Car Reviews: 2010 Ford Flex
Crossover Flexes Muscle with EcoBoost Engine
2010 Ford Flex Limited AWD
model as tested $46,020
Test Drove 12/7/09–12/14/09
reviewed by Lori Hindman
I’m just gonna come out and say it: The Ford Flex is one of my most favorite cars on the road. I love that it looks completely different from everything else out there. I love that it drives smoothly and quietly and now, with the EcoBoost engine, powerfully. I love how comfy it is and how well it accommodates my life. I love the Sync system that listens to me better than my kids ever have. Sure, it’s not perfect or cheap, but the Flex rolled with my family and all our life throws at us and never blinked.
It’s an almost impossible combination of SUV, wagon and minivan that makes the Flex so easy to work with. My test model had all-wheel drive, so I had all the stability and security of an SUV, without the high climb or the roly-poly feeling in the turns. It was easy for my kids to climb in and out of it like a wagon, but it had a third row like a minivan. It seats seven, but looks cool, with an available two-tone exterior and retro styling. I know, I’m gushing, but honestly, the Flex may be the perfect family hauler.
The Flex rides really smoothly and quietly, even at highway speeds; turns and curves are just as smooth. The new 355-horsepower, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 works like a turbo engine without the two-part acceleration, sending extra power through the V-6 so it feels more like a V-8. The EcoBoost engine is on SEL and Limited models with all-wheel drive. I gave the EcoBoost engine a run through some of our local hills here in the Los Angeles area and passing on an incline was no big deal.
In tight quarters, the Flex was less flexible. It’s somewhat cumbersome in parking lots. In fact, the grocery store parking lot is where I remembered that the Flex is actually a pretty big car.
One of my favorite new features is the optional Active Park Assist ($550). It seems like a gimmick, but it works like magic. Magic, I tell you! Active Park Assist parallel parks the Flex with no help from you, just your foot on the brake. I know how to parallel park my car. Sometimes I need some back-and-forth movements to fit into a tight spot, but I’m pretty capable unless I have to park on a one-way street on the left-hand side. Then I’m completely hopeless. But the Flex parks faster and smoother then I ever have. Push the button as you look for a spot, and the Flex alerts you when it’s found one. Then put the car in reverse, let go of the wheel and manage the brakes while the Flex does all the work. Zip, zoom, done. Magic.