Did the New Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT Change Enough?

The Ford Flex has one of those love-it-or-hate-it vehicle designs. It's boxy, it's square, it's retro and apparently it's also totally L.A. (It turns out Los Angeles is one of the Flex's hottest markets). Case in point, when we hosted actor Joey Lawrence and his family at one of our recent Cars.com Shootouts, he kept comparing the cars we were testing to his own Flex.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

The Flex isn't as popular in other markets, and neither is the Lincoln MKT. Both sell in meager amounts next to mainstream crossovers like the Chevrolet Traverse and even Ford's own Explorer. Can some refreshes to these two vehicles skyrocket them onto families' radars?

2013 Ford Flex: Up Close

There's not a lot to say about the changes to the Ford Flex because there aren't a lot of changes. The most noticeable, of course, are the alterations to the front and back ends. Gone from each is the big blue Ford oval.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Up front, it's gone entirely, replaced by an uninterrupted silver bar bracketed by new headlights. On the back, the logo has been relegated to the lower right-hand side. All that being said, I really like the new look. Full disclosure: I think I'm one of the few who loved the old look, but the update is sleeker, and it speaks more to the luxury feel of the Flex. Some colleagues think it looks like a giant Scion xB. I suspect that before, some consumers thought it was a more pedestrian crossover, but it always felt pretty lux to me inside.

2013 Ford Flex Video

The Ford Flex undergoes a mild refresh for the 2013 model year. This already unique-looking Ford crossover is now nearly devoid of any Ford branding. Besides the cosmetic changes, the Flex is now offered with MyFord Touch, which has been upgraded to be more responsive, according to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen.

2013 Ford Flex at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show

• Competes with: Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9
• Looks like: The Flex is embarrassed to wear the Ford logo
• Drivetrain: 285-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 or 355-hp, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 with six-speed automatic transmission; front- or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: 2012

For the 2013 model year, the Ford Flex undergoes a mild refresh, adopting a new front end as well as getting some interior and performance upgrades.

In a bizarre move, Ford has removed its logo from the Flex’s grille. There’s now broad “Flex” badging along the hood’s leading edge. On the back, the decal again takes dominance with the (only) exterior Ford emblem pushed to the far right of the tailgate. Dual chrome exhaust tips are now standard out back, too.

Nearly 250,000 Owners Will Get MyFord Touch Upgrade

As we reported earlier, Ford will upgrade the performance speed and usability of its MyFord Touch system and will deliver the upgrade via USB jump drive to existing customers starting early next year. The 2013 Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus will be the first new Fords equipped with the upgraded system.

We’re now learning that the performance upgrade will affect some 250,000 existing Ford owners — purchasers of the Ford Focus, Explorer, Edge and Lincoln MKX, according to the Los Angeles Times blog. MyFord Touch debuted more than a year ago, on the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

The jump drive will be mailed to owners, and Ford says the upgrade should take about 45 minutes to complete. If owners don’t feel up to upgrading the system themselves, Ford says you can bring your Ford to a dealership that will perform the upgrade for free. Another 200,000 Fords equipped with MyFord Touch were sold outside the U.S.; Ford is still deciding on how to upgrade the system for those owners.

The improvements come after intense customer and critic complaints that the system was confusing, slow and buggy. In fact, the prolific introduction of MyFord Touch over the year, apparently much to chagrin of Ford buyers, was enough to dramatically decrease Ford’s reliability and initial quality scores with Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates, respectively. Ford says that nearly 85% of people who own vehicles with MyFord Touch find it easy to use, before the upgrade.

MyFord Touch Gets Upgrade

Ford has upgraded its MyFord and MyLincoln Touch systems to be faster and simpler to use, according to the automaker.

Prominent differences are simpler graphics and larger, bolder fonts used throughout the interface. We have images of the old and new screens below. It might be hard to judge if the newer versions are indeed an upgrade until people actually use them. What you can’t see is a noticeable jump in performance. The new software is at least two times faster than the current system, Ford says.

The upgraded system will launch early next year on the 2013 Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus. Existing owners of MyFord and MyLincoln Touch are eligible for upgrade at no charge.

Ford Flex, Two Lincolns To Get Inflatable Seat Belts

Ford announced more vehicles will be getting rear-inflatable seat belts that are currently available on the 2011 Ford Explorer. 

The Ford Flex three-row crossover and two as-yet-unnamed Lincoln models will get the belts when they go on sale next summer.

Not surprisingly, Ford says early data suggests parents are ordering this option.

The airbags deploy for rear passengers in the event of a crash and help keep people located properly in the seat, as well as distribute the force of the impact traveling through the belts across a broader area of the person's body. 

Unlike traditional airbags that use a heat-generating chemical reaction to inflate, the seat belt bags use a small compressed-gas canister that's located under the seat to inflate.

Cars.com Podcast: 2011 Nissan Rogue, 2011 Ford Flex

Just the Two of Us … that’s what Cars.com editors Mike Hanley and Kelsey Mays are crooning this week. Actually, they’re not singing — that would be really disturbing, and folks would stop downloading our podcasts. Instead, the duo discuss two crossovers that may be competent but have some flaws as well. Find out why you might be able to overlook the disadvantages if you’re in the compact or full-size crossover segment.

Download via iTunes
Download MP3

Cars.com Reviews the 2011 Ford Flex

For the 2011 model year, the Ford Flex gets a new Titanium trim, which adds some Land Rover-esque aesthetics to the exterior of the three-row crossover. Ultimately, the changes don’t alter the Flex’s formula, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays. Read his full review to see how the distinctively styled family crossover competes with the Chevy Traverse, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.

2011 Ford Flex Review

Suburban Dad: 2011 Chevy Traverse vs. 2010 Ford Flex

If you’re a family on a budget (and mine certainly is), you might think a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Ford Flex is too much three-row crossover for you. As you might have read, I drove a fully loaded Flex Limited from Los Angeles to Chicago earlier this summer, but I recently got the chance to take the Traverse for a long drive to Lansing, Mich., and back (passing the plant where the Traverse was built as well). Turns out the EcoBoost Flex may not cost much of a premium at all.

It’s always tricky to compare apples to apples with cars we test, as the trim levels often vary, as is the case here. But if you were out on dealer lots cross-shopping the two models, the Ford turbo is only a few hundred dollars more than a comparably equipped Traverse. And in my road-trip testing, an all-wheel-drive Flex returned better mileage than a front-wheel-drive Traverse. Below is what I thought of the two trims I took on the road. To see how the comparably equipped models stack up, you can check out their specs head-to-head here.