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Driven: Car review 2009 Ford Flex Limited AWD: Flex Able
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Someone took “family bus” very seriously at Ford. Not only is the 2009 Ford Flex capable of busing the family about, it even looks like a bus. Either that or we now know what happens when you scale up a Mini Cooper to have a third row of seats.
Seriously, the 2009 Ford Flex is what happens when the minivan is so tainted by the aura of mommyvanism that it can’t sell in reasonable numbers. Ford had a perfectly good minivan in the Windstar (we’re still partial to the manly enough Ford Aerostar but that’s another story) but apparently it was too practical for family duty and people didn’t buy it in droves. Exit Windstar, gone after the 2007 model year.
Ford took the year off in 2008, cleansing the palate as it were, for the 2009 Ford Flex which isn’t a minivan at least in the traditional definition, nor is it a popular-until-gas-prices-spiked SUV. (In truth, sport-utility sales were sagging before the gas panic but never mind). It’s the new darling of the automotive market, the crossover.The Ford Flex differs from the minivan by doing away with sliding doors in favor of hinged doors, and lowering the roof and ride height.
Our test 2009 Ford Flex was the top-of-the-line Limited AWD, which means it had leather seats, woodgrain trim (i.e., plastic “wood,” but well done as that goes), ambient lighting, Sony AM/FM/6CD/MP3/SAT 390 watt/10 speaker audio system, Sync, dual-zone climate control, 110-volt power source (“house current,” so no more 12-volt cigarette lighter chargers) and more, including as the name would suggest all-wheel drive.
That puts the Flex Limited AWD at a base price of $36,555, up from the base front-drive Flex SE’s $28,295. But our Flex went several steps beyond Limited with the optional second-row console refrigerator. At $760, it’s not a cooler system like Chrysler’s air conditioner-based Chill Zone but a real refrigerator that can even freeze as well as cool.Options including the $2,375 navigation system/rear backup camera and “panorama vista roof” add up to a total price of $43,820. Whew. And people are complaining about gas that’s back down under (a still higher than it was) $3.50/gallon around here?
Speaking of which, the Flex is powered by Ford’s 3.5-liter “Duratec 35” V-6 rated at 262 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. This is a sweet engine, whispery quiet at idle even with the hood open, even if there is a mighty roar at full throttle at highway speeds and not as much happens as one might wish, though considering the Flex bends the scale to 4,640 pounds and has the aerodynamics of a block of cheese, it’ remarkable that it does what it does.
No doubt for has chamfered the corners such that the Flex has a respectable drag coefficient, but it looks like the styling was cribbed from Blue Bird (less the school bus yellow paint) and with the corrugated side panels it the visual charm of a Quonset hut. The optional white roof only makes it look more school bus-like. Does it come with a white strobe light option?
But the Flex is roomy inside with room for seven authentic adults, six in comfort, and especially with the panoramic roof (three extra non-opening sunroofs), and even with all seats raised, the Flex has 20 cubic feet of cargo capacity (about the same a Crown Victoria. With all seats lowered, however, there’s a minivan-competitive 83.2 cubic feet of air to displace with actual stuff. The third row seat, by the way, has a novel way of collapsing into a well that’s otherwise part of the all-seats up cargo capacity.With optional Class III trailer towing package the Flex is tow rated at 4500 lbs. which enough to handle what most American families will drag around, and if not, it’s time to step up to something truck framed.
The Flex, solid as a bank vault (and more than most banks), belies its name. Flex it doesn’t.
Make all the jokes you wish about the exterior styling of the 2009 Ford Flex, we think Ford has a winner, even if it is stunt double for a Ford TriMotor, corrugated sides and all. If the rest of Ford’s lineup is moving to the quality of the Flex, in a fair world there should be no need for a bailout.
| Aluminum wheels | std | |
| HID headlights | std | |
| Fog lamps | std | |
| Privacy glass | std | |
| Power liftgate | std | |
| Leather trim front heated seats | std | |
| Ambient lighting | std | |
| Adjustable pedals | std | |
| Sony premium audio | std | |
| Sirius satellite radio | std | |
| Sync | std | |
| Climate control, dual zone | std | |
| 110-volt power converter | std | |
| Side-curtain airbags row 1 &2 | std | |
| Class III trailer tow pkg | opt | $570 |
| 2nd row 40/40 seats-auto fold | opt | $870 |
| Panoramic vista roof | opt | $1,495 |
| 2nd row floor console | opt | $100 |
| Rear console refrigeration | opt | $760 |
| Navigation system, back-up camera | opt | $2,375 |
| White two-tone roof | opt | $395 |
| Total vehicle and options | $43,120 | |
| Destination | $700 | |
| Total MSRP | $43,820 |
Illustrations top to bottom: 2009 Ford Flex with panorama roof; 2009 Ford Flex front cabin mockup; 2009 Ford Flex center console refrigerator; 2009 Ford Flex.
More information: Ford Flex official website.
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