Not a minivan, the new Ford Flex “people mover” will arrive in the summer of 2008, more than a year from now.
04-04-07: The new crossover vehicle from Ford is likely to be the most important vehicle the ailing automaker introduces in this decade. It is the answer to the consumers who needs the size and passenger capacity of a large SUV or van, but not the costs, fuel economy or stigma.
The Ford Flex brings fresh new styling to the table as well. You certainly cant say that it looks just like anything else, which is what Ford has been criticized for in the past. The Flex carries themes of the popular Scion XB, the Range Rover, and the paint treatment of the Mini Cooper. “Flex is another example of Ford creating more of the products that our customers really want,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas, as he revealed the new vehicle at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. “Ford intends to define crossover vehicles this decade just as we did SUVs in the 1990s.”
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The 2009 Ford Flex will have a full boat of competition by the time it arrives on the market in mid 2008, so having bold and unique styling is going to be Ford’s ace in the sleeve to make up for being late to the party.
“The new Ford Flex crossover is a game-changer. It’s the first vehicle of its kind that combines seating for seven, interior spaciousness and surprising features with a striking design that looks great on the road and at home for today’s modern American families,” said Fields. “The Flex builds on Ford’s leadership in crossover vehicles, which is the fastest-growing part of the auto market today.”
The major styling elements that stand out are Ford’s signature chrome horizontal three-bar grille, which builds on the family “face” that defines the Ford Edge and Taurus X crossovers, as well as the Ford Fusion sedan. In profile it has a unique, all black “greenhouse” – defined as the windshield, rear and side windows, and the pillars separating and connecting them to the roof. The design brings together seamlessly the body with the available multi-panel roof. Customers can pair a White Suede or Silver roof option with one of Flex’s 10 available exterior colors or choose a body-color roof.
Standard will be 18-inch bright aluminum wheels with 19“ wheels as an option. Flex also has an integrated rocker panel design, which eliminates the need for customers to step over the rocker panel when getting in and out of the vehicle. Keeping the family resemblance, it has Edge-inspired taillamps, which are outlined in chrome. Flex Limited models have LED taillamps and a brushed satin finish metal appliqué spanning the center of the liftgate.
“The Ford Flex has the power to move people emotionally as well as physically,” said J Mays, Ford’s group vice president of Design and chief creative officer. “This crossover has been created for people who know it’s the journey – not the destination – that matters most,” Mays added. “Its upright, upscale design, versatility and clever touches allow Ford Flex to stand out in an increasingly crowded sea of crossovers.”
Inside, is where the Ford Flex is said to really deliver. A big move for Ford, who has been criticized roundly in the past decade for cheaply executed interiors, delivers textures, features and functionality – including segment exclusives – that create an ideal atmosphere for discerning customers and their families.
“More than 90 percent of crossover customers make their vehicle purchases based in part on
the overall quality of interiors,” said Kate Pearce, Flex marketing manager. “When they see
the Flex’s exterior, they’ll be intrigued. When they see its interior, they’ll fall in love.”
Flex’s interior provides a level of craftsmanship inspired by fashion and furniture design,
with modern materials and soft touch points. Details include tweed-like fabric for the base-level Flex SE’s seats, with inserts in a miniature houndstooth pattern. Meanwhile, the Flex SEL features a soft insert with a more pronounced grain on the seat bolsters, while the Flex Limited features a very upscale looking diamond-pattern perforations on the leather seat inserts. Contrast stitching also is available on leather seats and the center console. In profile, the seat backs also have a artistic shape that is not something you see everyday.
Where Ford really hopes to get buyers attention is with the laundry list of interior features that make the Flex more than just an everyday family hauler. These start with a class-exclusive refrigerator, mounted between the second-row captain’s chairs. Unlike competitors’ systems that merely keep cold beverages cool, the Flex’s available compressor-driven refrigerator can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees in just more than two-and-one-half hours. That’s 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.
Like the Ford Edge, the Flex will offer a multi-panel vista roof. It not only brightens the interior, it gives Flex occupants seated in each row their own special skylight. This is becoming one of the hottest new features in higher end vehicles today, and speaks well to the more upscale appeal of the Flex.
Passengers in the second row will find best-in-class legroom, including class-exclusive adjustable and removable footrests. The Flex’s second-row seats fold and tumble to provide access to the third-row and fold flat into the floor for added cargo space. An available one-touch system folds and tumbles the second row.
