2010 Ford Flex Review

[David]

So I spent the last two weeks of Dec 2009 in Kauai. Upon my late arrival at the airport with the family and kids in tow, I headed off to the Hertz Rental desk. Being a large group of people getting off the bus and pulling luggage, I told the wife and kids to get everything and I would go grab the car since I had a gold membership, so it should be instally ready.

WRONG, Some how HERTZ LOST my info and did not have a car on their reader board, so off to the desk I went to talk to the lady. She reviewed the reservation, due to budget I had taken an Impala for the 5 of us. All adults she realized as the wife and kids walked in with the luggage in tow. Since things were messed up, she appologized and said they had a Ford Explorer ready and would give that to me instead plus it would be more roomy for us with our Luggage. Once the paper work was done, I left with the keys in hand and the license plate number and the parking slot number. Was supposed to be right outside to the left she said.

I walked out with the family and of course my wife and kids said they did not see an explorer anywhere. I looked at the license number and looked up to see that the first slot matched the number she gave me and so did the license plate number and it was a white diamond AWD Ford Flex. My wife was not sure at first as she was looking forward to the explorer, yet we opened the door and to quote my daughter "This smells brand new".

Yup, the vehicle I ended up having for two weeks was a brand new 2010 Ford FLEX AWD with only 8 miles on the speedo.

First thing noticed was the third row seats which only left enough space for 4 full size luggages, but once I figured out the straps, was able to fold the seats into the floor and BOOM TONS of space for everything and no blockage of the rear window from the drivers seat. Once in the car, I took a few minutes to get aquainted with the lay out.

2010 Ford Flex AWD

White Diamond Paint job

18" Rims with basic street tires

Leather interior

MSFT Sync Stereo

From what I could tell, it had everything except the nav with backup camera and the big sky roof. Otherwise power everything and the kids loved that the back seat would recline. They took numerous naps after a busy day from snorkeling to surfing.

For the first time in 20 plus years, this ford which had not grabbed my attention for exterior style did grab my attention due to the large amount of room inside and over all easy to use layout including the Sync system that kept track of 3 Zunes and an Ipod. Great that I could plug in any of the devices and it remembers where each one left off. Plus have to love the voice control, great way to change around music depending on mood.

Positives:

Large interior room

Reclining 40/60 middle seat

Fold into the floor 50/50 third seat.

Power up and easy push button close on the rear door. Great part is that you can open it via the fob and grab stuff, close it and walk away as it stays locked.

Gas Door is also suction sealed so no gas cap to remove, easier to fuel and cleaner. Wife and daughter loved it.

AWD Performed amazing and especially on sand as we took it out onto the dunes in the west side at Barking Sands which is a 7 mile long beach and we did not get stuck ever.

Adjustable steering system was very flexible to adjust as being 6'6" tall I had the seat all the way back and still had a complete clear view of the dash.

Best yet is the rear room with the seat all the way back allows even me to sit behind the seat and still have about 3 inches before my knees hit the back of the chair.

Due to no sun roof / sky roof I had tons of head room.

Rear Climate control was loved by the kids who are always colder than me so they controlled their own heat and AC as needed.

Steering wheel controls are great, easy layout and user friendly.

Bottle / pop can holders in each door plus two in the center section for both front and middle seats. Third row only has them on the outside, no middle.

Ton's of places to stuff things. I doubt anyone will not find a handy place to store things.

Engine, was wisper quite except under hard acceleration, then you have a pleasent growl.

Avereaged 18 MPG for this new baby.

Negatives:

Over all fit and finish is better than past fords but still needs help.

While adjusting the wifes seat belt loop on the side B Pillar, the plastic cover popped off in my hand. Took a few minutes to get it back on. Very cheap looking and poorly designed.

Brakes, For a brand new car, it always stopped for me, but I believe it either had a warped rotor or one of the calipers what not properly clamping down as you braked as the car pulsated the whole time when ever you braked. We were not sure what it was the first couple days but clearly figured it out as we drove it. Since they were short on auto's, I drove it as is and wrote up a ticket on it upon turn in so it could be addressed before they rented it out to another person.

Rear Backup sensors. They do a great job, but there is no clear backup lights or scale or anything other than the noise to indicate how close you are. The beeps get faster as you get closer and end with a solid wale noise to indicate you are 12" from hitting something. As the wife pointed out, if you are deaf, you will always hit something as you can not hear the noise.

Final over view:

Over all my family and I were very impressed with the car. It served us well, took care of our music needs and was roomy so that no one ever complained. There are many small touches that I believe were designed by female engineers that my wife liked. From the gas door seal to the low fuel notice that tells you how many miles you have left before you run out. You will find plenty to like about this car. My kids all wished it was about 3 to 6 inches higher. Hopefully someone will look at designing a lift kit as this car in AWD is an amazing vehicle.

Due to some of the poor fit and finishes, I do not know if they have a luxury version in Lincoln but I would look there to find something as I would want a bit nicer interior for myself and the wife. The kids thought it would make a great basic car for going to the beach and up to the mountains to snowboard.

I am sure there are other things I will remember about the experiance and will post it as I remember. If you have any questions fire away.

Very Tan and back in Seattle!

[PurdueGuy]

Sounds pretty nice! How would the 3rd row be for adults? That seems to be the one thing that really sticks out for me comparing my Suburban to anything else with 3 rows - the 3rd row in a Suburban is very comfortable for full sized adults. I've never sat in anything that was anywhere close.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm going to move this into the C&G Drives forum

[daves87rs]

Sounds good!

[regfootball]

there must be a lot of Flex rentals or unsold Flex's that went back as corporate cars and resold at the auctions because the used Flex listings are vast.

When i got our taurus X last year the Flex had just come out. I really liked the Flex, the Taurus X is pretty much the same vehicle. So far our Taurus X has been great and has averaged about 20mpg. I wanted a Flex at that time but because they were new they were pricey and they still kind of are. My used T-Rex was well over 10 grand cheaper.

How I thought the Flex differed from the Taurus X, the Flex interior obviously is more comfortable and has more leg room, nicer interior. The Flex has greater outward visibility. The Flex rides a bit taller, feels heavier and slower (not that much just noticeable), the Flex doesn't steer as quick or feel as athletic. However, its quieter and more vault like. Many of the features are the same. Overall its still a tremendous ride and handling for such a family type vehicle.

Where the Taurus X feels like it has enough gusto with the non turbo v6, the Flex i felt on my test drive could use a bit more punch.

All around though, the Flex is a great people mover. It really lacks the cargo capability of a minivan which is too bad but honestly i think the Flex is a better people mover than the minivans are.

The Flex still drives better than the Lambdas. Might be a tish slower, but not as ponderous or top heavy.

I am certain the ecoboost Flex takes care of the power and handling concerns. I would really love to trade my Taurus X for a white/tan ecoboost Flex. The MKt is a really nice vehicle too FWIW. After seeing the new Edge interior for 2011 I can only hope those upgrades make it to the Flex for 2012 and maybe by then there will be a used ecoboost Flex that will be priced enough so mere mortal like me could spring for it. LOL.

Sounds like it was the perfect vehicle for the trip.

Flex is an Automobile magazine all star this year.

Edited January 8, 2010 by regfootball

[Lamar]

Due to some of the poor fit and finishes, I do not know if they have a luxury version in Lincoln but I would look there to find something as I would want a bit nicer interior for myself and the wife.

Lincoln MKT. Same basic vehicle, but much different exterior.

[David]

Sounds pretty nice! How would the 3rd row be for adults? That seems to be the one thing that really sticks out for me comparing my Suburban to anything else with 3 rows - the 3rd row in a Suburban is very comfortable for full sized adults. I've never sat in anything that was anywhere close.

3rd row is actually not bad, my kids are 5' 8" tall and had no problem sitting back there. I was able to get back there also but at 6' 6" tall I would be fine for 30 min to an hour drive but would not want to be back there for long drives.

[David]

All around though, the Flex is a great people mover. It really lacks the cargo capability of a minivan which is too bad but honestly i think the Flex is a better people mover than the minivans are.

While not as big inside as a MiniVan or full size van, once you fold down the 2nd row, you really do have enough room to fit in a Love seat or pretty much any other mid size furniture or even a full size couch but would have to leave the back door open. It really does have some great room inside.

Sounds like it was the perfect vehicle for the trip. YES, It really did us well for the trip.

Flex is an Automobile magazine all star this year. Yes it is and with their top line engine in AWD mode it really did move. This is coming from a guy that drives a suburban with a 505HP, 551 Torque that sucks premium.

Lincoln MKT. Same basic vehicle, but much different exterior.

Thanks Lamar, I am going to go check the MKT out. I do like the new interiors and interface much better.

[regfootball]

where the flex and taurus x are deficient in terms of cargo are the width of the hatch opening and cargo area, the depth of the well when the third row is up, or the height of the cargo area when the third row is laid flat. the flex and trex probably have identical or close to it cargo area dimensions. I would be surprised if you could get a couch in there, i really don't think its possible. the height of the cargo area decreases moving towards the front of the vehicle, and i don't think the hatch opening is big enough in width or height to accept it anyways. Maybe a really small narrow couch, like a futon.

but its just not that often one hauls a couch in their vehicle. i did manage to put the xmas tree in the car this year. 2 feet to spare once i folded the front passenger seatback down.

You're not gonna get a sheet of plywood in the Flex. I think the lambdas accomodate plywood. I really think a vehicle's 'trip to home depot' ability takes a major hit if you can't get plywood in it. My aztek will accept plywood, one caveat, with the tailgate down but at least the top part / hatch is covered.

minivans still own the utility quotient.

Edited January 8, 2010 by regfootball