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"I've seen this, I've driven this, and. . ." on by J G M
Pros: Blandly pleasant to drive
Cons: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Summary: IT'S A STATION WAGON. An insanely priced, moderately nice station wagon. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is a marketing huckster. As always, CNET's tech-focused reviews of cars make an interesting contrast to reviews in "real" car magazines, but for this kind of money there are many many nice alternatives.
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"A Solid Family Vehicle" on by Bridges42
Pros: Excellent leg-room for all passengers. Comfortable seats. Good highway mileage. Above-average sound system. Little-to-no road noise. Solid construction. Handles well in snow-ice. Flexible cargo options. Heated 2nd-row seats.
Cons: Braking feels weak. Gas mileage is less than stellar driving in-town.
Summary: Overall, my wife and I are very happy with our purchase. She is not especially fond of mini-vans, but wanted a vehicle, which offered the seating capacity and flexibility generally offered by mini-vans. I was seeking a vehicle we could drive year-round in the brutal winters of Illinois, tow a trailer if we needed, and provided better gas mileage than the average SUV. The Flex is one of only a few vehicles that could meet those requirements. Other vehicles we considered were the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia.
Both the Enclave and Acadia had features, which were superior to the Flex; HOWEVER, to get the same features we got on the Flex vs the other vehicles ended up making the final price of the Flex the lowest cost solution. For those who are interested in those differences, I recommend visiting www.truedelta.com, where you can compare specific models of cars, as well as the optional packages provided.
Our Flex was a program vehicle and already had almost 5000 miles on it. The same day we purchased it, I drove it from Portland, OR to Chicago, IL in 2-1/2 days. I can honestly say 2100 miles of driving in 30 hours gives you a good idea if the vehicle is going to be comfortable on family vacations. It is very comfortable! From Western Oregon through Wyoming, I drove through a pretty nasty snow storm and the AWD handled very well through the mountains in pretty treacherous conditions. Going up through the mountains, I averaged 18.5 mpg. Coming out of the mountains through Nebraska, I averaged almost 24 mpg. Needless to say, over the course of my 2100 mile trip, I averaged 21.5 mpg.
One thing I learned quickly about the Flex is that you forget you're not driving a car until you need to brake suddenly. At that point, you're reminded the vehicle weighs as much as an SUV, so it increases the stopping distance. Once you adapt your driving style from a car mentality to an SUV mentality, the braking becomes less of an issue. It's not a big deal. Also, using the refrigeration console DOES have an impact on your gas mileage. I'm not sure it makes sense to keep a 50-cent can of soda cold while it bogs down your gas mileage 2 mpg. Just sayin'.
The Flex's technology features are SWEET. Connecting my iPhone by BlueTooth or by USB makes syncing my music and phone contacts very easy. I was amazed at what the SYNC system is capable of doing. For some phones it will actually read your text messages out loud! Ridiculous! There is a bit of a learning process, but once you figure out the basic commands of the SYNC system, you can find your way around pretty intuitively. By voice, you can control the phone, media, climate, radio, navigation, and jukebox. The jukebox allows you to record around 2000 songs from CD's, or by downloading music from your MP3 player. I've already recorded 3 CD's into the jukebox. You simply insert a CD and hit the "Record" button. Once recorded, you can play your CD in another car.
For those who are considering the Flex, I hope this helps. Peace!
Our Flex LTD AWD has the following options: Tow Package, 2nd-Row Bucket Seats, 2nd-Row Refrigerated Console, Navigation System, Family Entertainment/DVD System, Remote Start, Vista Roof, Ambient Lighting Package. -
"BEST SUV (Crossover) I HAVE OWNED!" on by marksandel
Pros: -Its a ford
-sync
-Sirius travel link
-amazing ride
-I can go on and onCons: -... gas mileage??(even though its good for its size and quality)
Summary: The best SUV/Crossover I have ever owned. A friend of mine liked it so much that he purchased one not to long ago and loves it! This summer my family and I drove from Chicago to Pigeon Forge Tennessee and enjoyed the amazing ride! Its been almost a full year with the Flex, and I have had NO PROBLEMS with it. If you are ready to purchase THE BEST SUV/CUV you ever have owned....Pick this one!!!
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"Perfect Family Vehicle" on by detamt
Pros: Unique styling, beautiful interior, great highway gas mileage. Good value at lower trim levels.
Cons: Unique styling. Can get expensive at higher trim levels.
Summary: I just bought one. Traded in our Honda Odyssey. The Honda was nice, but the minivan was getting old and wanted something more unique. You can get it nicely equipped for around 30-33k. Watch out for options as the price can escalate quickly. The interior is exceptional. I found there not many 24mpg family vehicles as large as this (some minivans being an exception) with the level of quality exhibited throughout. Usually not a Ford person, but they hit it out of the park with this one.
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"Awsome. We love the vehicle." on by mnichols6556
Pros: Great family hauler plus lots of cool tech toys. Most comfortable highest quality car we've ever had.
Cons: It's all good.
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