59B.....Tow/Haul Mode included with Heavy duty tow package
• 67D.....Trailer Brake Controller
• 584......Sync 3 with Navigation
• 41C.....Lane Keeping Alert included in Navigation
• 43R.....Reverse Sensing System
• 90C.....Power Inverter
• 66P......SecuriLock PATS
• 86F......2 Additional Keys
• 62B.....MyKey

First Thoughts:

• Ecoboost engine has lots of pickup. It did great for highway/city driving on the way home. Gas mileage suffers when driving over 70. I averaged 15 mpg over 12 hours. Vast majority of driving was highway with cruise control. Need to do some reading on the forum to see if there are any pointers for improvement. This was with rear AC off and front AC on 1 or 2.
• The best add on purchase thus far is the Pikabu 180-Degree HD Clarity rear view mirror attachment. LOVE this thing. I can see all the kids in the back as well as it improving the view of the road behind me (with the headrests removed).
• Ford still isn't installing the in cabin air filter (Baldwin PA30000). Fortunately, I bought one ahead of time and brought it with me.
• It is amazing being able to almost stand up and walk through the vehicle. I'm 6'3" and with 4 kids in car seats, and this is a most welcome feature.
• I really like the short arm power mirrors. The dual mirrors feature was needed when getting use to driving the big van.
• Glad we went with the vinyl flooring due to kids/dogs, but being black it shows every spec of dirt or grass. It will motivate me to keep it clean. Might pick up a small handheld vac to keep in the van.
• I often use my knee to steer if eating while driving. The cruise control lever is right where my left knee hits the wheel, so I kept turning the cruise control off.
• I had the driver and passenger windows tinted and experienced the glare off the dash in the side mirror issue documented here. Need to find a dash protector to reduce glare.
• Charcoal seats look great. I like them much more than the gray. They do show dirt/specs instantly.
• Wish there were more than 3 car seat LATCH connections. This is kind of silly IMO.
• The power seat is very comfortable for long drives. Very happy we went with dual power seats

Plan to add:

• Ionic running boards on passenger & driver side
• Might add the WeatherTech mud flaps. Still undecided on this
• Dash cover of some sort to reduce the glare in the side mirrors
• Aftermarket remote start & alarm system. I really wanted one key FOB instead of two with the Ford remote start. Need to research options here.
• Need some seat organizers for the kid's stuff
• Need some trash cans of some sort
• Ford keyless entry keypad(s). I wanted to the option to place it where I wanted, so I didn't get one put on at the factory. I accidentally ordered two from Amazon, so I may put one on the driver's door and one at the back door. Trying to decide if I want to install it on the door or on the glass.

I look forward to spending more on the road and hope it brings many years of enjoyment and dependability. Thanks to the forum for all the insight.