2009 Ford Flex
Ford Flexing its design muscle with new crossover
Sat, Nov 15th 2008
| VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| type | 5 door, suv - mid, awd |
| msrp | $42,390 |
| trans | automatic |
| gas mi. | 17mpg/24mpg |
| rating |  |
I started to get used to the question that folks asked when they saw me pull up in the 2009 Ford Flex. After asking what it was I was driving, the next questions were predictable:
"Is it a flexible fuel vehicle?" "Does it drive on corn oil?" or more simple: "What mileage does it get?"
The answers to those questions: "No." "No," and "About 24 miles per gallon."
In a time when volatile gas prices have everyone interested in a vehicle's fuel economy, Ford has attached a rather unfortunate name to its latest gas-gulping crossover SUV. It's not a "flex-fuel" vehicle, meaning one that can run on ethanol as well as gasoline -- but rather, a "flexible" vehicle.
Fortunately, it's a flexibility that will please DogCar shoppers.
With a design that seems to mimic the boxy look of the Honda Element (2008 DogCar of the Year). the Ford Flex has a wide open interior and seats that fold either flat or flip forward to reveal a hard, carpeted surface providing plenty of room for crates, barriers and dog training equipment.
It's high, above the ground stance and all-wheel-drive option makes the Ford Flex a good four-wheeled fun ride for field training.
A big selling point of the Flex is the available multi-panel Vista roof, a moon roof that covers most of the rear portion of the vehicle. These dark-tinted windows to the sky won't allow too much sunlight in, but could cause the canine cabin to get a bit warmer than usual in the summer months.
Another cool (literally) option is the refrigerated console between the two front seats. Utilizing a compressor-driven cooling unit, the storage box acts as a refrigerator to keep drinks and food cool. A warmed up bottle of water that had been sitting in the warm car all day, was rapidly rendered chilly in a matter of five minutes. Now that's cool!
The Ford Flex may not be as green as we'd hoped, and it's mileage may be nothing to wag our tails -- but for a good, utility-driven DogCar, the Flex is a formidable contender.
-- Keith Turner
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Carguy Comments: The Ford Flex is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that delivers 262 horsepower. The optional all-wheel -drive system monitors traction conditions and automatically delivers torque to whatever wheel needs it. Safety-wise, the Flex earned five stars in both the frontal and side crash ratings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The height of the vehicle's squared rear end is 32 inches and the width is 45 inches at the narrowest part. Length of the cargo area is 80 inches and total cargo space is 83.2 cubic feet behind the first row of seats.
Ford Flex: Set aside the name confusion for a moment and you'll find that the versatility and canine carrying capability of the Flex makes it a potential DogCar.
Comments
As soon as I saw the Flex, I was sure it would be mine. I sat in it and envisioned it in my driveway. Then I drove it. And bought a Jeep Liberty. The Flex drives like a tank, has very poor responsiveness both in the pedal the the steering wheel. Additionally, the cargo space at the back wouldn’t hold my Ex Pens nor two crates side by side. For the sticker price, I expected better and was sorely disappointed.
2009-04-27 13:14:48
The problem with the Flex and with many other vehicles is that the cargo area is not big enough for two large crates. Some of us prefer to have our dogs ride in crates; it is safer for one thing. Some of us also have large dogs, which means large crates. When the Flex was first announced I was ready to buy one, but then I found out it is only 41” wide between the rear wheel wells. 48” is necessary for two large crates. 41” is too narrow for even the special 21” wide SUV wire crates. That killed it for me. Not much engine and the gas mileage is not so good, either. The only vehicles that will hold two large crates side by side in the rear are minivans, like the Sienna, Odyssey, the Honda Pilot, and the Honda Element. The trick with the Element is to build a platform that raises the crates above the wheel wells. The Element is tall enough that you can do that. And of course huge SUVs and full size pickups, but who wants a 5,000lb vehicle to carry two 90lb dogs. The Volvo V70 is 46” between the wheel wells. I’m seriously thinking about custom crates although it weighs 4300lbs. Why do I have to buy a 4000lb plus vehicle to carry two 90lb dogs?