Trading on the coolness that is found in vehicles appealing to younger audiences, the Flex will offer a seven-color programmable ambient lighting package. Flex owners can choose interior lighting to fit their mood. With this feature – which also is being introduced on the 2008 Ford Focus – customers use a dashboard switch to change the lighting on two LEDs mounted on the front console, two on the footwells and two around the cupholders.
A rear back-up camera will also be available. Mounted in the bottom of Flex’s liftgate badge, the available camera is activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, giving the driver a view of what’s behind the vehicle. The system works in conjunction with the vehicle’s reverse sensing system and uses the navigation screen as a display.
Ford’s new “Sync“ industry-exclusive, voice-activated hands-free in-car communications and entertainment system. This available system fully integrates mobile phones and digital media players into the vehicle. The Sync in-car communications system was developed in collaboration with Microsoft and will be offered exclusively on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles later this year.
Ford audiophiles, Ford’s next-generation navigation system, featuring voice recognition technology and more than 150 hours of music storage. Users can browse the music jukebox via touch-screen or by using voice recognition. They can also create custom play lists and burn CDs for storage on the system’s hard drive. The system also integrates the climate control and SIRIUS Satellite Radio into one easy-to-use, smudge-resistant, 8-inch touch-screen display. Premium AM/FM/MP3 audio systems also are available with a six-CD changer, auxiliary jack to accommodate MP3 players and the latest generation DVD entertainment system with a large 8-inch, drop-down screen. All of the stereo systems will sport the Sony brand name too.
Ford’s exclusive second-generation door-entry keypad . Housed within the vehicle’s black B pillars, the flat-panel, backlit keypad eliminates the need for door-mounted buttons and gives customers the ability to unlock doors, disarm the alarm system and disable the auto-lock function by entering a five-digit code.
Like other Fords, the Flex will come standard with the new capless fuel filler system. This exclusive feature eliminates the likelihood of forgetting to put the gas cap back on after fueling. It also saves time by doing away with unscrewing and replacing a fuel-filler cap and provides a better seal, cutting down the emissions of smog-forming vapors.
Drivers will really appreciate one of the companies most advanced chassis platforms ever. The chasses was designed to be capable, including more than 4,000 pounds of towing capacity, while still delivering the quiet, confident ride that crossover customers demand. “A quiet ride is no longer a luxury,” said Gary Boes, Flex chief engineer. “It’s something that customers have come to expect from their vehicles and equate with quality. Flex has been engineered from the onset with reduced noise, vibration and harshness in mind.”
Engineering advancements include a new independent rear suspension system with unique geometry that allows for better tuning to deliver a broad range of capabilities without compromising the interior package. Interior noise was minimized by using sound-deadening materials in the dash panel, headliner and under the carpeting. In addition, a 6-millimeter thick windshield helps reduce wind and powertrain noise, while specially selected tires make road noise nearly unnoticeable.
Flex is powered by Ford’s award-winning 3.5-liter V-6 engine and is mated to a fuel-efficient 6-speed transmission. The powertrain is expected to deliver more than 260 horsepower, 245 lb.-ft. of torque and good fuel economy. There is no word as to whether a more powerful engine option will be aavailable such as a V8 or the twin-turbocharged version of the 3.5 liter V6 will be available.
The Flex has available intelligent all-wheel-drive system is tuned to provide confident driving in all weather conditions. Intelligent AWD uses an active, on-demand electronic center coupler to allocate a precise amount of torque from front to rear – up to 100 percent to either axle. The system also can anticipate wheel slip before it happens.
Flex comes equipped with features that reflect Ford’s commitment to keeping customers and their families safe and secure. The new crossover’s body structure has been optimized with side intrusion beams in the doors, strategic use of high-strength boron steel and specially designed, energy-absorbing interior door trims.
Flex will come with Ford’s AdvanceTrac with roll stability control. This system can predict a vehicle’s path, using a sensor to measure oversteer and yaw by monitoring the vehicle’s speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle. When the system senses wheel slip or the loss of traction, it applies braking where needed to keep the vehicle safely on its intended path.
Flex comes standard with dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, thorax side air bags for front seat occupants, safety belt pretensioners, seat weight sensing system for the passenger seat and crash severity sensing. The Ford exclusive Safety Canopy side curtain air bag is designed for all three rows, this feature utilizes roll-fold technology to efficiently deploy the air bag when an occupant’s head is resting against the side glass. In the event of a crash, the roll-fold bag will deploy between the occupant's head and the side of the vehicle.
It looks like Ford has gotten all of its ducks in a row with the Flex. The only thing we could suggest is to get it into showrooms a year faster.
