Just who was Ford aiming this at?
I was intrigued by the Flex when it was introduced in 2009.
Take this ’55 wagon…
Season it with this design flavor…
And you end up with something like this?
I went to the dealer to check out the Flex when it was introduced, and I was impressed. But I wasn’t in a position to buy a new car at the time.
It was a kind of a “retro custom” of a ’55 Ford station wagon design. Ford had earlier teased a car called the FortyNine, which was supposed to recall the first of the “shoebox” Fords of 1949. The styling was very smooth and clean. It was a coupe, but similar themes were incorporated into the Fairlane show car several years later. The Fairlane looked almost identical to the production Flex, except for the inclusion of “coach doors.” An interesting feature were the “ball-milled” grooves on the door panels, these recall the wood-sided panels of the vintage Country Squire, as well as the tailgate panel.
The hood, grille, and headlamps are very clean and custom-looking. The windows meet the body in a straight line.
I think that it looks a lot like a customized car.
Overall, the car resembled a Motorama show car in much the same way that ’60s Buick Rivieras looked like factory customs. Our car had recently suffered some minor parking lot damage that required the hood to be repainted. The replacement hood lettering was on backorder, but I preferred the cleaner appearance without the nameplate. I eventually got the lettering, but I’m keeping it stored away for when I sell or trade in the car.
Our Flex is bright Ingot Silver with a Shadow Black roof, grille bar, and tailgate panel. The windows are factory tinted and it rolls on glossy black 20 inch wheels. Ballin’ for sure!
Lots of room up front.
Possibly the best back seat in the business.
The Flex shares a FWD platform with the Explorer, but it has a five-inch longer wheelbase and is lower. It makes no pretense of being an off-road SUV, though AWD was an option. It has three rows of seating, with the second row having an especially spacious compartment. The third seat is a bit tighter, but it still has more passenger space than its Explorer sibling. In reality, the Flex is as big inside as an Expedition.
The Flex is most closely related to the Lincoln MKT. Both of these vehicles also offered a twin turbocharged V6 engine as an option. These were some of the first Fords to offer this type of engine.
The styling of the MKT is more polarizing than the Flex. I’ve heard it described as a cross between a Baleen whale and a hearse! I had initially wanted an MKT, but they are even harder to find than a Flex. I couldn’t locate a used one with low enough mileage to satisfy me (It had to have less than 50,000 miles).
Remember when 20 inch. wheels were a big deal?
Besides the conventional moon roof, it has a glass panel over the back of the roof.
There were two Flexs available at the dealer at the time, which was during the pandemic. A ’17 silver SEL model and an ’18 gray standard model. The ’17 had several options that we wanted, a full roof sunroof, Navigation, and a single disc CD player. I ain’t given up my CDs yet! Not to mention those 20’s. The ’18 model was lacking those things, so we went with the ’17. I will say that it’s a good-looking rig. Mileage was 30,000 at the time.
I preferred the standard V6 and FWD powertrain. I didn’t feel the need for turbos… yet. It’s got plenty of power (287 hp. with 254 lb/ft. of torque) and routine fuel economy is 22-24 mpg. in steady highway driving at 70 mph.
Our Flex has leather seating as well as all the goodies that make it a luxury vehicle, and it is very comfortable and well-assembled. Again, Ford paints their cars beautifully. But even as a very nice Ford, it doesn’t convey the feeling of an actual luxury vehicle, like its Lincoln brothers do. For someone like me, there is a difference.
The Flex is a great family and road trip car. I bought it because my old Explorer suffered a mechanical failure while my Wife and I, and our youngest daughter, were on our way to Riverside for a family emergency. It broke down in the high desert east of Pearl Blossom. Because of the pandemic, the tow driver would not give us a ride to our destination. Thankfully, our daughter was familiar with navigating Uber, and arranged for a ride the rest of the way to Riverside. We were lucky to be able to secure a rental car, which was also hard to get back then, for our trip back home. If you’re going to rent a car, why not get something that you are curious about? We rode home in a new, ’21 Mustang GT convertible. Making lemonade!
