Car Buyer Q&A: 2009 Ford Flex Limited

I was reading one of my favorite blogs — GeekDad — the other day and saw a post by the editor talking about the new car he’d just bought, which has Ford’s Sync system, and how he was testing it out. Of course, being all geek-focused, editor Ken Denmead didn’t even mention which Ford he had just bought. I contacted him and asked if he wanted to share his experience. The 40-year-old father of two from Fremont, Calif., was happy to oblige.

KickingTires: Why did you decide to buy a car in this down economy? Needed a replacement? Needed to upsize?

Ken: My wife's car — an '02 Saturn Vue, which was her commute car and the de facto family car — had suffered through the first seven years of both our boys' lives, plus acted as transportation for two dogs who steadfastly refused to stay behind any kind of pet barrier. With 110K miles and an interior that looked like the inside of a concert hall after a Gallagher show, it was no longer in a respectable state. We came into a little surprise money at the right time and went looking for deals.

2010 Lincoln MKT vs. Ford Flex: Suburban Dad

I've been a fan of the Flex ever since it won top honors on our Vacation Blogging trip last summer. My family and I found it roomy, nicely appointed and filled with lots of tech features to make long drives more than bearable. That drove my interest in the Lincoln MKT, and I have to say that, for two cars that share the same platform, they sure look very different from each other.

Ford Reveals EcoBoost; Bests Segment in Mileage, Power

Ford will show the 2010 Taurus for the first time this morning, but it has already dropped the veil on one of the most anticipated engines in years. Seriously. The new 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6, called EcoBoost, will be used in cars, crossovers and, in the future, even trucks. Power numbers for the first application of the engine, in the Ford Flex, are 355 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque.

Mileage is estimated at 19/24 mpg city/highway. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that that surpasses every standard V-6 in the segment — see chart below — in terms of fuel efficiency, adding nearly 80 hp. Wow. Not only that, the EcoBoost only comes in Flexes equipped with all-wheel drive. We still have to confirm that these mileage numbers are for an all-wheel drive Flex, which would make the mileage numbers simply astounding. And yes, it uses regular gas. Not premium.

The Ecoboost V-6 will be available in the 2010 Ford Flex first, going on sale mid-year, followed by the 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover to be revealed tomorrow.  The Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS will also receive the engine.

Ford Expands Employee Pricing Sale

While GM’s financing offers were given a nice boost by a federal bailout of GMAC, Ford — which didn’t get any federal funds — is left to offer more cash-back incentives on its products. The company is extending its Employee Pricing Plus sale through Jan. 12, one week longer than it had originally planned.

Offers include a $3,377 discount on the new Ford Flex crossover, and $2,735 on a 2009 Focus, which makes its starting price less than $13,000. Lincoln and Mercury models are also included in the sale.

More incentives news

Ford Offering Deals for Two Weeks

According to Ford’s consumer website, its latest incentives are good only through Nov. 17 or 18, depending on the region. This is an unusual amount of time for rebates to run, so we’d expect bigger discounts or a specific themed sale later in the month that will last through the holidays. For the next two weeks, though, there are some decent savings on 2009 and 2008 models. The new 2009 Ford Flex is still carrying $2,500 cash back. A new 2009 Ford Fusion — you can read about the upcoming 2010 Fusion here — has up to $3,500 cash back depending on your region. We list the top cash-back deals below. Check out Ford’s site to see the latest deals in your area. 

2009 Ford Flex Gets $2,500 Discount

Ford’s stylish new crossover, the Flex, has received its fair share of buzz from the automotive press, and its fair share of praise (and some criticism) from our reviewers. However, sales so far have not been stellar. Projected annual sales are slated at under 30,000 units, rather than the 70,000-100,000 units predicted by Ford — though that prediction came before the economy fell apart. That bit of bad news has led to the Flex receiving a significant $2,500 incentive in most regions.

Using Ford’s regional special offers search, we were able to find $2,500 cash back on the Ford Flex in the Midwest, the South, the Northeast and Southern California. In Texas, Ford is offering $2,000 cash back. We found some areas in the Pacific Northwest that qualified for the $2,500 offer and others that did not. To see if the Flex offer applies to you, check out your zip code at Ford’s site.

