At least we had hoped that they would have been. It seems that Ford might be bringing back the faux wood paneling on to the new Ford Flex. This photo of the new Flex was taken by one of the many spy photographers.

It looks like Ford was serious when they said that they wanted to ‘redefine’ the look of the Flex – but we think that this might not be their best idea. Let’s hope this is just a way to kick us off their scent.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

These trim levels will all start off with a price tag higher than $30,000. Ford built the Flex as a six to seven seater CUV that will come in front wheel drive or all wheel drive configurations. The AWD Flex Limited is expected to be $37,255 before any of the special options have been added on to it.

Ford is taking a big risk with this pricing and is hoping that all of the marketing that they have been working on for weeks will pay off in the end. They will depend on that and the satisfactions of their customers to get them through this and to kick start the 2009 Flex into a vehicle worth having.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

Sources say the Flex will bow first, allowing it to have its moment in the sun before the Lincoln version is added to the lineup, perhaps a year later. It is in keeping with a strategic plan going forward to place more emphasis on the Lincoln premium brand than on Mercury. At the recent L.A. auto show, Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, said Lincoln will take over as the volume piece of the Lincoln Mercury franchise.

“We won’t walk away from Mercury,” Fields said, but “we have higher aspirations for Lincoln.” He notes November retail sales for the brand were up for the 14th consecutive month. Mulally tells us Mercury is doing fine, and the focus needs to be on Lincoln. The luxury brand might also be a better nameplate for the new large crossover, he adds.

Lincoln has its new flagship MKS sedan set to go on sale next fall with Ford’s new 270-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 under the hood. The Lincoln will be the first to offer the automaker’s new direct-injection technology when a turbocharged V-6 is added to the MKS for 2010 to provide the power of a V-8 without the corresponding fuel-economy penalty.

Meanwhile, the name Flex will stick for the Ford version, Fields insists, saying it “researched well.” Our vote is to return to the Fairlane name that graced the original concept. The automaker also invited journalists to see its new quality center at the Rouge complex where more than 1000 workers from the Dearborn truck plant will be trained to assemble the redesigned 2009 F-150 prior to launch. The pickup will be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

This is a vehicle that seeks to change the way that you and I think about Ford by being thoroughly thought out, pleasantly executed and different enough to generate strong opinions, all of which took place on the show floor. The Flex is that it’s a luxury large crossover vehicle (GMC Acadia/Hyundai Veracruz-sized) that is based off the architecture that underpins the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

It receives the same Duratec 35 engine and six-speed automatic transmission that powers the ovoid two-row crossovers, and will be available with all-wheel drive. The Flex will beassembled at Crossover Central, otherwise known as Oakville, Ontario, alongside the Edge and MKX. With that out of the way, let’s have a closer look at this interesting new Ford.

The Ford reps chuckled at the thought of whitewall tires, chrome wheel caps and faux wood exterior trim with a surfboard on the top, but you’d better believe that a customizer somewhere has blueprints ready. The most impressive aspect of the Flex is the detailing of the head and tail lamp bezels. Their complexity is at a level some would have never expected to see from a regular Ford production car.

Where the exterior may evoke memories of long-distance travel in thefamily station wagon, the interior is as much a delight for kids as it is for techno-savvy buyers. Immediately, all eyes will fall on the swooping center console that borrows much from Volvo’s S40/V50, especially the slick multimedia navigation system. If the interface and menus are as stylish as they are on this demonstrator, you can easily see Ford’s system becoming a favorite for auto critics and owners alike.

Many of the quality and innovation changes that Ford pledged to make on future carscan be found on the Flex. It’ll have a capless fuel filler system like the Ford GT, eliminating the screw cap on the fuel tank, and a panoramic roof that provides light for all three rows of passengers. The Flex also has a proper refrigerator mounted in the second row between the seats that can chill drinks faster than the fridge in your kitchen.

While the feature content of this crossover is just about unbeatable, the best part about Ford’s new direction is how serious the brand is on improving the ambiance of the interior. Soft mood lighting is great to have in any car, but the ability to change colors is even cooler. Likewise, the ice blue backlighting of the instruments is better than the harsh, eerie green and red of past. Though the Flex wasn’t a fully finished production car, it gave a resoundingly positive impression for the materials used, the tight tolerances and improved fit and finish.

Even as a crossover, the Flex does not have any issues carrying more than five passengers; the third row is usable by people six feet in height. Access to that third row isn’t bad either, thanks to a power tilt and tumble second row, but because of the Flex’s low-ish profile, crouching is necessary. Otherwise, the rearmost row is far from the child-only seating areas of an XC90, a Q7 or an X5; even with the second row bench at its most rearward position, there’s a good amount of knee room and under-seat foot room.

For Ford, its experience with the minivan can probably be likened to the vitality of a doornail, but nevertheless the spirit in comfort and practicality lingers on heavily in the Flex. I don’t know if the Flex is going to redefine what a people-mover should be in the same way that the Dodge Caravan did in the minivan sector, but it will definitely get more people thinking about different ways to move a family around while avoiding a conventional SUV or minivan. Too bad we’ve got to wait until summer of 2008 before getting a chance to slip behind the wheel.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

Ford displayed a vehicle customized by Funkmaster Flex in New York, but that was an Expedition. The only explanation we can think of is that the Flex offers a great range of interior flexibility, but in this the Flex is no better than many three-row crossovers and certainly offers nowhere near the interior adaptability of the minivans that Ford dropped from its lineup.

This is a vehicle whose looks we get excited about. A nearly perfect doppelgänger for the Fairlane concept shown at the Detroit show in 2005, the Flex sits ramrod upright, with four strakes along its flanks, tinted glass all around, and a body-color top or a Mini-esque contrasting top that will be available in white or silver. A brushed-metallic appliqué spans the liftgate on Limited models; lesser Flexes make do without.

Predictably, Ford’s corporate three-bar grille treatment is tattooed on the square nose. The overall look of the Flex is somewhere between stylish cube van and jumbo Mini but will be mistaken for nothing, except for the as-yet-unnamed Lincoln version of the Flex, which we expect to surface soon with a 3.7-liter V-6.

The Flex’s originality ends with the sheetmetal, as there are only so many ways to put seven seats (six with the optional second-row buckets) into a vehicle. Thanks to the upright stance, interior space and visibility are optimized. Two available sunroofs, a traditional one over the front seats and a jumbo fixed panel over the rear seats, brighten the interior. An interesting retro touch is the faux tweed on the base Flex SE’s seats.

Instead of leather seat inserts, which could snag the hearts and earnings of pipe-smoking English professors everywhere, the base trim has miniature houndstooth patches instead. On upgraded trim levels, the seats are wrapped in leather. Mechanically, there is nothing new about the Flex. It shares its running gear with the Edge, with the same 3.5-liter V-6 likely producing the same 265 horsepower connected to the same six-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive will be standard, all-wheel drive optional.

In 2008, Ford will bring to market its TwinForce V-6. Although not confirmed for use in the Flex, Ford has said a V-8 won’t be offered, so it’s logical to assume the TwinForce will be the optional engine at some point. This direct-injection twin-turbo gasoline engine will produce more than 320 horsepower and have fuel economy nearly as good as a diesel producing similar power.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!