Once we were home we needed to secure a “new” vehicle quickly, as several more trips to Southern California were anticipated. A long term rental car was prohibitively expensive. Thus, the Flex.
We have taken it on our annual Oregon vacation, once with our adult children and their spouse and partner. I even rode in the third row for a few hours. It was only a bit cramped, and I’m a big guy. It’s the footroom that is tight, so don’t wear work boots. I was fairly comfortable, but I’m not used to being a passenger in any seat! We were able to cram all the luggage in the back, and my wife packs a lot of stuff for these trips!
One of the best things about the Flex is that it has adjustable foot pedals, This makes it easy to tailor the driving position to each individual driver. It’s especially helpful for shorter drivers. It also has a back up camera, cross traffic sensors, and those little yellow lights in the side mirrors that indicate that a vehicle is in your blind spot. Besides that, it has great outward visibility due to its design.
I haven’t been as enamored with the keyless entry/ignition and push-button starter, but it is easy to get used to the navigation system and backup camera. And then there’s that CD player.
I think that the styling hits the right retro notes.
The best way to describe the Flex is that it’s a lower, FWD, unit-construction, Ford Expedition. It’s pretty much the same overall size, but quite a bit lower. I can tell you that the Flex has as much inside space as my Navigator, but the space is allotted differently. The Flex favors the second row seat; it’s probably the most spacious second row of any mass market vehicle. My Navigator has a bit less room in the second row, but the third row has more legroom and is actually comfortable for adults.
Plenty of room without the second row folded down.
My Flex has the second row bench seat, which I prefer, because it provides for a flat load floor with the seats folded down. My criterion was that it had to accommodate a standard-size refrigerator.
The Flex, returns highway mileage that is consistently between 22-24 mpg. A point in its favor. I also thought that my wife would be more comfortable piloting the Flex.
To be honest, when you are considering a vehicle of this type, a mid to large SUV or CUV, you’ll find that gas mileage shouldn’t be the deciding factor. They all get similar mileage within a five mpg, range. It’s your needs that are going to be the deciding factor: If you need to tow a trailer or boat, if you need real off road 4×4 capabilities, or if you need a spacious and usable third row seat. These are the factors that will influence your decision. Like with any truck purchase, it’s always better, and easier to live with a vehicle that exceeds your needs, rather than one that falls short. If you have a fifty, or hundred mile or more, daily commute, you will probably be looking for something different. Or you might consider getting another vehicle specifically for that commute.
I have been quite satisfied with the Flex, it is very “Flexible” in filling whatever needs that I have. We have put almost 30,000 miles on it since we bought it in 2020. It currently shows just under 60,000 miles. Mileage is now accumulating at a much slower rate since then. My stable of hobby cars gets a lot of usage, and it’s going to be a long time before we reach 100,000 miles.
My plan is to keep the Flex as a long term family car. Hobby cars will come and go, but the Flex will remain.
This episode marks the end of my COAL series. We currently still own the F150 and the Flex. The ’07 Mustang is still in the family, and resides with our youngest daughter.
Daddy’s Home!
We discovered the Flex at our local dealer, they had a 12 on the lot and we drove it. We were not in the market for a new car at that time (we had our 4th or 5th Mopar minivan). Wife found a 2011 (actually 2 of them) one at a dealer in Raleigh NC who was willing to meet half way the other in Richmond VA. One in Raleigh had body damage that was popped on us at the last minute. I drove the 2005 Town and Country to Richmond with a pre-approved loan from my credit union and returned with a maroon 2011 Flex Limited. We like the middle of the second row refrigerator/freezer. We were so happy with it (I had owned a couple of Ford/Mercury wagons) that when a 2009 showed up in Norfolk VA, I traded in my long in the tooth 1994 Taurus LX on it. It has the factory tow package, but otherwise is pretty much the same as the 2011.
