The Ford Flex — The Last Ford Station Wagon
The Ford Flex – In 2005, Ford unveiled a Fairlane concept vehicle at the Chicago Auto Show and the overall response was positive. Those in charge at Ford felt this crossover could be a big hit with the North American buying public so they immediately green lighted it for production.
The Fairlane concept became the Ford Flex. A bit larger version but it closely retained the exterior look and feel of the concept car. Jim Farley stated the Ford could see as many as 100,000 flexes being sold in North America.
So how did that work out?
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An AI-generated transcript summary, edited by a staffer, is below.
[Image: Tony's Fords and Mustangs/YouTube]
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The transcript is a retrospective review of the early years of the Ford Flex, covering its development, features, reception, and sales performance from 2009–2012.
Key points:
- The Ford Flex originated from the 2005 Ford Fairlane concept, envisioned as a “Swiss Army knife” vehicle combining SUV space, car-like driving, and station wagon practicality. Ford expected it could sell up to 100,000 units annually.
- Introduced for the 2009 model year, the Flex was built on Ford’s D4 platform and styled by Peter Horbury with strong Volvo-inspired design cues and retro styling elements. It featured a boxy shape, spacious three-row seating for up to seven passengers, and fold-flat seats for cargo flexibility.
- The initial powertrain was a 262-horsepower 3.5L Duratec V6 paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, with optional all-wheel drive. The video highlights many standard and optional features, including leather seating, Ford Sync, navigation, panoramic roof options, trailer towing, DVD entertainment, and advanced safety systems.
- Trim levels included:
- SE (base)
- SEL (mid-level luxury features)
- Limited (top trim with premium technology and comfort features)
- Titanium (introduced in 2011 with sportier blacked-out styling)
- Trim levels included:
- In 2010, Ford added the 355-horsepower twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 and self-parking technology. Consumer Reports rated the Flex highly for affordability and reliability in the large SUV category.
- Sales declined steadily:
- 2009: 53,174 units
- 2010: 34,227
- 2011: 27,428
- 2012: 28,224
- Despite positive owner feedback and strong reliability ratings, the presenter argues the Flex underperformed because:
- Its unconventional styling was polarizing.
- Traditional SUVs were becoming far more popular, especially the Ford Explorer, which outsold the Flex by a large margin.
- Sales declined steadily:
- The video concludes by noting Ford hoped a major redesign for 2013 would revive sales, which the creator plans to cover separately.
Tony has been a member of the car culture since the late 1970s, acquiring his first car at the age of 13 in a straight-up swap for a Schwinn 10-speed bicycle. He has personally owned well over 500 cars and trucks since that first car. He was employed as a jet engine Mechanic by the US Air Force for over 10 years and served in theater during Desert Storm. He has always wrenched on his own vehicles. In the Fall of 2021 he launched his own YouTube channel that focuses on Ford Motor Company products, both old and new, however other manufacturers product will appear from time to time. New content and videos are posted every Saturday Morning at 11 AM EST
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Everytime I see one I am reminded of the current Santa Fe. And vice versa.
Both Explorer and Flex were built on the same D4 platform and functionally near identical. Admittedly, Flex did have some odd styling but Explorer was much more ugly ( tell me you don't see some Aztek here). Yet by 2011 its 135K units to 27K units. Conclusion: 80%+ of the US population are morons who should not have adult decision making capabilities and probably should have to run their major purchases by someone not in the same 80%.
Well Karen, the Explorer isn't an SUV anymore and has zero truck capability, its essentially a shorter, uglier Flex for more money.
Edit: I'm not sure what Ford was thinking, but the Flex should have just copied the V70/XC70 styling from Volvo. I'm sure PAG in its final days would/did object to such a thing, but statistically few people would have been cross shopping the two. I don't think it would have made a huge difference but I think it would have increased sales. What may have hurt it most is from certain angles it looks like a minivan (sans sliding door) and that sends Karen into panic mode about becoming her mother (which has already occurred of course). V70/XC70 doesn't have this issue.
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