2008-11-24 19:39:25
Fully grown male weim (95 lb) rides like a king in the back seats. With the middle seats flipped up he is able to stand while he sticks his head out the window. The steering and pedal response (ecoboost) are fine, just don’t go with the assisted parking feature (electronically assisted steering, mutes all roadfeel, automatic parallel parking not even worth it). Picked over the grossly boring honda line. I repeat grossly boring. I would compare it to watching a city council meeting on mute. The styling is largely dissimilar to the Pilot in my opinion, but maybe I am just looking deeper into it. With the ecoboost there is more than enough engine (skips the front wheels and forces AWD to do what it does best). The gas mileage I have been able to get up to 26 for a full tank while modulating/hypermiling which would mean ~30 or so on the 3.5L Duratec. (The listed highway mileage actually has a range in it look, some ranges are bigger). No other automaker’s interface in the price range matches that of what ford offers (as far as the Sirius TravelLink nav/SYNC). As far as driving like a “tank” it really doesnt. It’s extremely long and you’ll feel that, but in a corner, it has an initial roll in and then the swaybars kick in, if you’re confident in your moves, the car drives better than the sedans built by toyota and honda. The Jeep Liberty is obviously going to be much easier to drive because it is shorter and you have a higher outlook. If you are going to assess a car based solely on sticker price, there are some inherent flaws that you should consider:
Brand of car – Obvious, but Ford is building an incredible vehicle right now compared to the other three. I am a big Mopar fan, but I can admit, the Liberty is a vehicle that was concieved in the downfall of chrysler’s quality.
Age of vehicle model – You bought a 2009 car first year. the price is going to be high, the kinks are not going to be worked out, wait at least a year, if not two.
To think that the flex would have been a fuel efficient choice is rather illogical if you follow this:
“Flex Fuel” is actually a branded tagline to Chevrolet, the companies have their own efforts to use E85, thus, you will only find “Flex Fuel” branded on Chevys or any GM Product.
E85 was concieved by lobbyists that somehow underwrote that it be refined from corn, rather than any organic material, making it hard for production thus making it less desirable because the lack of supply.
And if (and I mean a big if) Ford worked with Chevy for the “Flex Fuel” branding, it’s no more efficient than normal gas, In fact, if the engine is tuned for 87, and has no way of identifying the effects of E85 (although it will run) it will be less efficient. The significance of E85 is the reduced pollution, and it’s a “renewable” source of energy. (Although it has been completely nerfed by the lobbyists who have narrowed it down to corn.)
Now I am sorry for coming in guns-ablazing, but to attack the vehicle for non-apparent weaknesses is a bit harsh. There are certain things to be expected when looking at a vehicle of larger size. By comparing a Liberty to a flex is like comparing a mini to a full size sedan. One is obviously much smaller, making it easier to drive. It’s not that you need a 4000lb+ vehicle to carry two dogs, it’s that you need a 4000lb+ car to carry two dogs in crates. I mean you could probably fit 4 95lb weimaraners in a ford mustang without feeling cramped, just don’t need the crates. If you just let it go that is when this car comes into it’s own. It is a vehicle so comfortable and so easy to drive that once you forget to start actively driving (I guess I am good enough to the point that handling women doing makeup and hand puppets for their kids while driving as if it were second nature, some people I beg you not to do this. Seriously) is when the vehicle becomes one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. It is one that you can put everything aside and just… drive. Not actively though, passively. You aren’t sitting there waiting to gun it at the light trying to get to point b, you just arrive there. And so does everyone else. Safely and happy. It is hard to make your passengers uncomfortable short of going crazy in the car. The responsiveness is plentiful, more than enough to prevent any accidents, It is rack and pinion so no bump steer, the car does not wander requiring little input. The gas is rather responsive, the engine revs up pretty high under normal acceleration, but after you introduce yourself to it, you learn that it wants you to take it out to 4-5k, it doesnt show any sign of hating you for it. If you are moving from a 90s carolla to this car, sure it will feel big, but coming from someone who drove a suburban back in the day (and a BMW 3 Series recently), this car doesnt feel big at all once you learn where it is. I would not suggest it if you are already a bad driver nonetheless.
2009-10-07 00:35:45