First impressions after my first 100 miles ('14 Latitude V6)

I'm a "bad news first" kind of guy, because I like to leave on a good note. So here's a short write-up of my first impressions after a week or so of ownership. I'll either update this later on or make a new thread as I rack up the miles and add more experiences under my belt. I have not left the pavement with it yet.

I have a used (34k mi) 2014 Latitude V6, 4x4 Active Drive 1. I'm not exactly sure which "packages" it has, but probably few, if any. It seems a little stripped down, which is okay, and I keep this in mind for this review.

What I don't like:

• When in the AUTO drivetrain mode, it's a little bit sluggish when I step on the gas, until I hit 40mph. At 40, it kicks into the right gear or something, and it gets peppy.
  
• The order of the Selec-Terrain options. I leave it in AUTO typically, but I like to switch to SPORT at certain times when I know I'm about to punch it and want the extra kick. It's a minor thing, but I think SPORT should be next to AUTO. I shouldn't have to pass over SNOW to get to it on the fly.
  
• Storage space is lacking, although I knew what I was getting myself into when I bought it. I carry with me certain emergency gear at all times, and I'm having trouble fitting it all. I keep an emergency roadside kit I put together myself (jumper cables, basic tools, flares, road triangles, safety vest, Mechanix gloves, headlamp, etc.) as well as some very basic survival gear (including a heavy jacket, hiking boots, a beanie, small blanket, a gallon of water, and several smaller items). I stuck this all in the trunk in the little felt tray and underneath it where the *temporary* spare goes. I plan on upgrading to a full-size spare soon, so I will need to look into some other solution so I can still leave the rear area open for my 70lb. canine best friend, who accompanies me frequently on drives. Going to look into the different "Cargo Management Systems" and hopefully find one minimally intrusive to the pup's space.
  
• The tilt/telescopic steering wheel doesn't tilt down far enough. I've had to adjust my seat height to a position that is higher than what's comfortable for me, and still the steering wheel feels to high for me at it's lowest point. I've just had to kind of find a happy medium, but it's definitely not ideal.
• I'm not the biggest fan of the way the rear of the vehicle looks. Specifically the lower half of the liftgate. I don't know what it is, but something just looks off about it. Otherwise the vehicle is absolutely gorgeous.
  
• There are a lot of incandescent bulbs used in the interior. That just bugs me--it's a 2014, are some frickin' LEDs really too much to ask for?
  
• The infotainment system is great for the most part, but I have one major gripe. The music randomization algorithm is weak! My music is a very important thing to me when I drive. I had a great aftermarket touchscreen stereo in my last car. I make use of a 32gb flash drive with maybe 150 albums or so on it. Most often, I select my whole collection and listen to it on Random, so it will randomly choose any song from my entire collection. The problem is, every time I switch out of this mode (to manually choose a particular song, for instance) and switch back to it, it begins the entire sequence again exactly. The songs may appear to be randomly chosen, but the randomization itself isn't randomized, if that makes sense. The songs will begin playing in exactly the same "random" order they played in last time.
  
• **XXXX I don't have stereo volume controls on the steering wheel. I have a lot of OTHER controls, but not stereo volume. XXXX** (No strikethrough in this forum??) EDIT: Thanks to user @SkipW, this bullet point has been moved to the "Do Like" section below!
  
• I can't decide if the redundancies in the uConnect controls (being able to control with touchscreen or with the "hard buttons/dials" at the bottom of the console) is convenient, or pointless. I'm still fudging around and using both, and I'm still on the fence, so time will have to tell.
  
• I also don't know if I like the electronic parking brake button. It seems kinda "cool" to me, but I hold a little bit of underlying uneasiness that it's a little gimmicky. I prefer to have a manual, tangible lever or pedal that makes me feel more confident it isn't going to malfunction and fail.

What I DO like:

• As stated above, I think the vehicle is absolutely gorgeous. I am especially in love with the front end. The shape of the "nose" (from the bottom of the bumper to the top of the grille) is very stylish. I love the angle that dissects the grille horizontally. Half of the grille is angled with the front end, half is angled with the hood. The roof racks, in addition to adding great functionality, also add a LOT to the look. Even if I didn't plan on using them (which I certainly do) they would still be a must-have for me based on aesthetics alone. If looking from the front, I love the angles and curves on the side of the body. The slight fender flare is subtle but a VERY nice touch. I can't get over that darn liftgate though.
  
• I love the way it drives. Even in AUTO, once it hits 40mph it takes off like a rocket. And in SPORT it feels very loose and light and ready to take off. But in either case, it feels how I can only describe as "beefy". It feels like it hugs the road very securely and this feeling of confident bear-hugging of the pavement complements the powerful engine perfectly. As far as steering, they nailed the amount of resistance in the wheel. At all speeds, the wheel feels light but not too touchy--it feels nimble, yet always in-control.
  
• The fit & finish of the interior is great for the price point of the vehicle. I was a little worried about this before I got the chance to inspect the inside in-person. I worked for a Chrysler/Jeep dealership circa 2006, and I remember really not being impressed with the fit & finish of those vehicles. The interior felt cheap to me, and especially for cars that aren't exactly in the low-budget price point. They have really stepped it up over the last decade, and I'm not only satisfied but actually impressed.
  
• Other than the gripes I listed above, the uConnect system is fantastic. I have the smaller screen, but I feel like it pretty much does everything I would need it, or at least expect it, to do.
  
• The placement of all the interior controls seems very intuitive. This isn't so much a "positive" as it is simply not a negative. The reason I even bring it up is that in my wife's Chevy Equinox, the control placement is kinda poor. We've owned the thing for 3.5 years now, and we still fumble to find the door lock controls every time. So I guess.. Kudos to Jeep for not being so insecure they had to depart from the norm just for the sake of trying to stand out. The controls are, for the most part, right where one would expect them to be: in their near-universal locations across the majority of major car brands. Not to turn this into an Equinox review, but I also appreciate that Jeep included an "oh sh** handle" on the driver's side--another thing the Chevy stupidly lacks. I frequently rest my hand here while in traffic or at a stop light (I'm a lefty so my left hand is normally on the wheel), so while it's not really an extra, if the car lacked it, it's presence would be missed.
  
• Thanks to this forum, I've found out a little more about the stereo controls on the steering wheel, and now that I understand it better, I really love it. What I found out is that the two buttons at 3:00 and 9:00 on the backside of the steering wheel are actually ROCKER buttons, so each one has not one but THREE functions. The left button cycles through radio presets in radio mode. The left rocker controls the tuner in radio mode, and switches songs while in USB mode. The right button cycles through the media input sources, while the right rocker controls the volume up and down. My opinion now is that Jeep has really maximized functionality of the steering wheel controls per space occupied. The buttons placed on the backside add a lot of functionality without making the steering wheel instrumentation appear too cluttered (and confusing!) Thanks again SkipW!
  
• Good interior small-item storage. Abundant small cubbies/etc. I'm kind of a nut for having happy homes for all my various little knick-knacks that reside in my car on a daily basis, so I appreciate having a lot of separate compartments to keep them all organized, rather than one or two large bins where they all live jumbled together.

This is all I could think of off the top of my head. It may seem like there are more cons than pros, but I guess by nature it's the negatives you notice most. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." When things are neat and tidy they don't tend to stand out as much. Overall, I really DO like this car a lot, and the positives far outweigh the negatives. There are also a lot of things I didn't mention that are plainly adequate and not noteworthy enough one way or another.