But even if you somehow didn’t hear about the Flex, you are going to notice it.
As a matter of fact, it’ll be difficult to miss with its unapologetic two-box design and a shape that’s been compared to everything from the “woody” wagons of the past to an overgrown MINI to Scions and Elements to, heck, I don’t know what, since it’s different from anything else in the full-size market.
Its shape is instantly iconic, with a profile that will be as readily identified as other distinctive vehicles, from the Model T to VW Beetle, HUMMER and Jeep.
Ford labels the Flex as “a vehicle that dares to be different”.
Well, different can be good but it can also be dangerous, with a polarizing design that leaves little room for indifference. Which means you are going to either love it or hate it.
“At first we were uncomfortable with the way Flex could polarize but its ability to compel an opinion, good or bad, was fascinating,” said Peter Horbury, executive director, Design, The Americas. “It inspired us forward with the courage to create a breakthrough design.”
Horbury also joked that Flex design “started with an Etch-A-Sketch instead of a computer”. The square-angled style stays faithful to the Fairlane concept that debuted in 2005, but it loses the dumb suicide doors and, like the rest of the modern Ford lineup, expands on the three-bar grille, horizontal inspiration of the 427 concept and production Fusion. It’s hailed as a family-touring replacement for the Windstar/Freestar minivan, it’s built on a stretched platform from the Taurus X (formerly Freestyle) and, despite Ford denials, together with Edge, it will probably doom that bland Taurus X within a few years.
I’ve probably spent enough time on the Flex’s exterior looks but, really, that planted, hip-to-be-square stance, the blacked out greenhouse with contrasting white or silver “floating” roof, the whole package enhanced by details like the four-side grooves, the lines flowing from headlamps to grille and the rear aluminum panels reflecting the grille up front, are too overwhelming not to mention.
Inside, passengers will sense a definite uptick in content and quality with plush surroundings to challenge any import. An optional multi-panel Vista Roof opens up the cabin space, already roomy in its own right. A good portion of the five-inch platform stretch went into the second row offering limo-like rear room.
“Nobody was yelling ‘shotgun’ during testing anymore,” one engineer told me. “We found ourselves vying for second row seats instead.”
The third row is a no-cost option in Canada and customers will love the fold-flat versatility of all the seats for maximum 2356 L (83.2 cu. ft.) cargo-carrying.
The Flex emphasizes new and innovative features.
“We’ve got everything including a fridge and sync,” as one designer punned.
He meant options and standard features that include:
* A refrigerator between the second-row seats that can cool your sushi or up to seven 12-ounce pops to just above freezing in about two-and-a-half hours – 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.
* Ford SYNC, a voice-activated, hands-free, communications and entertainment system that connects to iPods, cell phones etc.
* Voice-activated navigation displayed on an 8-inch touch-screen display.
* Sony 700 watt, 5.1 surround sound audio and 10 speakers.
* EasyFuel capless fuel filler.
* Ambient Lighting with seven different interior colours.
* Reverse camera system.
Flex is powered by Ford’s award-winning 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivering 262 hp @ 6,250 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,500 rpm. This is the same engine used in the Edge and other Ford products but, while the increase in size and weight have an obvious effect, the Flex still pulls willingly enough, without noise or drama and delivers a very civilized ride. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission that routes power through a choice of front-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive system that can allocate up to 100 percent of power to either axle.
We test drove the Flex through upstate New York and into Manhattan itself, the Flex showing its versatility with steering that tracked unerringly through country highway cornering to its demure take on the cut and thrust of downtown commuting. Its combination of content and comforts, the choice of two drive systems and two trim levels for Canada – SEL and Limited - along with its full complement of active and passive safety systems should make it a viable contender for family-hauling duties.
If Ford execs seem a little nervous about the Flex, well, it’s only because we inevitably have to come back to looks and first impressions again, waiting to see the overall customer reactions to Flex’s revolutionary design.
I was going to sum up that styling gamble with one of those lofty quotes, you know, something along the line of “nothing ventured, nothing gained” or maybe hearken back to Ford’s “dare to be different” theme.
But after a long day of test drives, opinions bouncing back and forth and the interminable crunch of questions, one of the designers summed it up a little more pithily in an aside to me when he broke the usual corporate mould and muttered that, “hey, sometimes you just have to take a risk.”
The Flex’s quiet, understated performance, its innovative content and combination of comfort and quality, make its appearance almost moot.
But we’ll see soon enough see if it’s a risk that pays off.
