Filed under: SUVs, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Canada
Ford begins production of the Flex
On one end, General Motors is announcing its intention to wind down SUV and truck production, while at the other, Ford is just gearing up production of a vehicle that's plenty large in its own right. Ford Flexes are now beginning to roll off the line in Oakville, Ontario, and the plant even has plans to bring on new hires in order to meet production demands. Considering the current rise of gas prices, one might think Ford's boxy people carrier will quickly meet its demise. However, despite its full size stature, room for seven humans and a few cold drinks, the Flex doesn't attack your gas budget like Cookie Monster on a binge. Its 3.5L V6 engine gets a respectable 24 mph on the highway, assisted by a high-tech six-speed automatic transmission. Down the road, when the Flex is available with a turbocharged direct injection Ecoboost option, its fuel economy should raise a bit more.
Gallery: 2009 Ford Flex
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
boulderhorn 8:40AM (6/05/2008)
i guess i haven't been following the development of this car closely enough, but it is a lot bigger than i thought it was going to be. I was hoping for something with a bit better gas milage but i guess we'll have to wait for the newer engine.
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Don 9:44AM (6/05/2008)
Just what we need! More giantassed SUVs! Way to go Ford!
Torrent 11:04AM (6/05/2008)
What's weirder is the 2009 Chevy Traverse is even bigger, but only by a few inches. Either way, it's still Big as hell. but'll still get 24 MPG Estimated.
PJ 4:04PM (6/05/2008)
It's big, but it still represents a pretty big step from Ford's current offerings in this segment (whose sales, given America's love affair with no-fun barges, will probably never dry up).
The Flex is proportionately huge *inside,* unlike an Explorer or Expedition, and there's no step up to enter. There's no huge driveline hump. The squared-off roofline increases cargo capacity.
Minivan strengths, in other words. We'll see, though, if Americans really prefer those strengths in a giant-Scion-xB wrapper over a minivan wrapper.
rodan32 8:45AM (6/05/2008)
Hey Merritt - should be 24 mpg, not 24 mph. Definitely looking forward to this thing, though. Looks almost like the return of the wagon.
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Yaroukh 8:46AM (6/05/2008)
Good luck, Ford!
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Steve_S 8:48AM (6/05/2008)
People still need mini-vans or mini-van substitutes, it’s the tow 8,000lb SUV’s they didn’t need in the first place. If you have a horse, boat or something else that requires a big truck/SUV then by all means but your average soccer mom does not.
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Alex 8:58AM (6/05/2008)
Agreed. The mini-van is not popular in the states right now, but there are still families that need or think they need the capacity. This vehicle does as well as the Quest or Sienna and better than the Caravan in terms of MPG.
Good luck Ford.
Buckus 8:54AM (6/05/2008)
at 24MPH on the freeway it should get excellent fuel economy...just don't expect it to go very fast.
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Disgruntled Goat 10:10AM (6/05/2008)
Yea, 24mpg HIGHWAY. That's great. If you average 18mpg combined in typical driving you'll be doing really well. Not sure I'd call that excellent but I guess compared to averaging 14 in a Tahoe it's not too bad.
Ford should be beginning production on some cool small sedan or some new hybrid but instead they're launching yet another SUV into the teeth of $4/gallon gas. Good job Ford, way to build shareholder value.
Torrent 10:59AM (6/05/2008)
Hey goat: You're thinking 14 MPG CITY in a Tahoe... and 24 MPG HWY in a Flex. Flex prolly gets 15 MPG City.
That One Person 4:50PM (6/05/2008)
Goat...your prayers will be answered within the near future. They are called the Fiesta and Fusion Hybrid.
FrankTheCrank 8:58AM (6/05/2008)
Yay!! Another gas guzzler!! Woooo!!! Just what we need.
You know what should be rolling off the assembly plant, an all electric vehicle that gets a range of about 80+ miles a day on a single overnight charge and sells for $25K.
If we can put a damn rover on the planet Mars that runs on solar power....why the f*ck can't we build a vehicle that does not use petro?
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nadnarb 9:04AM (6/05/2008)
Ok so a vaible alternative to a gas guzzling SUV comes out and you complain. So what would you like a family with more than 2 kids do, ride tadem bikes. Oh I know maybe they should float to their destination on dreams and lollipops.
Syslik 9:06AM (6/05/2008)
I'm Sorry.... 80+ miles on an overnight charge. Thats a pile of rubbish. it means that my journey from New York to College (which is 251 miles away) will take more than 3 days... when i do it now in 3 hours. What we really need is the promotion of small, but spasious and practical diesel cars like in Europe which get 80mpg, much more friendly to the enviroment and are very cheap. Not electric cars or Prius which is an even bigger pile of crap!!!
alext 9:09AM (6/07/2008)
Because the damn rover moves about as fast as you can walk! Sure people have created solar vehicles already, but they're all either slow or extremely impractical (i.e. UMich. solar vehicle).
FrankTheCrank 9:14AM (6/05/2008)
Syslik...your the exception. Not everybody drives 251 miles a day. That's not the average daily commute for most Americans.
Nudnarb, "vaible alternative to a gas guzzling SUV comes out and you complain"....you call this a "viable" alternative? If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...well, you know...
nadnarb 9:43AM (6/05/2008)
Ok so what would you call an alternative to an suv. I think this is more of a minivan/crossover than SUV. So once again what would you like a large family to drive as an alternative to an SUV.
Now remember that not everyone lives in an efficiency and has a cat. Some people do need a large people mover that doesnt tow a large amount but wouldnt be caught dead in a minivan.
Disgruntled Goat 10:15AM (6/05/2008)
"So what would you like a family with more than 2 kids do"
I have three kids, do Scouts and Adventure Guides, go on camping and bike trips, play softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer and I drive a Corolla. If you're the Brady Bunch then yea, a Flex might not be a bad choice, but if you only have three kids you really don't NEED an SUV like this.
Syslik 10:21AM (6/05/2008)
It doesn't matter if i'm the exception or not... A diesel car is still much better your redicilous idea of an 80+ mile electric car, because what if the person who owns it, for once will get some friends and will want to go 85 miles in a day, or go on a roadtrip or aomething? that means that he will have to buy another car. and having two cars, even if one of them is an electric one, is not economical and enviromentally friendly. What about when your batteries die? do you know how expensive and hard it will be to dispose them?
Here is a fun fact for you. Toyota Prius, the supposedely greenest car, is a pile of rubbish. Why? because a mercedes s500 is more enviromentally friendly than a prius, as more than 50% of materials used are recyled materials, and the way it burns petrol is much more eco friendly.
Keeping on the subject of the news, what this car needs, is to have a diesel engine instead of a petrolone, and everything will be fine.