One of the worst things about the pandemic was being left stranded by tow trucks – from another guy who bought a new car because of COVID.
I thought these were great. Big car-height wagon with unapologetic boxiness and just enough design flair. This is about as straight-utilitarian as a vehicle can get and Ford went just far enough in making it a “nice” car. It’s a unique combination. Even more so with the optional 3.5 Ecoboost.
“It makes no pretense of being an off-road SUV”
Hence why it is no more. Shame.
Great COAL series, Jose. Well-written and fun to read. Please consider buying another hobby car or replacing one of your daily drivers so that we can continue to enjoy your weekly posts!
I always really liked the looks of the Flex, and was surprised they did not get used more in the “black car” livery business. They are certainly better looking than the Lincoln MKT.
Indeed, my first ride in a Flex was one in livery service. The four of us and a mountain of luggage rode from LAX to Santa Monica in quiet, spacious luxury during a Friday night rush hour. That second row is the most capacious of any vehicle I can think of.
IIRC, this was styled by seconded designers, led by David Saddington, from Land Rover back in the Ford ownership days…if so, it shows, in a good way.
If I’m wrong, I can be corrected.
Kris Tomasson was the lead designer.
We bought an ’11 FWD for the wife with the n/a 3.5L new, to replace an ’09 Escape that became too small after we added a couple small humans into our mix. We really liked it, but drving 100 miles a day for her commute and only returning 18-19 mpg got old when gas prices were rising. We went back to a cramped ’13 Escape and made do. By then we didn’t have to drag around as much baby paraphernalia. Great car, poor mileage. We’ve moved on to a ’21 F150 supercrew with the 2.7, and ironically it gets 21-22 towing our 19′ boat along with the 4 of us and a bed full of luggage…at least on the highway.
My son bought a Flex for his wife (and 2 kids). He’s been very happy with it. Has plenty of room and haven’t had any problems with it.
I like that you tied in to the Flex’s show car roots, which I was unaware of. While to the average person these may just look like a big flattened box, I (and obviously many others here) think it has very sophisticated styling with a lot of great touches. Ford at its best. When we were in Alaska last summer, I noticed a seemingly disproportionate number of Flexes with local plates, and also in Yukon and northern BC. Presumably AWD, but clearly a practical SUV alternative for snowy roads and long distances between towns.
I have always liked the Flex and have long admired its space efficiency, smooth, quiet ride, and supremely comfortable three-row seating. Had I been in the market for something with the Flex’s passenger-carrying capacity, it would have been at the top of my list. I don’t tow anything and have no bias towards body-on-frame versus unit-body construction, so the Flex would be perfect for my needs.
About that styling, though – it tends to polarize people along gender lines, with men appreciating the boxy shape and retro custom wagon look, while women tend to hate it, often likening it to the dreaded minivan. In my household, the Flex would have been a dead body proposition for my wife, as in “over my dead body…”.
Sorry to see this series come to a close, as I’ve appreciated your insights and story-telling ability. Thanks for your contribution!
The design inspiration for the Flex? It’s all too obvious what it really was. And let’s not forget that the Flex was based on the Fairlane concept, which came out in 2005, at the height of the xB’s popularity (and visual impact).
Here’s the shot from the rear:
Nice side by side front and rear photo comparisons between the Scion xB and the Ford Flex. The Ford Flex when they first came out really reminded me of an enlarged Scion xB. I bet that its no coincidence that both cars in the photo were also color coordinated in white as well. I like those photos.
Ford borrowed their already in-house Transit Connect design from Europe for their Flex
How did I miss that? The similarities are absolutely startling!
Don’t much like Fords. With that said, the Flex was Ford’s latest attempt at an un-minivan people mover by using the Scion xB as way of inspiration.
