November 11, 2008
Somehow a 59-inch-long sleeper sofa needs to fit into the back of our long-term Ford Flex.
Voila!
The Flex's 83 cubic feet of cargo space easily swallows the small sofa, its "hidden" storage box, and the packaged mattress and slipcover.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 10,325 miles
November 3, 2008
When not in use, the 2009 Ford Flex's 50/50-split third-row seat folds flat and stores in a fairly deep rear well. When the rear seats are raised, the well is exposed. It's perfect for securing grocery bags, especially if you're using the reusable kind.
A low-production-value video of me raising the third-row seat and operating the power liftgate follows after the jump. Why bother watching Marina's HotForWords on YouTube when you can watch this instead?
October 31, 2008
Mike actually mentioned this in Part Two of his road trip cross-country odyssey, but it's worth focusing on specifically here. Like on many other Ford products, the Flex's automatic transmission gear selector has just two forward gates: Drive and Low. There's no manual mode.
If you leave it in Drive and are driving on hilly terrain with steep inclines, the transmission hunts between gears in response to your changing throttle inputs. There is a button on the left side of the shifter ("Grade Assist") that drops the transmission out of overdrive. It helps, but it seems to be designed more for getting additional engine braking on declines rather than ideal gearing for inclines. And dropping down to Low seems like overkill.
But wait, there's more...
October 29, 2008
One notable attribute about our long-term 2009 Ford Flex: road noise is impressively quelled. Even on concrete, only a minimal amount of tire noise makes it into the cabin. (Our car is shod with Hancook Optimo H725 tires.) There's more wind noise than road noise, but even so the Flex remains library quiet during 75-mph highway drives. Too bad Flex owners with squabbling children in back probably won't notice.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 10,034 miles
October 20, 2008
Just sayin'.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 9,744 miles
It was a long (very long) journey, but I've been back for a few days now. Conclusions-- including a by-the-numbers account-- of the trip are after the jump.
October 10, 2008
This is the interior of the refrigerator inside the 2009 Ford Flex. Pictured is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There was also a fluffernutter, but it didn't last long enough to be in the photo. It's a neat idea but the execution here is a little lame. First, they put the rear armrest hinge on the front. Probably to dissuade the driver from attempting to reach in while driving. Sorry, Ford, not gonna work. Humans are where we are today by adapting and bending the will of our opponents, animate or not. It's possible to get inside if one's willing to drive with their foot (cruise control is a necessity here) and contort a little. It's easier still to make your passenger do it. Its second shortcoming is the size. That's not trick photography, folks it really is that small. The third thing wrong with the fridge is the freeze setting. 12-hours and there's only some frost on the side of the water. It keeps things--and even gets things--very cold, but if you're going to give me a button that says freeze, the damn thing better freeze. Solid. Maybe I should have gone 24-hours straight.
The fourth thing that warrants complaints about the availability of a fridge is the lack of a microwave. Don't laugh. It's got a TV and a DVD player and a refrigerator already. Why not? 10 years ago I would have punched the current me for suggesting a car have any of those things. Now I'm jealous of future-Mike for having an in-car microwave.
Take, for instance a road trip across the country. You drive through a town that actually has food that looks safe and edible, but you're just not hungry...or maybe it was so good you want another order to go. Why not? It won't spoil thanks to the modern marvel of refrigeration. But then the problem arises that cold BBQ sucks. Sure, I could've wrapped it in foil and chucked it under the hood for a few hours but that's not the point.
Speaking of Road Trips across the country, today's installment covers the first few days of the return trip. Boston, NYC, Columbus, St. Louis and Tulsa!
October 8, 2008
With its black-on-black color scheme (no mini-cooper/FJ white roof for us!) some have complained that our 2009 Ford Flex Limited looks like a hearse. So I took it to one of New England's newest cemetery-- established in the 1720s-- for a better field of reference. Indeed, it does look a bit like a hearse. But the kind of cool hearse that you'd see on open drag nights with a tubbed rear, big block and skull shifter. Except that this has a V6, FWD and a six-speed auto.
While it may not be able to do a huge burnout, and it doesn't have those cool curtains hearses do, it is still the best road trip car available today.
October 5, 2008
Made it.
October 2, 2008
When we last left our road trip diary the Ford Flex was whisking us through eastern Colorado and on into Nebraska. Thrilling, I know. With 75 mph limits, straight roads and just enough traffic to avoid being the only car on the road, this was the Flex's time to shine. And shine it did. I turned on my Valentine One, set the cruise control and drove for hours in perfect comfort. Once acclimated to the system, Sync works exceptionally well with an iPod. Sirius' weather link kept me apprised of the looming thunderstorms (which eventually halted my run), and the flat-looking seats kept my butt supported and warm with no complaints. I also managed to, at those speeds, beat the EPA estimated 24mpg with a 25.7mpg tank.
October 1, 2008
After being thankfully thrown from my original plan due to the lame headlights on the Flex (even the high beams weren't sufficient in that scenario), I was able to, as posted before, see Utah for all I never really knew it was. I wanted to hit Grand Junction by day one. I've been to Colorado before (for off-road driver training) and was won over by the views and the general "vibe" of the state. I don't have any data to back this up, but I'm pretty sure there are more bike trails in Colorado than the entire rest of the world combined. (Unfortunately I don't have my bike with me on this leg of the trip...on the way back I will.) Losing my night running hours meant stops had to be ditched. Denver was out. Grand Junction was punctuated. Vail, however, was still very much in.
