Ford Flex First Drive

[Flandry]

The folks at Autoblog got to drive around a pre-production 2009 Ford Flex. Their conclusion?

It seems Ford's objective was to deliver a stylish alternative to the boring minivan, and one-up the cookie-cutter competition. In doing so, it has also created an excuse to drop the gas-thirsty full-size SUV in exchange for an innovative, impressively fuel efficient, 7-passenger crossover. Whatever the case, with the precision of a GPS-guided projectile, Ford appears to have hit its target.

Link to article with pics

 

[Silver X]

It seems like a nice vehicle. Too bad they didn't choose a better name.

 

[Essex4x4]

They had one at my local dealer this weekend and i drove it. Drives exactly like the ford edge. Its really quiet and the wife liked it, possibly a future purchase????
HEY for those of you whome may read this and think the Ex is going your wrong. She drives a 2006 AWD Pilot and she wants a station wagon, the pilot is too big for her. SO, i figured we would start looking. I will give you updates later on the status of her car. Its no wheeling vehical but i am excited that she likes it, REASON: ITS A FORD:biggthump
My only biggie is that if she is getting a new car i would like something that gets better mileage. it only gets 16-22mpg for the AWD.

 

[Bwana Bob]

Well, I think that the closest Ford has to a station wagon is the Taurus X. It looks like a lowered Explorer, but handles like a car. The seats (including front passenger seat) all fold flat, for awesome cargo capacity. I think it might get better fuel economy than the Flex.

Bob

 

[BWilliams]

I'm not crazy about the styling of the Flex. Looks like some kind of wierd crossbreeding between a Scion and a late-model Ford.

If I had to pick a Ford crossover to drive, it would be the Edge.

 

[zonianbrat]

I'm not crazy about the styling of the Flex. Looks like some kind of wierd crossbreeding between a Scion and a late-model Ford.

If I had to pick a Ford crossover to drive, it would be the Edge.

X2.

But I need to see one up close to make a positive determination

 

[Essex4x4]

If you guys get a chance to drive one i would say go for it. It sort of drives like the ford taurusX but it feels bigger, and its way faster. The feel inside is basically like any ford, and the fact that the one we drove didn't have a 2nd row bench makes it undesirable.:thumbdwn: Instead of a 2nd row bench they have captains' chairs as the second row, and a third row is standard.:thumbdwn: The fuel economy is about the same as our Explorers so its not fantastic.:thumbdwn: I think that i would have the wife in something like a Subaru Outback station wagon, or possibly the new Accord. The Flex is reasonable in terms of price, its just not economically feasible to buy a station wagon that gets such bad mileage.:thumbdwn:

 

[uh60james]

How was the fit and finish on it? I see you have a 2006 like me and I think out fit and finish is pretty good for the price range. They are supposed to be using lasers to make sure the fit and finish on the Flex is top notch.

 

[Essex4x4]

To be honest with you its almost the same as the inside of our explorers. I didn't particularly like the seats in it, but in terms of over all finish its "nice," not great, not fantastic, not even good, just "nice"

Lets see here the giant chrome piece on the rear gate is an option that i like and its expensive, and so is the white roof. The door handles felt like if you pulled hard they would fall off, and although on the Ford website the photo of the gauges makes them look cool they are not. In fact the blue/black/silver makes the gauges hard to read. The worst part of the whole car is the clock, its an analog clock, not digital. You only get a digital clock if you get the nav. $$$$$

I like the steering wheel, buttons for radio, and cruise control are set up perfectly. My favorite part is the optional sun roof. Like the Edge the Flex has a panoramic sun roof.

 

[IAmTodd]

I just saw one in person the other day. They are huge! I was expecting something similar to a Magnum. I never expected it to be so large. I also don't like the design on the seats, they seem like they're lifted from a 1980s Buick.

 

[Essex4x4]

Yea i was shocked when we drove one, its about the same size as the Explorer, which scares me a little. I have this horrible feeling that Ford will stop production all together on the Explorer, and sell this POS instead. (I have seen pictures of the 2010 Explorer concept)

 

[Flandry]

Car and Driver has placed the 2009 Ford Flex on their Five Best Reasons to Buy American list:

It’s comfortable. It’s accommodating. It has tons of family fun stuffs inside, including optional DVD entertainment, Sirius Travel Link with real-time gas-price monitoring, four sunroofs, and, in all likelihood, some sort of live feed from the International Space Station. There are all sorts of things we like about the 2009 Ford Flex. But the thing we like most is that all those things are creatively combined in an inspired package, one that is futuristic and familiar, conservative and brazen, original and derivative—all at once.

Besides, the Flex has a lot going for it other than its looks. Once people take a look inside, they might forget about the wrapper altogether. Is it fun to drive? Not really. Will it scuttle the fam around with tons of comfort and space, but without sucking down every dollar in your budget at the gas pump? Yes. And that sort of clever all-things-to-all-families capability is exactly what this kind of vehicle should be, even if its packaging isn’t all things to all families but is all things to an enthusiastic few. Among all family-hauling SUVs being sold today, we judge the Ford Flex to be one of America’s very best.

 

[Essex4x4]

So Flandry have you seen one or driven one yet? I do not agree with Car and driver for two reasons, first its not that great of a car, and second they rate my 2006 as a 2 out of 10. Basically the don't like the new 4th gen explorers.:thumbdwn:

 

[Flandry]

Personally, I don't care for it either. It looks like a Scion Xb's big brother. I'm not big on styling that's overly boxy or overly jellybean-ish. Or for cars that pretend to be trucks. I haven't driven one. But what I've read about the powertrain hasn't led me to think it'd be an awe-inspiring experience. However, the Flex is said to provide decent fuel economy - which counts for a lot these days. Ford's also putting a lot of neat technology into it, and the vehicle has and makes efficient use of interior space. Which is all good.

Is it my thing? Not really. I don't need a minivan, which is basically what the Flex is. But I do think the Flex a big improvement over the conventional minivan design. We're inclined to compare it to our Explorers. But in reality, the potential buyers for this vehicle will more likely be comparing it to vehicles like the Honda Odyssey. And if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick the Flex hands-down.

I'm glad Ford's built a vehicle that's being so well received. They desperately need some winners to remain a viable company, much less compete with the Japanese. And I applaud the design team and management for stepping out on the edge to create something different - whether I like it or not.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Interesting article reading that Ford may be the next "Toyota" as far as hybrid and alt-energy vehicles. This could be an interesting 5 years. The race is on between the 'domestic' manufacturers to see who can be the first to bring a viable, accepted car with killer gas mileage to the market, and whoever does it may stick around for a long time. I think the loser may not be around in 20 years... Or at least not as we know them.

I looked at a Flex the other night, and it's darn near the same size as my Explorer, but honestly- it didn't inspire me to want to buy one. I didn't drive it, so that doesn't totally count, but it looked cool, just didn't do much for me as a "gotta have it" ride.