Where Are They Now?: Ford Flex

Boxy design, rectangular grille, seating for seven, not too high off the ground, and it’s built by Ford. If a vision of your aunt’s old LTD Country Squire, or the Queen Family Truckster entered your mind, that would make sense. Something that probably didn’t enter your mind, was the Ford Flex, Ford’s modern take on the american full-size wagon. Except, this isn’t entirely a wagon, but it isn’t really an SUV either, and this confusion, is why the Flex doesn’t sell anywhere near the numbers that it’s platform-mate, the Explorer does.

I personally think that you’d be hard pressed to find a better full-size people carrier for the money, and no, that used Cadillac CTS-V wagon that you’re scrambling to drop the link for doesn’t count, because it only seats five. The fact that Ford even makes a 365-horsepower version of this land-yacht homage, is a true testament to what the American car market is like. The Flex sells about 25,000 units a year, which makes it the rarest modern vehicle in Ford’s passenger car lineup. I think if more people knew about the Flex, it would sell better than it currently does.

The Ford Flex had an advertisement campaign back in 2008 when it launched. This three-row successor to the Taurus X was relatively well received, pushing nearly 38,000 units in 2009, it’s first full year in production. For reference, the Ford Explorer moved 52,000 units in 2009. This wagon, which isn’t much more than a ‘66 Galaxie with a new pair of shoes, held a similar number of sales to one of the most significant cars in Ford’s lineup at the time. The ad campaign eventually ended, and sales started to die down, hovering at about 22,000 units per year, for the last three model years.

If Ford advertised the Flex more, and maybe added a little body cladding, it would make a great competitor for the Subaru Outback 3.6R, Buick Regal TourX (Insignia Country Tourer), and similarly equipped Faux-Crossovers. The base V6 in the Flex makes 287 horsepower and 254 lb-ft, which makes it the perfect powertrain to compete in the segment. Body wise, I think it’s a perfect fit for the family that is a little too big for an Outback, and doesn’t want to buy a Traverse or Explorer, or any other full-size crossover.

So where is the Flex now? Surprisingly, still in production, although rumor says that production will end sometime in 2020. The Flex was updated in 2016 to include Sync 3 and a host of other features, but the future isn’t too bright for this niche vehicle. People that want a smaller vehicle will wind up buying an Edge or Edge Sport, and people that don’t want to drive a wagon will buy an Explorer or Explorer Sport. Therein lies one of the biggest problems with the Flex, it’s not enough of an SUV, to mask it’s wagon-iness, and it’s too much of an SUV to be a full-fledged wagon. The Ford SUV lineup covers a lot of options, and while the Flex does fill a gap, it doesn’t fill a big enough gap, which is a shame, because this is a great unique alternative to both the Edge and Explorer.

So, the next time you hear someone’s looking at a full-size crossover, have them consider the Flex. It’s not only a sportier vehicle, but it’s unique, and there’s probably a lot more wiggle room as far as price is concerned.

What do you think? Would you buy this retro wagon over a traditional SUV? Do you think it should join it’s fellow retro-styled cars at the great big scrapyard in the sky? Comment below!