The Flex, Ford’s new SUV crossover, stands out with its sleek, horizontal styling. But can those looks, paired with state-of-the-art conveniences, make up for mid-range fuel economy and performance?
SANTA MONICA, California—It’s no secret that Ford is having its share of problems. Plant closures, massive layoffs, plunging sales, large-scale recalls, and on and on. The situation at the Blue Oval is almost a crisis, and from the top on down, management has been told to do whatever it can to turn things around. More than that, it must reverse the overwhelming public perception that cars made by the Domestic Three are inferior to those of their offshore competitors.
The Lowdown
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Drive: Front-wheel or all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 262 horsepower at 6,250 revolutions per minute
Torque: 248 foot-pounds at 4,500 revolutions per minute
Base Price: $34,999
Fuel Economy: 13.8 litres per 100 kilometres (city), 9.8 litres per 100 kilometres (highway), with regular-grade fuel
Alternatives: Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Equinox, Chrysler Pacifica,
Mazda CX-9
Positives: Best-looking crossover or SUV out there, smooth power train, roomy interior,
good road habits
Negatives: A little on the slow side, still kind of thirsty, fussy electronics
The logic of promoting cost-cutting over quality has, as they say, turned around and bit Ford in the ass, and the company is now playing catch-up. The challenges faced by the company are many, but at least it realizes that the public perception is there, and hopefully it can do something to set things right.
The Flex should get the ball rolling. This is an attractively styled, competently engineered crossover that has some unique features and, all things considered, an accessible price tag.
Based on the Taurus X, with bits of the Volvo XC90 thrown in for good measure, the Flex is about 37 millimetres longer than the Taurus X and can seat up to seven adults. Nicely thought-out centre bucket seats can be cantilevered forward for third-row-seat access, and all of the back seats can be tilted and folded to make a completely flat rear section. With all of the seats down, there’s 2,355 litres of space back there. By way of comparison, the Toyota Highlander—a direct competitor—boasts about 2,700 litres, while the Nissan Pathfinder is good for 2,243 litres.
But what really stands out about the Flex is its styling. This is an eye-catcher, no question, and according to Ford, it has been attracting so much attention on the street that the company has printed up business cards specifically to hand out to people who want to know more about it. “This is the first car we’ve ever built that has its own business card,” says Ford manager of public relations Kate Pearce.
“The Flex has what we call a horizontal motif,” explains Richard Gresens, the vehicle’s chief designer. “It’s one of the few vehicles in this market with a blacked-out greenhouse, and we’ve given it a well-planted, wide road stance.” All true, but as someone commented at the launch, the Flex looks a lot like a grown-up Mini Clubman.
Power for the Flex, made in Oakville, Ontario, is delivered via a 3.5-litre V6 that develops 262 horsepower. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission only, and there will be front- and all-wheel-drive versions. One of the highlights of this drive train is a “Hill-Holder” mode that temporarily eliminates sixth gear and reprograms the transmission to keep it in lower gears while climbing steep inclines. It also works when descending. Trailer-towing capacity is set at 2,177 kilograms. This drive train gives the Flex fairly relaxed performance.
It also gives the crossover fairly reasonable—but not outstanding—fuel economy, not to be underestimated in these times of $1.50-a-litre-and-climbing gas prices. Ford is claiming
13.8 litres per 100 kilometres in town and
9.8 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway for the Flex, and officials at the company know that this may not be the best time to launch a new SUV or crossover. “Everyone is concerned about fuel economy,” Pearce says, “and the people at Ford are aware of the challenges ahead of us. But we saw this coming, and Flex has one of the best fuel-consumption numbers in this category.”
Standard equipment will include the usual mod cons, such as dual-zone climate control, one-touch up-and-down driver’s side window, power door locks, four 12-volt power-points, tilt (but, curiously, not telescoping) steering, heated front seats, and 18-inch wheels. Options are many: leather interior, 19- and 20-inch wheels and tires, a funky little refrigerator located between the second-row seats, and ambient lighting throughout. There’s also a raft of high-tech electronic goodies, such as voice-activated navigation, a 390-watt Sony sound system (the first time the Japanese company has put its name on an automotive system), a back-up video camera, and, of course, Ford and Microsoft’s Sync technology, which can be used with Bluetooth, Sirius Satellite Radio, and MP3 players. A word about the voice-activation setup: once you figure it out, you can apparently adjust the climate-control system with it as well, via a touch-activated screen. During the launch in and around L.A., we failed to accomplish this, but apparently it can be done.
The Flex is a nice package, with decent road manners, avant-garde styling, state-of-the-art convenience features, and a definite upscale ambiance. But the real question is whether or not Ford can convince buyers that it’s on the right track. Some of us remember the Mercury Mystique or Ford Contour, the Ford Scorpio, and the Merkur XR4Ti, all of which were also decent automobiles, but did nothing to improve the fortunes of the company