Our Titanium version looks so good it could star in a Pimp my Ride episode without MTV receiving any hate mail. Compared to other Flex versions, it receives 20-inch polished alloys, blacked-out headlights and taillamps, a black grille and liftgate garnish and a black painted roof. Curiously, the blue oval badge is fixed to the Titanium’s rump, but not on the front grille.
Inside, passengers are treated to seat upholstery that mixes dark leather with light grey suede as well as contrast stitching. The upscale look is complemented by quality materials on the dash and door panels. The plastic chrome trim that surrounds everything from air vents to switchgear clusters is a little excessive, though, especially considering the total absence of chrome on the outside.
For now, the Flex is spared from the touch-sensitive centre console that Ford has installed in the Edge and the Explorer. The climate-control buttons are small, but at least they’re not mounted as low as in the Fusion sedan. Six adults easily fit in the Flex, and once you’ve folded all the rear seats down, you get 2,355 litres of cargo space, more than in the new Explorer.
Our Titanium is also equipped with a few cool items, such as a 4500-lb towing package, a rear glass roof panel, power-folding and tumbling 3rd-row seats, a refrigerated box in the second-row centre console (for a 6-passenger configuration instead of 7) as well as dual DVD entertainment systems with LCD screens mounted in the front headrests, with a USB port and RCA jacks on each.
And, for a reasonable $700, the Flex can be equipped with Ford’s new Active Park Assist system, which brilliantly helps the driver parallel-park the vehicle. It’s not quite as capable as Toyota’s system, as it can’t guide you into a normal parking space, but it’s much simpler to use.
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| The leather and suede seat upholstery with contrast stitching is very nice. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Inside, passengers are treated to seat upholstery that mixes dark leather with light grey suede as well as contrast stitching. The upscale look is complemented by quality materials on the dash and door panels. The plastic chrome trim that surrounds everything from air vents to switchgear clusters is a little excessive, though, especially considering the total absence of chrome on the outside.
For now, the Flex is spared from the touch-sensitive centre console that Ford has installed in the Edge and the Explorer. The climate-control buttons are small, but at least they’re not mounted as low as in the Fusion sedan. Six adults easily fit in the Flex, and once you’ve folded all the rear seats down, you get 2,355 litres of cargo space, more than in the new Explorer.
Our Titanium is also equipped with a few cool items, such as a 4500-lb towing package, a rear glass roof panel, power-folding and tumbling 3rd-row seats, a refrigerated box in the second-row centre console (for a 6-passenger configuration instead of 7) as well as dual DVD entertainment systems with LCD screens mounted in the front headrests, with a USB port and RCA jacks on each.
And, for a reasonable $700, the Flex can be equipped with Ford’s new Active Park Assist system, which brilliantly helps the driver parallel-park the vehicle. It’s not quite as capable as Toyota’s system, as it can’t guide you into a normal parking space, but it’s much simpler to use.
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| Fold down all the rear seats, and you get 2,355 litres of cargo space. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |