Ford’s Flex

[BGCarrera32]

DOA and the sales numbers reflect it. Hood is too long for soccer moms used to minivans.

[Oracle]

I really like the style! I went to the dealership to get some papers and saw this Flex in the showroom and I'm really impressed.. I wish I had the money!
It was the top of the line.. really nice. I'll consider this car when its time to buy the family Van..

[dd74]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Here's a Ford that gets 65 mpg that won't be available in the US.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_37/b4099060491065.htm

Great article, Terry. I was actually hopeful to see a return of the Fiesta, but I guess it's now a moot point. This stood out to me:

Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. "Americans see hybrids as the darling," says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, "and diesel as old-tech."

If Americans had a taste of diesel, I guarantee the Prius would go under within a year. Zero emissions by 2009, and enough torque in most mid-sized cars to pull a jet airplane, while (for example, the BMW 335d) 0-60 speeds of less than 6 seconds, all while getting (in the case of the Mercedes E-series diesel) 39 mpg in a city/highway cycle, Prius cars would pop up everywhere on used car lots.

However...

First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn't believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.

...true as this may be, it's extremely short sighted. Because of the benefits of diesel inasmuch as power, economy and overall speed, those qualities far outweigh the initial cost of buying a diesel. Even in Europe diesels are more expensive than their gasoline counterparts by an average of $1,500. Nonetheless, diesels still account for 70 percent of new car sales because of their overall value, performance, government tax breaks in some countries (like Croatia), and diesel fuel is about half that of gas.

A side note, yes, the Fiesta diesel engine is built in Britain. The Honda Civic R-Type, which revs to something like 9,000 RPM, is also built in Britain, but not imported to the U.S., mostly because of the weak dollar. If the Civic R were brought here, I think it'd cost almost $50K.

[svandamme]

so ford took a Range Rover, and made it hump a New Mini Clubman?
did they sack the designers and adopted biologists instead...

"
HMM, that one has a strong hind quarter
and that one has a good heart

let's put em to gether and turn on Barry White"

[dd74]

Originally Posted by svandamme

so ford took a Range Rover, and made it hump a New Mini Clubman?
did they sack the designers and adopted biologists instead...

"
HMM, that one has a strong hind quarter
and that one has a good heart

let's put em to gether and turn on Barry White"

Given that, maybe breeding race horses and Labradoodles are in Ford's future...

[Jim Richards]

did I mention it has 10 cup holders?

[BReif61]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

did I mention it has 10 cup holders?

For what, the 7 people it holds?

I see Ford hasn't gotten much better at math.

[FastCarFan]

From the first time I heard it I thought it was a strange name for a car. I know they are trying to imply that it is flexible for different uses, but I want a car that is stiff & doesn't flex. It immediately made me think it would flex, which would not be good in a car.

I also think it looks like a hearse.

I wish Ford well -- it could use a marketplace hit (& I mean "hit" in the positive sense -- it has had plently of hits in the negative sense).

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

I think the Flex is one of the neatest looking vehicles to come from the US in a while.

It's better than the Freestyle, which kind of flopped as an exercise in overly conservative styling .

Compare:
http://www.leasetrader.com/2005_Ford_Freestyle_SE_Sport_Utility_111513.xhtml


http://www.auto123.com/en/ford/focus/?make=Ford&carid=1081802701&model=Focus

[onewhippedpuppy]

I give them credit for being unique. But 24 MPG and not as much room as a minivan.......death. Minivans have lots more room and get better MPG. Crossover SUVs get the same MPG, have equal room, and are more hip (if you're a soccer mom).

Why is it that my '95 BMW 540/6, a big luxury car with a 280 HP 4.0L V8, got 25 MPG, but 13 years later Ford actually does WORSE with a 260 HP V6?

[serge944]

Because the flex weighs 4500lbs!

It perplexes me that a new z06 with 500hp gets better mpg than my 200hp Range Rover.

[MichiganMat]

Originally Posted by serge944

Because the flex weighs 4500lbs!

It perplexes me that a new z06 with 500hp gets better mpg than my 200hp Range Rover.

The engine design isn't 40 years old. (I have a DiscoII)

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I give them credit for being unique.

eeh, are you looking at the same thing? what part of that car is unique?

it looks like a flattened/chopped Range Rover, or a a Clubman that got inflated in a square box

It ain't ground breaking design now is it?

[RWebb]

wt. has a lot to do w/mpg

the Flex is based on looks of an old Woody Wagon -- updated with the popular box look - it isn't for me,

BUT... the 10 cup holders do afford room to load a 911 motor

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by svandamme

eeh, are you looking at the same thing? what part of that car is unique?

it looks like a flattened/chopped Range Rover, or a a Clubman that got inflated in a square box

It ain't ground breaking design now is it?

Sometimes ugly = unique. I suppose a case can be made that the Pontiac Aztec was "unique". Though I don't lump the Flex in with the Aztec, which is the ugliest vehicle ever created. Personally, I think the Dodge Magnum is a much cooler looking hot-rod wagon. Plus, you can get the 350 HP Hemi V8 and still get the same 24 MPG as the Flex. WTF?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It looks to me like it's just another "SUV" (an overpriced, rebodied pickup truck with crappy gas mileage), just with a white roof and without 4WD capability.

In other words, I see NO innovation of any sort in this. Zip. Zero. Nada.

More "Big 'n Dumb" from Detroit. What a shocker.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by MichiganMat

The engine design isn't 40 years old. (I have a DiscoII)

They're not still using the Buick Wildcat block are they? I thought that all changed with the BMW/Ford buyouts.

[Dave L]

When I was at Ford the other week I thought it was a Mini for the "large" american public.