Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Ford
Ford Flex spied curbside
Click for gallery of additional spy shots
A reader Brandon sent in the shots you see here, which show that the Ford Flex is coming along fine. Parked curbside, this particular Flex is fully undisguised, but for reasons known only to Ford, it's not sporting its Flex badges. Yes, it's not scheduled to show up until next year as an '09 model, but still, we don't understand why automakers play coy like this with stuff they've already revealed. After all, the Flex was officially introduced in April at the New York Auto Show. Just badge these development rides all the way and get people on the street talking, already.
Anyway, the Flex snagged on the street looks just like what we eyeballed in NY. This one appears to be a model below the "Limited" trim, as it's got regular-looking wheels and a body-color rear gate and roof. The big Ford crossover will do battle with high-capacity people movers like the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave from GM when it finally shows up at dealerships.
Thanks for the heads-up and the photos, Brandon!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Brian Dreggors 11:45AM (7/16/2007)
Probably doesn't bear any badging because Ford's looking into a name change. Or should. I would. Flex is a horrible name for this car. What was wrong with Fairlane?
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toledo 12:04PM (7/16/2007)
I hope you are correct. From what I've seen so far, I like the looks of the vehicle, but I HATE the Flex name.
Alan Mullaly are you listening? HATE THE NAME!!!!! Even "Pinto" would be better than "Flex"....
Don 3:55PM (7/16/2007)
That thing is decidedly not as good looking as I first thought.
J.Crew 11:53AM (7/16/2007)
Good snag on the street, too bad no interior shots though. I spied a Caliber SRT4 in Windsor, ON with Michigan tags on it over the weekend. I was pissed I had no camera with me.
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Ninad 1:13PM (7/16/2007)
How about these?
Interior Shot
[URL=http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc001432bk3.jpg][IMG]http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/3055/dsc001432bk3.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Spoke to some Ford personnel. It is expected to ship with options including panoramic sunroof, dvd player etc. Build quality looked like it was better than on current Fords. Although the interior was quite good, the materials are still way off from matching german competitors.
The white plastic bottom part of the dashboard actually has a mesh-like finish.
Ninad 1:17PM (7/16/2007)
Correct Link:
http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc001432bk3.jpg
djhamel2 11:55AM (7/16/2007)
Wow, it's a lot bigger than I thought. The shot with the XC70 passing by on the street gives a good sense of scale.
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1337 11:55AM (7/16/2007)
Ford now SIX SUVs (okay, some of them are more wagons than SUVs)--Escape, Edge, Taurus X, Explorer, and Expedition. Ford needs to stop pouring so much money into these road hogs and to start investing in the development of a Focus replacement for the American market.
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1337 11:56AM (7/16/2007)
(Six not counting the new Flex, which has yet to hit showrooms.)
Tyk 12:08PM (7/16/2007)
Don't forget all the near identical Mercury and Lincoln variants...
... 12:09PM (7/16/2007)
that looks like 5 to me
ItGuy 12:37PM (7/16/2007)
For who? The 10 people who still buy the small deathtraps?
For many a midsize sedan or CUV with decent (25-30) MPG is what we need. I don't want to cram the family/dog/luggage into a Focus wagon. Now a Flex or Edge would fit the bill nicely.
psarhjinian 12:45PM (7/16/2007)
Now, to be fair, a Focus wagon would be safer (in the "rollover and accident avoidance" sense of the word) than any of the SUVs, while carrying more than the Escape or (possibly) the Edge. Build a Focus wagon on the newer platform, and it's probably about as safe as it's larger brethren overall.
Remember, while "normal" collisions are more common, rollovers and skids are more often fatal, and taller vehicles do kill more people per their percentage of collisions than smaller, lower ones do.
I like this, and I like the Edge, too. I'd still prefer an updated Focus wagon (or a Fusion wagon!) over either.
Elliott 12:45PM (7/16/2007)
4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Rav4, Sequoia, Sienna
I agree Ford should be hard at work on a new Focus, but I don't think the SUV/CUV is market that can be ignored either. Plus sources say you can wave goodbye to the Taurus X in a couple years.
EnviroBob 2:03PM (7/16/2007)
So let's see, Toyota has six SUV / CUV offerings, plus the three Lexus badge engineered versions, and that's acceptable. Ford has five, plus two Mercury and two Lincoln versions and that's too many. Hmmm...
john 6:10PM (7/16/2007)
How many SUV's do they have at the Toyota store. Let's count them everyone; 1. RAV4, 2. 4 Runner, 3, FJ Cruiser, 4, Highlander, 5 Sequia, 6. Land Cruiser.
Why crticize Ford for finally giving consumers what they want.
Let's see how Ford competes with each one:
RAV 4 vs Escape Competitive Battle each has it's plusses and minuses
4Runner vs Explorer Explorer handily beats it in features and packaging
Sequia vs Expededition No comparision, Expedition is better in virtually all area's including quality
Highlander vs Taurus X vs Edge As a seven passenger the Highlander probally beats the Taurus X until you compare prices, The Edge is far and away the only one with any style though
Land Cruiser vs Expedition The Land Cruiser is a high quality vehicle but it really is a niche vehicle, the Expedition beats it almost every catagory other then off-road and longgevity.
Mark 12:07PM (7/16/2007)
I saw an Echo Sport driving around dearborn a few weeks ago. Didn't have a camera at the time, but it was interesting to see. I wasn't sure of what it was when I first saw it, but I checked out Ford of Brazil's website and confirmed that was an Echo Sport. Guess Ford is trying out what it can from across the globe.
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iamhoff 1:22PM (7/16/2007)
The Eco-Sport, I think it's based off of the Fiesta platform. We see plenty of them running around here in San Diego with Mexico license plates.
ItGuy 3:02PM (7/16/2007)
Dono about the Focus wagon. We pack the cr@p into the wife's Escape. And at the dimensions of the Focus I doubt there would be much more load carrying capacity than the Escape. And people would be cramped in the back seat of a Focus.
Really am not concerned about rollovers and all that stuff. I've done my share of driving, including 80k in an Explorer with the Firestone Deathtrap Radials and am still here to tell the tale. Not to mention I've put about 30 of the 50k on the wife's Escape. Not once has either vehicle felt unsafe.
I just don't see people clamoring for small cars. Most want what they have now with better fuel economy.
That One Person 11:47PM (7/17/2007)
Yeah, I have the Eco-Sport a few times also.
Anyways, I wonder if this is the same black Flex I saw about two months ago. The one I saw must have just been washed and waxed and it looked damn nice.