As others are stating, it wasn’t a bomb, either. I remember looking at one when they came out in 2009 and thinking the effort wasn’t bad. A simple, two-box design is, after all, about as practical as one can get, and the Flex was unique in that respect. The obscure, retro-nature (mainly the side-strakes) didn’t hurt, either. And Ford wisely offered AWD as an option on the Flex, too.
The Flex sold well enough up against the closest, quasi-station wagon competition like the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Vensa, but it’s a tough, high-center-of-gravity, CUV/SUV world in which to compete and not much of a surprise there was no replacement when the Flex’ run ended in 2019.
I very much enjoyed your perspective Jose and well written. When I first saw these I had two reactions. As lover of old cars, I was happy to see the return of the full size station wagon but wondered who would buy these when everyone was SUV happy? I also think the standard V6 has as much pep as the twin turbo. Picked up a 2011 MKS Ecoboost for my boss to compare his n/a 2009 MKS. We both felt little or no difference.
I didn’t like the styling of the Flex when it first came out, but it gradually grew on me to the point where I was genuinely sad when they discontinued it. For some reason they seem to be a lot more popular in Florida than they are New England, where the Explorer is king.
I am going to miss reading your COALs!
I always liked these, from the time they came out. I recall reading that they tended to sell to a fairly high-income demographic, and that would accord with where I would see them. I just saw one the other night and it occurred to me that I am not seeing them around like I used to, and wondered if they suffer from problems of aging more than some others.
Thanks for another great COAL series.
I guess we’re not going to hear about some of your project cars? I seem to remember reading in the comments about a big Jag and a couple of others.
From a practical, space utilization standpoint, I was highly impressed by these. Unfortunately, styling would play some factor in my purchase interest in a vehicle. And I found the styling too basic or dry for my tastes. Prefer, a bit more style.
Jose, thanks for this series; and to echo what others have said here, I hope to read more from you…and about your project cars in particular!
I would have bought one of these over an Expedition for sure. AWD with the 3.5L EcoBoost. The EcoBoost really shines when you are towing or running mountain passes. The N/A 3.5L is a very good engine choice as well. I had a 2010 3.5L Fusion Sport, it was no slouch, even in the mountains.
Now I know how Sally Field felt; “They like me, they really like me!”
Seriously though, if the readership enjoys my stories then I’m very satisfied. I do have a long series on my hobby cars in the works, and those cars are much more interesting than my regular COALS. I define a “hobby car” as an older car that I bought just because I liked it, as opposed to my “family cars” that I bought because we needed them. I would first like to submit my second series on my motorcycles; Cycles Of A Lifetime. These should be ready in a couple of more weeks. Thanks again.
Thanks Jose for an enjoyable series! Looking forward to the hobby cars!
Yes, Jose, please share more stories with us.
The Flex was a great car. They had one at the senior community where my parents lived, and it was used to transport residents to their appointments and shopping venues. I can’t imagine a better car for seniors. Adequate door openings, plenty of room, and the car was of a reasonable ride height, all which aided ingress and egress.
Their first Flex was used for nearly ten years, and gave reliable service. It was replaced by a new one – one of the last – around 2020. We rode in it once, but it never was “on call” for very long. It would be in service, then gone, then back, then gone. Until it was gone for a very long time, and a series of rental cars took over. Then a late model Toyota Sienna took its job. I don’t know what happened to that new Flex, but it clearly lacked something the first one had.
I still find them rather strange looking, but have a lot of respect for how useful the Flex was.
The Flex had a LOT to offer, that’s for sure. I just couldn’t get past the water trough look.
Agreed. I might go so far as to suggest that the Flex was a tightened-up Wagon Queen Family Truckster, maybe even akin to the smaller Sportmobile that Clark Griswold had originally ordered.
I too liked / disliked the exterior looks, good to hear they were good people haulers .
