From its introduction as a concept at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, I've been in love with the  Ford Flex, and my impressions were reinforced this past January when I got some quality, stationary seat time at the Consumer Electronics Show auditioning its Sony 7.1 Surround Sound 7.1 audio system. I came away impressed by the quality of materials in the cabin and how big it felt. I felt that Ford, once known as the "Wagonmaster"—because after all, that's what the Flex is, a traditional station wagon updated for duty in the 21st Century—had an absolute home run on their hands.
Fast forward five months and it's a whole new ball game. The Flex is arriving just as the market place is going through convulsions as consumers adjust to the reality of the coming of $5.00/gallon gasoline. That said, I would like to give kudos to the Flex's outstanding navigation interface, with Sirius Travel Link. A voice-activated system fully integrating audio, navigation, and SYNC capabilities, the system can direct you to the closest, lowest price fill-up. Unfortunately, it seems prices now change by the hour in Southern California, so the system was unable to keep up, but it does work superbly when providing real-time traffic data.
The audio capabilities are top-tier. As my opportunity to drive the Flex came at virtually the last minute, I neglected to bring any audio CDs with me—I won't evaluate systems with compressed audio from iPod or iPod-like devices—and I used the nav system to find the nearest Borders. They had just text messaged me a 40%-off coupon, so I drove over and picked up a copy of Morrissey's Greatest Hits. Track 1, "First of the Gang to Die" is one of my favorites, and the huge cabin of the Flex made me feel as if I was front row at Wembley Stadium. Once I brought the bass slider back to the middle position (the previous journalist had cranked it and the treble slider all the way to the max) the sound was crisp and clean with a tremendous sense of space. I envision quite a few Flex demo vehicles at next January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
On the road, the Flex drives big, very big. I will admit that in my favorite seating position, high up, SUV-like, I seemed to have blind spots on both sides, no matter how I adjusted the mirrors. I'm sure that had I not been so rushed I could have found the proper settings, but no matter how you slice it, at 201.8 inches long and a truck-like 88.8 inches wide, the Flex is a big vehicle. I actually didn't realize just how wide it is until I pulled into the parking space at the aforementioned Borders, and had to squeeze out the barely opened door. When I returned, I got some dirty looks from the self-righteous Toyota Yaris owner parked next to me, whose stare basically said; "why are you driving such a big tank?"
The Flex is powered by Ford's 3.5-liter V6 with 262-horsepower. It provided satisfactory acceleration, enough to motivate the 4,500-pound front-wheel-drive (all-wheel-drive is available) up to freeway speeds safely , as well as attack the steep hills surrounding the Getty Museum. More power is coming next year when Ford's 3.7-liter, 273-horsepower EcoBoost V6, soon to be available on the Lincoln MKS, will be added to the option list. The Flex also features Ford's "Easy Fuel" cap-less fueling system, first previewed five years ago on the Ford GT.
Speaking of fuel, mileage on my 100-mile abbreviated test loop clocked in at 17.1 miles per gallon, about comparable to what I feel are its closest competitors, the current GM front-wheel-drive-based crossovers, the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and the Saturn Outlook. My test vehicle was equipped with the 2+2+2 seating package and sitting in the second row seats made me feel as if I was flying business class on British Airways. Unfortunately, the third row was more like open seating on Southwest, but still above average when compared to competitive vehicles in its class. In speaking with one of my colleagues at Automotive Traveler, Managing Editor Brandy Schaffels, I noted that with the 2+2+2 seating package, the Flex's most direct competitor was the rumored to be discontinued Chrysler Pacifica, another station wagon-like vehicle I really like.
It's impossible to come to a meaningful verdict on a vehicle based on a two-and-a-half hour test drive, so I won't try to give you one here. I'll reserve that for when my Ford PR reps can get me in a Flex for a week-long loan, where I can really put it through its paces, maybe on a trip up to Death Valley later this summer to stalk pre-production prototypes during hot weather testing. But my first impressions are universally positive. It's big, quiet, and with its infinitely configurable interior, it's a welcome addition to the crossover category, especially for those families who need six- or seven-passenger capabilities.
So even after acknowledging the Flex's dilemma in the current fuel-conscious marketplace, Brandy and I agreed that Blue Oval owners right-sizing from the Explorer or Expedition will love it, especially with all the cool features like the second-row refrigerated compartment. Unfortunately, I don't see it selling in anywhere near the volumes that were the traditional norm for either truck-based SUV. And of course, being based on a font-wheel-drive platform—in this case a 5-inch stretched version of the Ford D3 large-car platform—it won't have the trailer-towing capability of a full-frame, truck-based SUV. (The Flex is rated to tow 4,500 pounds.)
And I know I will catch flack from the Ford people for saying this, but where's the Squire option? Do they realize how cool the Flex will look with tastefully applied wood accents? Don't the designers and engineers, who in the Ford press materials all look like they are about 40 years old, know how "kids" like me, now in our fifties, went to school or Little League practice in a 10-passenger Country Squire? Based on their ages, rather than the industry-standard full-size Ford station wagon—the "mom mobile" of sixties suburbs—I bet they all made the same rounds in a minivan. They don't know what they missed.
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