04-13-08: Almost a year ago we reported the unveiling of the 2009 Ford Flex Crossover at the 2007 New York Auto Show. It seemed like forever when they said that new “game changer” was over a year away, due to arrive in showrooms in the summer of 2008. Well, we are nearly here. Production of the Flex starts soon and you can already play with the configuration on the Ford website.
This week we had a chance to get up close and touchy feely with the new full size cross-over from Ford in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. The 2009 Ford Flex is loosely based on the Land Rover like Ford Fairlane Concept vehicle. The production Flex has changed only in detail from concept, looking like a large morphing of a Scion Xb and a Mini Cooper. It is definitely eye catching as the hordes of tourists along the Las Vegas Strip were constantly stopping in their tracks and taking photos with their camera phones wherever we went. It gets attention. Advertisement
Ford says they want to sell 100,000 copies of the new Flex in the first year, and we think they will. The new crossover “people mover” has three rows and is based on a stretched version of the second generation platform that carries the new Lincoln MKS, Ford Taurus and Taurus X. The extra space is found in the rear seating areas which are downright limousine like. Even six-foot adults were able to sit comfortably in the third row seats, a significant feat form most people carriers.
While the bold and cutting edge styling really turns heads, it is inside the Flex where most of our car scribes really became wowed. Ford has really delivered a top tier interior in this thing that is miles away from the days when Ford has been criticized roundly for cheaply executed interiors. The look, the feel and the touch quality in the Flex is likely the best of Ford. Everyone who sat in the Flex was short for words at first, saying it is really a sea change for Ford.
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.”
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.
Our tester had the optional multi-panel vista roof. It not only brightens the interior, it gives occupants seated in each of the three rows their own skylight. In Las Vegas, this was a cool feature. Our Flex also had the seven-color programmable ambient lighting package which allowed us to choose interior lighting to fit our mood.
Under the hood is Ford’s new 3.5 liter DOHC V-6 cranking out 260hp and delivering through a slick shifting six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is a day and night improvement from the 3.0 Duratec V6 that powered previous Fords in that it exhibits smoothness and a quieter and refined sound. Best yet, the six speed transmission always seemed to be right where it needed to be.
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, though we did not experience the need in the fair weather of Las Vegas.
Overall we came away well impressed with the new 2009 Ford Flex. It offers a top tier luxury car like driving and riding experience on the inside with a fresh cool personality on the outside. It has the functionality of a full sized SUV, the room of a mini van, but the cool factor that neither can touch in today’s PC world. Bravo Ford!
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