When first they came out we still had 6 foster boys and my Sweet wanted to buy one, I knew I’d be the one driving it and so got the old Mercedes W123 seven passenger station wagon instead .
The fact that the third row isn’t a penalty box is impressive .
-Nate
A great COAL series, thanks.
We always liked the looks of the Flex, it was on our list when we bought our last family hauler. As it turned out even used they were much more expensive than a comparable Dodge Caravan. Dutch pragmatism and cheapitude won in the end, we couldn’t justify spending more money for less interior space.
This was a nice car that suffered from an invisible name. Flex. Seriously? Hello marketing? Is anybody home? Why not Flea? Or Fart? They both start with F and are one syllable. Sometimes I think that marketing people only get into the business for the cocaine.
It was named after Jerry Hall’s conditioner.
We had a 2010 for a number of years. AWD, second row buckets (which was all I could find) and it did amazing service for us until we no longer had a need to haul 3 kids, friends dogs and all manner of other stuff around.
We put 150,000 kms on it with no major issues. It was a bit thirsty around town, as it was a large vehicle and AWD but was also amazing in the snow. It was a comfortable highway cruiser as well.
And as other commented, spacious. At 6’5″ I could get in and out of it easily, and the backseat was more spacious than my Super Duty crew cab. All in all a useful vehicle and nice to drive. It inspired a number of family and acquaintances to purchase one as well.
Thanks for your COAL series; I very much enjoyed it and will hope for some postscript series in the future.
I liked the look of these but lacked the money, or the need for such a large vehicle. Ford should have made a wood panel version as the Country Squire.I think they made a show car with wood or had a 3rd party do one. These made more senses than an SUV for people who need more towing capacity than a minivan, or whose self image required not a van.
I believe that the Flex is on a Volvo-derived platform. A Volvo grille and full-height rear taillights would make it even more a Volvo!
A good product that never found traction in the market. The new Hyundai Santa Fe looks an awful lot like Flex 2.0.
It was. It was on the D3/D4 platform, derived from Volvo’s P2 platform (gen. 1 S60, V60, V70, XC70 and XC90). Between that and all the Mazda-derived engineering Ford used on the smaller/midsize cars, they certainly earned their money’s worth out of their subsidiaries.
1. I went from hating and ridiculing the Flex to quite liking it. Among other things, it’s the only car in the D3/D4-platform brood to actually have good interior space. The other cars, particularly the Explorer, felt needlessly cramped for their footprints.
2. I had a 2014 Lincoln MKS, which was the sedan sister to the MKT. You ain’t missing much, on the interior materials. The MKS and MKT only felt like luxury cars if you hadn’t ever been inside of anything else. At best, they were mid-premium, and they made up for what they lacked with gimmicks. One of those gimmicks was touch-sensitive controls (also available, to a lesser extent, in the Fords), which were a mitigating factor in why I crashed and totaled my MKS.
3. I suspect that if these had been on any kind of RWD platform, even that of the antiquated Panther cars, they’d have been revered and coveted. Never mind that they were perfectly decent cars all on their own, especially with the EcoBoost and AWD.
4. Yours looks excellent. As a 2017, you’d also have SYNC3, which was a lot better than MyFord/MyLincoln touch, from various 2011/2015-ish Ford/Lincoln cars.
We still have our first-year (2009) Ford Flex, purchased new on 1-27-2009. I’m still as smitten with the styling of the Flex as I was the first day I say one. But there’s more to the Flex than its unique, timeless styling. We raised 5 kids with that car and it keeps on ticking with nearly 166,000 miles. Very spacious and good space utilization of its boxy body. Very durable — no seat rips or rust-through after 15 Wisconsin winters! And decent gas mileage for its size. It rides wonderfully and is very quiet. It has a nice heavy feel, like a big old Country Squire, but handles much better. I just can’t say enough good things about it. I’m just sad that Ford doesn’t make the Flex anymore — there just anything like it on the market now.