Overall, really terrific vehicle. Should all but replace the minivan and dominate that segment. Plus those who used to drive big SUVs and want hauling + towing capacity in a smaller vehicle are likely to find much to admire here.

• Vehicle looks good - more so with the full two-tone and 19" polished wheels. Should do for the minivan what the Mini Cooper did for subcompact cars: make them cool.

• Ride smoothness and quietness is absolutely top notch.

• Nicely appointed with convenience and creature comforts.

• With the front seats right to the bottom, you could practically seat a 7' tall person; headroom is incredible (the sunroof felt like it was a loooong way away).

• Interior quality is now on par with the best of the segment - lots of soft touch materials abound, and it is tastefully appointed with controls in logical places.

• Front seats are incredibly comfortable; interior is spacious all 'round.

• Folding second and third row seats are well designed; you can tell engineers spent time with this vehicle and mostly got their way.

• Easy entry and egress.

Gripes (very few):

• I don't know if the accelerator on my model was sticky, but I really had to press it hard off the line to get the pedal to physically move, and when it did, the Flex was a bit sluggish off the line. Once the RPMs build, however, there seems to be plenty of power for the purposes of this two-ton conveyance.

• Steering felt a tiny bit lighter than I would like, but this may be common to the segment.

• The sunroof - when open at highway speeds - is quite noisy. Maybe an accessory deflector might help with this.

• The power liftgate switch at the back is inside the vehicle. It would be better if it was built into the bottom of the door - like Mercedes and BMW do in their big sedans - so that people don't have to reach in to close the door. There is a safety interrupt system should an obstruction be detected, but it seemed a bit counterintuitive the way they designed it.

Overall a great vehicle. This is one of the first ones from Ford in a very long time that seems to have been built with very few (if any) compromises. It has style, functionality, class equaling (or exceeding) interior quality, all the requisite creature comforts, and a technology package (audio, NAV, sat and Sync) which surpass the competition. If Ford of North America continues to build all its domestic offerings with this level of style and attention to detail & engineering - and also brings over its coveted Euro models to fill out the rest of the lineup - the company should be in good shape.

 

Good review!

 

Agreed! Here's hoping 100K consumers a year share your sentiment, Hollywood.

 

great review!

 

Nice write up! I sat in one today (no time to drive it) and it was very nice. Lots o' room in there.

 

Its the only real station wagon on the road today IMO.

 

Glad to hear some first hand experience of the Flex. My local dealer has them sitting in the front of the lot, they look pretty stylish.

 

Sadly - in what can only be described as a desperate measure to counteract rising fuel prices and poor sales for SUV/CUVs - Ford has today cancelled the Flex.

 

They canned one shift because the overall market is in the crapper this summer. Lets not write it's obit just yet.