Autoblog

Click above for new high-res pics of the Ford Flex

The Ford Flex has that boxy design that people either love or hate, which is good because for many years the Blue Oval had too many designs that nobody cared about either way. After looking at some drop-dead sexy picks that FoMoCo added to its flickr account, there could be a few converts from the abhorrence camp. The Flex is without question a family hauler, but most seven-passenger CUVs look less than stellar out on the town. If the Flex can look this good in daylight and in the dealer showroom, Ford shouldn't have any trouble attaining its goal of 100,000 sales annually. Click on the photo above for more high resolution pics of the decked-out Flex out on the town. Thanks for the tip, Sam!


[Source: Flickr]

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

The SUV exodus means Ford's Flex has the potential to be a hit and it's gearing up for an onslaught of orders when sales begin this summer. Ford's group veep of marketing and communications, Jim Farley, told Automotive News that consumers leaving the full-size SUV fold and others who haven't considered putting a Blue Oval badge in their garage might be ready to give something like the Flex a chance. CUV sales have been strong over the last year, and Ford and Farley believe that the Flex could rack up 100,000 sales annually if the trend continues.


[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Certain automotive fashions are better left in the grave. To wit: faux wood paneling. It looks good on the old Woody, but it's an absolute atrocity on everything else (see: Griswold, PT Cruiser). However, spies have caught the new Ford Flex donning some woodgrain shelf paper paneling, and as much as FoMoCo is trying to redefine the people-mover/minivan segment with the Flex, this would seem to be a seriously counterintuitive move. We're hoping it's a joke, and for our money, it is.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Click above image for a high-res gallery and discover what those graphics add up to

At the Javits Center in New York today, Ford rolled out its "Cool Lid" project with "urban artist" Tristan Eaton on hand to live-art the roof of a Ford Flex. Tristan is perhaps best known as the creator of ThunderDog Studios. The Ford Flex Cool Lid was being created live and will join other art pieces on display at the New York Auto Show as they are completed. On one side of a large easel Ford displayed a blank white roof and on the other the artist was applying paint and graphics in layers of orange, red, turquoise and white. Funkmaster Flex even showed up to check out the handiwork of a fellow Ford Flex artist. What started out this morning as a few amorphous blobs ended up being something near and dear to our hearts this afternoon.

Click through to the gallery to see the results for yourself. Also, check out the full press release after the jump.


[Source: Ford]

click above for more high-res images of the Lincoln MKT

We first saw spy photos of the Lincoln MKT concept only a week ago, and it's now here as a concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Based on the fact that a development mule was spotted already, you can ignore Lincoln when it says the MKT is a potential new vehicle for the brand. It is a new vehicle for the brand. The new premium CUV is believed to be based on the platform of the Ford Flex and follows the Explorer America concept in being powered by one of Ford's new EcoBoost engines. Like its sedan sibling, the MKS, this one gets a turbocharged 3.5L V6 that allows you to choose between either E85 or premium grade petroleum-based gasoline. The premium requirement is the result of the engine being optimized for the higher octane ratings of the biofuel. The upside is that output jumps from 340 hp/340 lb-ft to 415hp and 400 lb-ft. All of that twisting force is transmitted through a six-speed automatic transmission and distributed to all four wheels for propulsion. The voluminous interior of the MKT has also been optimized for comfort and luxury with only four seats allocated for passengers. If a production version with a third-row bench arrives, this looks like the likely candidate to replace all those Town Cars in livery fleets. The body work incorporates more of the new Lincoln design cues that first turned up on last year's MKR concept but were too late for the MKS. That body work is formed from "upcycled" plastics produced by Sabic Innovative Plastics, the same people who produced the materials used on the Chevy Volt and Hyundai Qarmaq concepts.

Follow the jump for Lincoln's official press release with more details than we can muster at this late hour, and check back later today for live shots of the MKT from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show.

