The 2009 Ford Flex is a very good vehicle and a brave experiment by Ford Motor Co.
Appealing, unique looks, good fuel economy for its class, roomy, comfortable interior and excellent ride and handling make the crossover wagon one of the most intriguing and satisfying new vehicles to hit the market this year.
With a price range that can take the family hauler above $40,000, the Flex is also a test case to see if Ford can move customers who routinely paid big bucks for its trucks and SUVs into equally pricey and profitable cars.
The 300,000-plus people who used to buy Ford Explorer SUVs every year are the group who will decide whether the Flex experiment pays off. If 80,000 to 120,000 of them year plunk down $35K or more for the Flex, Ford's future immediately starts to look brighter.
It should. Except for the handful of drivers who routinely tow trailers of manure through muddy pastures, the car-based Flex is an improvement from the truck-based Explorer. It's roomier, more comfortable, more fun to drive and easier to park.
The six- or seven-passenger Flex comes in either front- or all-wheel drive trim. A good 262-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and smooth six-speed automatic transmission are standard on all models.
Prices for the 2009 Flex start at $28,295 for the SE model, which is only available with front-wheel drive. A front-drive SEL costs $32,070. The least-expensive all-wheel drive model is the $33,920 SEL. The top-of-the line Flex Limited starts at $34,705 for front-drive and $36,555 for AWD.
I tested a six-passenger Flex Limited AWD that stickered at $43,175. All prices exclude destination charges.
The Flex's great looks, excellent road manners, unique features and comfort are best in its class, but shortcomings including minor fit and finish flaws and its high price reduce the big new Ford's appeal.
The Flex competes in the increasingly crowded market for three-row crossovers -- vehicles that offer much of the interior room and usability of a minivan with more style and a sporty or luxurious personality.
The Flex's base price stacks up neatly against those vehicles, but up-level models edge into the territory of premium models like the three-row Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and two-row Lexus RX350.
It offers a spacious and attractive interior, a comfortable ride and surprisingly nimble handling for a big vehicle. It also has a number of features no other automaker offers, including a capless fuel filler, touchpad entry and a actual compressor-driven refrigerator.
The Flex's appeal begins with its brave and polarizing exterior design.
The optional two-tone paint with a light-colored roof is a must to get the full benefit of the Flex's appeal. At 201.8 inches long, the Flex is about 11 inches longer than the 2009 Honda Pilot, but it appears considerably more compact than the SUV-like Pilot. At 68 inches tall, the Flex has a kid-friendly low step-in height and a low roofline that contributes to its car-like profile. The Traverse, Pilot and Highlander are more than 4 inches taller than the Flex.
The Flex's appeal only grows stronger when you step inside. Passenger space is excellent in all three rows of seats.
The second-row seats flip forward for easy access to the backseat and have an adjustable track so you can balance the legroom needs of passengers in both seats.
For families looking to carry multiple kids and plenty of vacation gear on a long trip, however, the Flex doesn't match the interior room of GM's larger crossovers, the Traverse, Outlook, Acadia and Enclave.
The tailgate opening is a bit narrow for large loads, and the mechanism for the power tailgate intrudes on cargo space. The cover for the lift mechanism in the Flex I tested was also poorly fitted.
The interior is very quiet, a feat in a car with a boxy profile that seems to invite road noise and a large, open cabin to echo and amplify the noise.
The interior materials are uniformly excellent, from the optional diamond-pattern perforated leather and wood trim to soft materials on the dash and upper surface of the doors. The padded door inners are particularly welcome, since that's where I and many other drivers rest our elbows.
The interior also features Ford's new optional touch-screen navigation system, which gets real-time traffic, construction and weather information from the optional Sirius satellite radio service.
The new useful navigation system also allows you to speak the address of your destination, allowing you to program the system while you're driving.
Standard safety equipment includes antilock brakes and stability control and curtain air bags.
The Flex's handling, like its looks, belies its size. The big wagon tracks smoothly through curves and accelerates confidently in traffic and onto highways.
The EPA rates the front-wheel drive Flex at 17 m.p.g. in the city and 24 m.p.g. on the highway. The AWD Flex comes in at 16 m.p.g. city and 22 m.p.g. highway.
Those figures are all near the top of the Flex's class.
Drivers with the minivan-mom blues and SUV gas-bill gripes may be ready to think outside the box. The boxy and likable 2009 Ford Flex could be just what they're looking for.
Article from: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/COL14/808210408/1081
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