Fully-equipped Ford Flex fits the bill
Frank S. Washington/NNPA Columnist/AboutThatCar.com
Issue date: 12/14/08 Section: FYI
DETROIT - Except for the Mini, I don't know that I've ever seen a relatively flat sided vehicle that is as snazzy as Ford's Flex. My hat is off to its designers.
The 2009 Ford Flex was a head turner. It was big, with three rows of seats, had side grooves in the doors and it had a distinctive roof; for $395 you can paint the Flex's roof white or gray and turn it into a two tone vehicle. The Flex is the reason that Ford could stop producing minivans.
It's made for comfort. There was plenty of room in the fully adjustable second row seats. The center console was a chill box. There's was a 110 volt, three pronged, electrical socket as well as a 12 volt power plug. The second row seats were also heated.
They would fold and flip forward with the push of a button. In other words, the second row seats fold and flip capabilities could be done by power or manually. The third row was somewhat cramped but I got back there before I had the second row seats forward. Once I did that, access was relatively easy.
However, because of the rear wheel wells intrusion into the interior, foot space wasn't as wide as I would have liked. Still, it was nothing to really complain about.
The front row wasn't bad either. First the Flex had an ambience that is not found in many American cars. There was faux wood which was nicely done and Ford used silver satin finish on the center console. I hate that stuff. But this was one of the few times that it worked. That is the Flex's center stack didn't look like it was covered with a shiny cheap plastic template.
There was also some thoughtfulness. In addition to heated first and second row seats, my test vehicle had adjustable pedals and its perforated black leather interior had a diamond motif that looked pretty good. My only quibble was that the Ford blue oval logo looked out of place in the center of the steering wheel. But those seats were awfully comfortable.
Also impressive was the entertainment and communications system. In addition to a six disc CD players, the Flex had a USB port as well as an auxiliary jack. The touch screen navigation system was also outfitted with a rearview camera. There was also a back up sensor system.
The 2009 Ford Flex was a head turner. It was big, with three rows of seats, had side grooves in the doors and it had a distinctive roof; for $395 you can paint the Flex's roof white or gray and turn it into a two tone vehicle. The Flex is the reason that Ford could stop producing minivans.
It's made for comfort. There was plenty of room in the fully adjustable second row seats. The center console was a chill box. There's was a 110 volt, three pronged, electrical socket as well as a 12 volt power plug. The second row seats were also heated.
They would fold and flip forward with the push of a button. In other words, the second row seats fold and flip capabilities could be done by power or manually. The third row was somewhat cramped but I got back there before I had the second row seats forward. Once I did that, access was relatively easy.
However, because of the rear wheel wells intrusion into the interior, foot space wasn't as wide as I would have liked. Still, it was nothing to really complain about.
The front row wasn't bad either. First the Flex had an ambience that is not found in many American cars. There was faux wood which was nicely done and Ford used silver satin finish on the center console. I hate that stuff. But this was one of the few times that it worked. That is the Flex's center stack didn't look like it was covered with a shiny cheap plastic template.
There was also some thoughtfulness. In addition to heated first and second row seats, my test vehicle had adjustable pedals and its perforated black leather interior had a diamond motif that looked pretty good. My only quibble was that the Ford blue oval logo looked out of place in the center of the steering wheel. But those seats were awfully comfortable.
Also impressive was the entertainment and communications system. In addition to a six disc CD players, the Flex had a USB port as well as an auxiliary jack. The touch screen navigation system was also outfitted with a rearview camera. There was also a back up sensor system.
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