PREMiERdrum Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) The year of change continues... after a divorce, a job change, and a new relationship, I took delivery of a new-to-me Mineral Gray Flex SE yesterday afternoon. I don't know that I've ever appreciated a car as much as I do this one so far. I surprised the kids with it at the bus stop yesterday afternoon and they're totally taken by it. After months of sitting 3 across in the back of the Fusion (bonus kid came with the GF), they love all the space. It drives smooth as glass, has plenty of power, and it handles like a dream. We have trips to Cleveland, Indy, Hilton Head, Savannah, and Orlando all between now and the end of the year and I'm glad to have this truckster ready to roll. Edited May 12, 2018 by PREMiERdrum 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Looks good man! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Love the color and it sure is roomy and unique. Wow big year for you-hope life finds you in a better spot:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Congrats! Love our 2010. Best car Ive owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) Congrats! More pics! PS. We will be at Hilton Head in July at the Disney Resort. Edited May 12, 2018 by Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 Thanks all! Not to get too personal, but I'm happier than I've ever been. Congrats! More pics! PS. We will be at Hilton Head in July at the Disney Resort. Nice! Love the DVC resort there. We'll be at The Beach House resort for a wedding July 29 - August 4. More pics attached. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aarm0ndd Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Always liked the look of the Flex. Congrats on the new car and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 As I said privately, welcome to the Flex club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbone Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Congrats on the new ride. It is an underrated Vehicle that deserved more attention from Ford. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 The Flex and Freestyle before it are phenominal vehicles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 The Flex and Freestyle before it are phenominal vehicles. . Don't forget Taurus X....update of Freestyle prior to D3 Explorer debut. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Congratulations. The flex is really a great vehicle. Most of the owners I see really like them. Its so underrated and I cant believe it hasnt done better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Hard to tell in photos - two tone roof? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 My folks bought a '17 Flex last year, and I got a lot of seat time in it shuttling my handicapped brother around while they were on the road. I'm not ready to give up my truck, but that Flex is a heck of a nice car. I got to drive it home from Bryan, TX, and it proved to be a very comfortable long-hauler. It doesn't have the EB mill, but that 3.5 has plenty of get up and go. I hope it gives you many years of trouble-free service, and here's hoping that life starts treating you better, too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) Hard to tell in photos - two tone roof? Unfortunately not. This one isn't equipped the way I would have preferred, *but*... My cousin in the Group Manager for the Coughlin family... they own a regional chain of dealerships (mainly Ford, GM, and Toyota) as well as a racing outfit and Jeg's performance outlet. My cousin works out of their Ford store that's close by out of convenience. He knew I had been looking around and he got this one in on trade and texted me about it. I went to see it on Friday afternoon, drove it for about a half hour, and when I got back to the dealership he told me what he was into it for and I cut him a check. I was in and out in less than an hour, including a half hour test drive. This weekend, it experienced auditions for the drumline that I teach, my daughter's softball tournament, 2 of my son's baseball games, and a few Mother's Day excursions. Everyone absolutely loves it. Edited May 14, 2018 by PREMiERdrum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Welcome to the Flex club! We're a small, but happy group! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Despite it's age the Flex is a really handsome vehicle, great proportions and smooth low-to-the-ground sheetmetal makes it look very custom and sporting. Definitely will miss I when it's gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) Congrats on joining the club, cookies and punch on the back table!I have to say that my Flex has been the best, most usable, most overall-satisfying vehicle that I've ever owned. Yes, I'll always have some performance-oriented Ford product getting my attention (and money), but my Flex hauls my musical gear, hauls fellow musicians/family members, is very nearly as commodious as my Expedition while returning far better MPG, and has been a joy to own.Given how distinctive it is while surrounded by the modern "melted soap bar" CUVs everywhere, I'd be overjoyed if Ford found the capacity for a new Flex to be one of the "white space" models coming in the future. The West Coast really does seem to love the Flex, I see them constantly. Edited May 14, 2018 by ZanatWork 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Well that reminds me when the Flex was first introduced as a concept. Supposedly it was a new take on "minivans", so yes, consider it a white space vehicle. As much as I like it,consumers didn't take it that way. So when Ford is talking about "White Space" vehicle, there's been a few in the past that didn't provide as they had hoped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Well that reminds me when the Flex was first introduced as a concept. Supposedly it was a new take on "minivans", so yes, consider it a white space vehicle. As much as I like it,consumers didn't take it that way. So when Ford is talking about "White Space" vehicle, there's been a few in the past that didn't provide as they had hoped. The Flex could have been so much more but they didnt really do a lot of marketing for it (still dont), and the introduction of the D3 Explorer dramatically lowered the ceiling for the Flex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 The Flex could have been so much more but they didnt really do a lot of marketing for it (still dont), and the introduction of the D3 Explorer dramatically lowered the ceiling for the Flex. Agreed. And then they let it rot on the vine, so any hope it had left has been lost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnostic Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 I have a '13 and love it. Looking at Bronco as replacement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) The Flex also had a bad start because it arrived during the Great Recession (it's that freaking old). I think Ford generally had a hard time nailing the 3-row crossover segment early on, treating it mostly like a minivan successor and less like an SUV. The Flex was born from the Freestyle/Taurus X bones and still had that low slung wagon-like packaging which is ultimately much less popular than the similarly priced tall 3-Row crossover (Explorer/Traverse/Pilot/Highlander/et.al). It's also a product that was born to be something of a hard to categorize icon, it started life as a Concept design study with no foundation in their product cycle...which is something that never happens at Ford today...the concepts are born from the production car now. So essentially, Flex was always something of a pet project (Mark Fields) and wasn't born as a response to market forces or trends. As a result, Ford has always had a hard time finding a place for it. We definitely will not see a successor which is a shame, but understandable. Edited May 15, 2018 by Assimilator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 The biggest thing against the Flex's position in the marketplace is the same issue that plagued the Freestyle and Taurus X before it: Ford's internal column structure for marketing. Freestyle literally came out of the gate as a bastard child that was pushed into the truck division's marketing structure, even though their own marketing folks had fought the very development of Freestyle as it was thought to compete directly against Explorer, which was then in its heyday. When Flex came online they still had no mechanism to effectively market what was essentially an alternative to some of their own successful products. Remmy said he still gets people asking him about his... inquiring about what it is, etc.. and I've had a few people already ask me about mine. There was just never enough awareness as to what it is and where it fits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Agreed. And then they let it rot on the vine, so any hope it had left has been lost. See: Mercury. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.