[Source: Ford]

Click image for a gallery of the suspected Lincoln MKT mule

According to an LA Times piece on the silliness that is modern vehicle naming, the paper appears to have flubbed a little bit revealing that Ford will introduce the 2009 Lincoln MKT at the Detroit Auto Show next week. What's the MKT? Well, the conventional wisdom suggests that it's a large 3-row crossover based on the Ford Flex architecture. We expect to see it wearing Lincoln's new, more dramatic styling language as introduced on the MKS along with a more upmarket interior in terms of look and feel. Looks like the spy shots that came out last week were timelier than we thought. While the mule pictured is disguised with Taurus X bodywork, not even that black mask can hide the new-look baleen whale grille that Lincoln has adopted. We won't need to wait much longer to see how this ultimately plays out, so as soon as we know the full skinny, you'll know, too.

[Source: Los Angeles Times via Inside Line]

We had the opportunity to sit in a dark maroon Ford Flex at the Dolby booth for a demonstration of their 7.1 Surround Sound system they've developed with the Blue Oval, and the first thing I notice is the super-nice croc-print leather seats beneath me. Michael Becker, Dolby's Global Marketing Director, says something like, "Oh, yeah. This is Funkmaster Flex's Flex." So don't look for the sweet, lizard-like leather on the production version.

But we weren't actually at the Dolby booth to ogle celeb-designed cars, we were there to listen to them.

Becker says one of the premium audio options in the upcoming non-Funkmasterized Flex will be the Sony system we heard with 12 speakers and 7.1 surround sound. With 375 watts it's an awesome-sounding system, especially for what is essentially a station wagon. We can assure you, your parents' Vista Cruiser never sounded this good.

Which brings up the question, "Why put such a high-end sound system in a family car?" So Dolby's Becker demonstrated. If you want to retain some of the premium sound, but still keep the kids asleep in back, use the touch-screen fader to move the sound up front. In most cars, that would have produced sound a little better than a pocket-sized transistor radio. But the Flex's system retains Dolby 5.1 for the front system or the rear if the fader is moved towards the back. This means the sound is still far ahead of that Vista Cruiser, and probably better than what you're driving now.

We can't wait to see how this sounds with real-world noise outside instead of within the crowds of CES-goers. Speaking of which, Becker said the Flex had attracted major attention from show-goers, with one even way overestimating the list price above $100k. It's nice, but not that nice. As if to demonstrate what he meant, while in the car demonstrating the sound system, we had to lock the doors to keep out the curious, even with the car roped off. Possibly a very good sign for Ford's Flex.

UPDATE: Woops. We switched the Foose Flex with the Funkmaster Flex2. The post has been updated to show the correct vehicle.

click above image for high-res pics of the FF Flex2

Funkmaster Flex made his debut last year at SEMA with a customized Expedition, and he's bringing what Ford calls "urban luxury" to the show again with the Flex2. In an awkward mix of hip hop culture and pr market lingo, the Master of Funk states that "I know what this vehicle is going to be in the urban market: It's going to be killer! Whether you're flossin' with your friends, going to the club or riding around with your girl, the Ford Flex is the next urban street vehicle, and Flex2 is my interpretation of the ultimate in street luxury."

The Flex actually has a pretty clean design, with a two-tone paint scheme and faux-brushed aluminum roof. Fender vents, grilles and a spoiler that comes from 3d Carbon. The Flex2 is lowered one inch from the standard car's height and rides on 22-inch forged rims. Inside are custom seats with Katzkin seat covers and stainless steel color stitching. DVD systems are also mounted in the headrests in the first and second rows. Click on the photo or the thumbnails below to view live shots from the show.

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!

With the dust still settling from our trip to the New York Auto Show, we decided it would be best to focus only on cars from the Big Apple this week. There were plenty of great photos, from exotics and vintage hot rods, to new products like the Subaru WRX and Ford Flex. You can check out videos from the New York show here, and all the latest news and information can be found here. We've also added links below to some of the more exciting galleries from New York.

This week, music come from The Michael E. Thomas Band with "Going to New York". Enjoy!