I'm approaching 150K on my '05 Freestyle with Ford's now-discontinued CFT-30. I've had zero issues. I do a drain and fill every 30K, and the full-flow filter every 60K. Factory recommendation is 60K drain/fill and filter. I DIY, but I think the service is expensive from the dealer, mainly because changing the filter is a bit of a pain (I believe it's $300.00 or so at the dealer). I live in a hilly area as well and it's obviously held up well.
Personally, I like this WAY better than a stepped automatic. It mates well to the purpose of the vehicle, which is a giant wagon. If launching at stop lights is your thing, this isn't the car or transmission for you; but passing at 40-60mph, the torque converter locks down quickly and it behaves like a normal transmission. Then, once you're up to cruising speed RPM' drop back down to 1,600 or so @ 60mph. I'm a big fan of the low RPM at highway speeds, both for fuel economy and noise.
For those who see this as a passing fad?? I doubt it. Nissan, Subaru and now Honda have bought in, full-stop. I just don't see them going away anytime soon. I prefer manual transmissions but for an automatic the driving characteristics of this particular CVT are really good, IMO.