Thankfully, we never a chance to experience it during our test-drive in and around Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding logging communities. The overall drive was extremely quiet as a result.Īdaptive cruise control with braking assist is now part of the safety features that are in the 2013 Flex. Interior noise receives more suppression through the use of wrapped shock towers, dash insulators and acoustic rear wheel liners. A cooling box for beverages is still an available option.
The second row continues to show why the Flex is a spectacular road-tripper, while the third row surprises with its comfort. Seats in front are climate-controlled, which we love on both hot and cold days. Two 4.2-inch screens flank the instrument cluster, while a nine-inch monitor handles navigation, climate, audio and Bluetooth functions. As we saw BMW do several years ago with their iDrive system, Ford has continued to refine the MyFordTouch that is used in conjunction with the company's SYNC system of voice recognition controls. Inside, many of the buttons are gone, replaced with panels that appear inspired by the touch panel arrays in the Chevrolet Volt. Six new variations of wheels, including 20-inchers, are available for buyers to personalize the appearance of their Flexes. Large-ish block letters spell out the Flex name on the hood's leading edge, but we can't help thinking the big new grille looks as though inspired by the "VISOR" eyepiece worn by actor LeVar Burton in Star Trek: The Next Generation.Īt the rear are standard dual exhausts with a metallic-look panel that enhances the appearance on the back hatch. At first glance, the most obvious change would be the absence of the brand's trademark Blue Oval in the center of the newly revised grille, which itself is a modernistic play on the previous three-bar setup of last year's Flex. Subtle improvements have taken place from the front of the Flex all the way to its tail. That said, Ford's similarly-sized and priced Explorer has been going gangbusters since it hit the market last year, a fact that has long left us scratching our heads about the Flex's future. With the outgoing Flex the kind of niche vehicle that Ford says it covets, it is easy to see why the Blue Oval only subjected its in betweener three-row crossover to a minimal amount of refreshing for 2013.īased on clinics and surveys of owners, they determined that 67 percent of Flex buyers have stayed with the brand, stepping up to other products once they have driven the current model. First Drive: 2013 Ford Flex - LeftLaneNews LeftLaneNewsįirst Drive: 2013 Ford Flex Mar 26, 2012, 11:30am ET A new grille and a few interior tweaks keep Ford's Flex pretty fresh, but can it compete with its internal rival, the Explorer?
0 kommentar(er)
