I thought it would bother me but now I am used to it and don't miss a shifter. It does make the console area less cluttered to not have a shifter sticking up in the middle.
Picked her up on Friday. Hang In there if you are still waiting. I have had thoughts of ordering a hybrid in August but my wife would try to kill me in sleep.
I don't think it is random. I ordered 1/6 with nearly the same truck(Eco, XLT Lux, AWD, FX4) and got scheduled for the same build date, 3/28. Dealer told me 3-4 months when I ordered.
On my current Outback I had to spend $3k on a transmission rebuild before 70k miles. Now it is starting to burn oil at 100k and I'm hoping the head gasket doesn't go before my Maverick arrives. It isn't a bad car, I've owned a VW so I have experienced worse, but I don't see myself buying...
Ordered from Ourisman in Manassas in on 1/6. XLT, Lux, AWD, FX4. They tried to add a few hundred dollars to the MSRP and Lux packages but when I caught it they took it off. Processing fee is $900. No deposit.