For more than a decade, if you wanted the most practical family hauler you could buy that didn’t have sliding doors, it was hard to do better than the Ford Flex. Sure, it was basically a minivan, but it technically wasn’t a minivan, which made it perfect for people who knew they needed a minivan but couldn’t bring themselves to buy one. Then, in 2019, the Flex disappeared forever. If only we’d appreciated it more at the time.
If you’re wondering where this Ford Flex appreciation post came from, you can thank YouTube. The algorithm decided I needed to see this video on the history of the Flex, and who am I to deny the algorithm? It’s boxy, it’s practical, and you can stuff it full of cargo, including a 70-inch TV if you’re brave enough to lay it on its back like you aren’t supposed to do. It’ll probably be fine. It’s usually fine.
Why do I know this? Because several years ago, my brother asked what three-row crossover I’d recommend, and I had him look at a Flex. It’s now his wife’s daily driver, and they absolutely love it. They also lent it to me when I needed to move some stuff out of my old apartment, and I’ve got to say, I was surprised at by just how quick and comfortable it still felt to drive.
It certainly isn’t the kind of crossover you’ll want to hustle through the corners, but even the base V6 in their Flex makes 287 horsepower, which is more than enough for a family hauler. Plus, if that isn’t enough grunt for your taste, there’s always the option to pick up the twin-turbo version that makes 365 hp. Even though their car is about a decade old at this point, the ride is still smooth and comfortable.
Heck, even my dad has been looking at the Flex recently as an alternative to buying a pickup truck. Sure, he could buy something else, but if the Flex is practical enough to haul everything he needs to haul, then why spend more on a different vehicle? Because it’s not cool? As if a truck that you’ll probably see at least 20 of on your next trip to the grocery store is any cooler than the Flex.
Ultimately, the Flex was just too good of an idea to find the kind of mainstream success it needed if it was going to get a second generation. Plenty of us have good taste, but clearly the majority doesn’t. Otherwise, Ford would have sold at least 100,000 of these a year. If only we’d understood how good we had it at the time.
