2006 AWD LINITED, 47000 miles 4 times in the four and a half years I owned this car it started very hard, turned over slow and stumbled to a start, garage kept, no engine light, no code, dealer checked battery and starter, all good. turns over like it is in gear, it is a cvt, or the starter is dragging, or the cylinders are full of fluid, once started runs fine

A slow cranking condition can be caused by resistance in the ground or return portion of the cranking circuit. Check the voltage drop in the ground circuit as follows:

1. Connect the multimeter positive lead to the starter motor housing (the connection must be clean and free of rust or grease). Connect the negative lead to the negative (-) battery terminal.

1. Engage the remote starter switch and crank the engine. Read and record the voltage reading. The reading should be 0.2 volt or less.

1. If the voltage drop is more than 0.2 volt, clean the negative cable connections at the battery, the body ground connections and the starter ground connection. Retest.

1. If the voltage drop is greater than 0.2 volt, install a new cable. If the voltage reading is less than 0.2 volt and the engine still cranks slowly, install a new starter motor.

The battery could be an issue
The starter could be also
I know you believe the car to be
in good shape and are happy with
the dealer,but you are having issues,
that is fact and reallity.
Also you have no idea what the dealer or
anyone else did or how.

I would do some testing of the battery,
and if it is original since 2006 it is tired
I would test the starter in several ways
Voltage drop test,current draw and maybe other
tests
I would look at data during cranking to
see if I was doing more than turning over
the engine. e.g. where is my current going
or how much voltage drop do I have and where.

Unfortunately I'am going to basic things but beyond
what dealers young guys do.
A good local shop with a veteran tech with a head
and experience in your problem would be the way
to go