The Flex, after almost 1,000 miles, is doing well. But, somewhere around 10,000 feet, before the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel (West of Denver) the Flex's second weakness showed. The transmission-- which it shares with the Buick Enclave amongst others-- just doesn't know what to do with inclines. With no manual option and a lousy L mode, the engine is constantly torn between fuel economy and maintaining momentum. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. Down. Down. Up. It's not fun. If I were in the Enclave I could just push the button a couple of times, leave the thing in 4 and get on with my trip at a steady RPM. It's a great gearbox in GM vehicles, why isn't it great here at 11,000 feet where I need it?
September 29, 2008
The first leg of this trip was going to be a drag. I knew that much from the start. Southern California up through Vegas, the north western tip of Arizona and then into Utah-- it all looks pretty much the same until you get to Arizona, by then though the drive has started to take its toll. But the Flex is, so far, a willing partner in this adventure and I was feeling pretty fresh. When I hit Salina, Utah-- only 590 miles from my departure point-- the sun had set and route 70 through Utah is a bendy, four-lane highway with a surprisingly high 75-mph speed limit. The highway is also, as the signs indicate, chock full of deer, elk and eagles. I was willing, but the Flex's headlights were not. We paid extra for these HIDs but they simply are not up to the task of illuminating an unlit desert road at 75mph. Maybe it was a good thing, had I been able to "make time" through Spotted Wolf Canyon, I would have missed some of the best sights I've seen to date.
September 26, 2008
There's nothing quite as American as the road trip. Nothing. Not apple pie. Not baseball. Hell, compared to the road trip even mom looks like a flag-burning communist. And in terms of road trips, this is a good one.
September 24, 2008
I was thinking the other day (always a dangerous proposition, I know) and wondering how all the current (or really, really recently departed) Edmunds/Inside Line long-term vehicles stack up against each other in fuel economy, at least the fuel economy we've been recording during their time with us. So I made a list. For you and for me. In case we were both wondering.
The only current vehicles missing from my list are the Audi R8 and the Dodge Grand Caravan, and that's because no one has entered any fuel data into the tracking spreadsheet for those vehicles yet. The very top and the very bottom of the list aren't going to surprise anybody (I don't think), but the middle is kinda interesting. Seeing the Rondo and the WRX so close to each other made me raise my eyebrows. Ditto the Ford GT's spot above the Veracruz. Ready to check it all out? Follow the jump with me.
September 15, 2008
Ford just might have pulled it off. For years, I've told anyone who'd listen that the first company that makes a cool minivan will create the next must-have family hauler trend and score big. The 2009 Ford Flex just might be the template for that cool minivan--or whatever you want to call it.
"It looks like a big Scion," said the caretaker at our secret test location. And I've gotten more than one double-take and enthusiastic thumbs-up from other drivers while commuting in our Flex, some on crotch rockets and one from a genuine first-generation Scion xB pilot.
From some angles the Flex manages to look like a chopped-top surf wagon--especially with the optional white roof. And the embossed side strakes somehow say "woodie", but minus the dry rot and termites. It would look at home with a pair of surfboards on top. But what to call it?
I like big cars and I cannot lie, but there's something about the Flex I can't deny. It's big, not round and frankly just too big for me.
Apparently, the Flex has got it goin' on, till the break of dawn because everywhere I went people were taken with this big wagon. I can see why - it has minivan usefulness without looking like - well, like a minivan. Several neighbors used the phrase "surf wagon." Although the Flex feels wide and long on the road, the handling is OK. It never feels sluggish and doesn't have excessive body roll. Nice Job, Ford.
Brian Moody, Road Test Editor.
September 10, 2008
Living with our 2009 Ford Flex long-term car for over a week confirmed what I'd already figured -- when it comes to carting people and things around, this crossover gets the job done with both style and grace. The Flex inspired multiple double-takes and a few questions from onlookers during the week, and its plush interior, car-like handling and multiple gadgets (my kids loved the idea of a rear-seat 'fridge) made it a pleasant family tote bag for the most part.
Only two issues arose during my drive time. The first related to the car's flashy, 19-inch chrome wheels. These certainly enhance the Flex's looks, but on a vehicle with this much wheelbase (117.9 inches) keeping them away from curbs can be difficult. I found this out while going through the local McDonald's drive-thru, a path I've travelled several dozen times without incident. This time, however, I scraped the driver's-side rear wheel as I made the turn between order and pick-up.
I couldn't believe it, and looking at the odometer I thought "Well, at 1,850 miles I guess the wheels are broken in." When I got home I went to inspect the damage and noticed that while the rear wheel had a couple scrapes (pictured above), the front wheel (which never got near a curb during my use of the Flex) had much larger and deeper scrapes (pictured below).
September 2, 2008
We've added a 2009 Ford Flex to our long-term fleet.
It's a modern minivan alternative without the sliding doors but with a retro trendy look reminiscent of the Addams Family. Oh, come on, in black it kinda looks like a hearse.
It has a 262-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. The fold-flat third row is handy for packing in large items. And a host of convenience options like an auto-folding second row, rear console refrigeration, navigation and DVD entertainment system add to the fun.
What do you think of the new Flex?
Read the Ford Flex Introduction on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
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