I live in Michigan and can agree that the defroster and heat work exceptionally well in the winter. I have a block heater as well but have only used it twice when the temp and wind chill dipped below zero. I feel the traction control/ABS is quite good on these vans while driving on icy roads. It can be a little annoying trying to take off from an icy corner but it is easy to shut off from the wheel. I drove last winter on the factory Continental's and it did better than I expected but I will definitely buy winter tires this year though. I've only been able to replace with Motorcraft wiper blades as the aftermarket has yet to make a separate left and right that works with the TC. If you buy aftermarket the Right side wiper will lift off the windshield at speed because the little air dam is facing the wrong direction.
