Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of our first drive of the 2009 Ford Flex

Those of you who follow the auto industry as obsessively as we do will immediately recognize the all-new 2009 Ford Flex as the production version of the well-received Ford Fairlane "People Mover" concept from the 2005 Chicago Auto Show. The suicide doors are gone and the front has been opened up a bit to allow the engine to breathe... but Ford's execution from concept to production is, for the most part, dead-on. Ford recently gave us the opportunity to drive the new Flex in Southern California, so follow the jump to read our first impressions of the Blue Oval's new people mover.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Michael Harley / Weblogs, Inc.

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.


[Source: Detroit News]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Flex

The latest addition to Ford's seemingly ever expanding lineup of crossovers, the Flex, will start showing up at dealerships this summer and it now has a price tag. The new full size Flex SE will be starting off at $28,995 for the front-wheel-drive model, which includes the cost of getting the vehicle from the Oakville, Ont. factory to the showroom. Two other trim levels will also be offered, as will all-wheel-drive, all of which easily pushes the price over $30,000. The AWD Flex Limited, for instance, kicks off at $37,255. Initially, power will be supplied by Ford's 3.5L V6, but a turbocharged EcoBoost model will be added next year.


[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

click above image to build and price your own 2009 Ford Flex

An astute Autoblog reader tipped us off to a new link on Ford's main product website. The link takes you to a page where you can build your own 2009 Ford Flex. It appears Ford wants to know what you'd like on your Flex, so they're allowing the public to build their own and will analyze what's hot and what's not before the final production version appears.

Pricing information is included when building your Flex, and while preliminary and far from official dogma, it gives us a general idea of where Ford's head is at concerning the cost of its Flex. According to the site, the base SE model that comes standard with Ford's corporate 3.5L V6 and six-speed transmission, foglamps and 18-inch painted aluminum wheels will start at $28,700 for front-wheel drive and $30,620 for all-wheel drive.

Follow the jump for pricing info on other Flex trim levels, including the SEL and Limited for both FWD and AWD.

Thanks for the tip, Tagg!

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!