OK, so Ford is still affixing the dreaded and meaningless "crossover" label to the Flex, but we're going to call it a station wagon - and it's the most faithful rendering of the genre to come from Detroit in over a decade.
Introduced just moments ago by J Mays (who then proceeded to stand directly in front of the vehicle for the remainder of the press conference), the Flex has a wide, long and generally low-slung appearance in person if not in photos - or maybe we're just used to the too-tall profiles that define most of the two-box shapes currently on the market. Concave strakes break up what might otherwise be an excessively slab-sided appearance, a metallic silver insert on the power rear liftgate compliments the three-bar front grill, and the two-tone paint of the displayed prototype couldn't be more appropriate. Inside, passengers get one-touch folding second and third row chairs along with a mid-mounted fridge, while the driver obtains information from a blue-backlit instrument panel.
Plenty of folks have opined that the Flex should be called the Fairlane, and while we don't disagree with that, we'd like to go one step further (and perhaps a step too far?) and suggest that it be called the Country Squire. On second thought, scratch that truly horrible idea.
I also like the option of a built in fridge. It reminds me a little of the Scion Xb, although bigger and more pleasing to the eyes.
Reply With Quote