The Flex starts at $28,295. So, $2,500 off? Not too shabby.

Ford Special Offers

More Ford Flex News

Cars.com Videos: 2009 Lincoln MKS, 2009 Hyundai Genesis, 2009 Ford Flex

2009 Lincoln MKS: The all-new sedan’s styling is a hit, and the MKS delivers on its good looks with a lot of value for its $37,655 starting price tag, reviewer David Thomas says.

2009 Hyundai Genesis: Hyundai does the impossible, wowing senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder with its first foray into the “luxury” car market.

2009 Ford Flex: The large crossover offers lots of legroom in its spacious cabin, but Joe says the Flex is missing some key interior features.

View and share all of Cars.com’s videos via YouTube.

Suburban Dad: And the Vacation Winner Is...

After more than 2,500 miles, the votes are in and tabulated. My wife and I, along with our three kids, have finished our 15 days on the road, going from Chicago to Rochester, N.Y., then Gettysburg, Pa.; Washington, D.C.; Burlington, N.C.; and home again. We made the journey in four three-row SUVs, including a Ford Flex, Dodge Journey, Mazda CX-9 and Honda Pilot, and each was as idiosyncratic as my kids.

First, we'll take a look at the stats from our trip, which seems a lot longer on paper than it did in person:

• 2,706 miles over 15 days
• 50 hours (more or less) behind the wheel
• 145 gallons of gas
• $568.75 spent on gas
• Average gas mileage of 18.67 mpg (which, frankly, is higher than I expected)
• $3.49 a gallon was the cheapest gas price we saw (and paid) on our trip, and that was in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
• $4.39 a gallon was the highest gas price we saw (and didn't pay, though it wasn’t far from the cheapest gas around) in Washington, D.C.

Now, here’s how each of the cars fared in different categories:

Cars.com Reviews 2009 Ford Flex

The Cars.com staff has been waiting to climb inside Ford's foray into the three-row-crossover universe for a while now. To say that the Flex is long-anticipated is not necessarily a good thing, though. As reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder notes, plenty of other automakers have beat the Flex to market with similar vehicles, so the Flex must stand apart if it hopes to capture members of the large-SUV crowd who have suddenly become crossover people, thanks to $4 gas. Does the Flex succeed at this? Read Wiesenfelder's full review to find out.

2009 Ford Flex Expert Review

Ford Flex: Gas Mileage and Packing

Leg 1 of our vacation trip is over, and here's the damage:

• 812 miles of driving
• 13 hours (split over two days) in the car with the wife and three kids
• An average of 21.6 mpg
• Roughly 39 gallons of gas consumed
• Average cost: $3.96 a gallon
• Total fuel cost: $153.87
• Highest gas price seen on this leg: $4.22 a gallon in Honeoye, N.Y. (south of Rochester)
• Lowest gas price: $3.61 a gallon in Perrysburg, Ohio

Those fuel figures aren't too bad for an SUV of this size. It looks like it's a fairly heavy car, and all those bells and whistles probably drag down the mpg. Those figures (I got about 16 mpg in heavy city traffic on the afternoon before the trip and hit 21.6 on the open highway) are very comparable to what I get in my family's minivan, a 2004 Kia Sedona.

Editor's Note: The test vehicle is an all-wheel drive SEL model rated at 16/22 mpg city/highway. Considering the Suburban Dad was traveling with driver, four passengers and considerable luggage, while using air conditioning, 21.6 mpg is a very good result. The Dodge Journey with AWD is also rated at 16/22 mpg while the Mazda CX-9 AWD is rated at 15/21 mpg. For the record an AWD Flex weighs 4640 lbs. vs. the CX-9 AWD's 4528 lbs.

As for packing the Flex, the split third row allows you to create a flat surface by flipping over one or both halves of the bench. We needed one of the third-row seats for one of our children, so we loaded suitcases and other bags next to it.