frizz2112

There's been a lot of talk about the future of the Flex, and its position in Ford's crowded crossover lineup. One thing that I'd love to see them add, although don't expect them to, is a 3 person 3rd row, which would bring the maximum seating capacity of the Flex up to 8. While I have selfish reasons for wanting this (my girlfriend and I have 6 kids total) I think it could also make some sense since it would further differentiate the Flex within Ford's lineup, and also make it a better competitor to the GM 8 seat crossovers and other competitors. Ford likes to talk about how the Flex is their people mover, so why not make it carry more people than anything else in their lineup? Right now the only 8 passenger option in Ford's lineup is the Expedition, and I'm just not interested in the size, lousy mileage, and inefficient packaging. I like the GMC Acadia well enough, but what I really want is for the Flex to magically get another seating position. I say magically only half jokingly since I'm sure it would require a fair amount of reengineering of the rear end considering how close the suspension parts seem to come to the sides of the current two seat 3rd row, but maybe it wouldn't be that big a deal. It's not like the rear seats in vehicles like the Acadia are that much bigger, they just squeeze out a couple more inches and add a seatbelt (which is really the most important thing: to LEGALLY carry 8 passengers. Anyway, this has bugged me for a while so I thought I'd float the idea here just for grins.

A couple of things: I think that part of the seemingly slow sales of the Flex can be attributed to its perception as being a large, gas hungry vehicle. Now, we all know that its actual EPA numbers are competitive for the class, but a lot of people never get that far. I can see people who aren't really into cars but need something for their families passing up the Flex just because at first glance it's big, boxy and kind of SUV like. When you go to a dealer with something smallish and economical in mind, the Flex looks too much like the SUV lots of these people are trading in to get them to seriously consider it. I'll bet some people are assuming it's just another SUV and moving on. Consider that the Edge is selling quite well, doesn't get much better mileage, but has a much more "crossover like" profile. It just SEEMS more modern and efficient at a glance. I also think with lots of Taurus X's sitting around with cash on the hood, many people are looking at the Flex, then looking at the Taurus X for 10K less and deciding they can do without the fridge. When the Taurus X inventory is gone, much of that volume will likely go to the Flex. Another thing I can't help but notice is once again, the complete lack of advertising for the Flex. What I thought was going to be a media blitz is a barely noticeable whimper, at least in my area. About the only national ad I've seen for the Flex is highly stylized and shows heavily treated footage, or maybe even CGI footage, of the Flex driving around a CGI city. It's pure image and style and tells you next to nothing about the vehicle. My father, a happy 500 owner, recently joked that he thinks the Ford Taurus is a myth, since he never sees any ads for it. Let's hope Ford figured out that you have to actually tell people about a vehicle for them to buy it. I know they're going for the hip thirtysomething crowd and don't want babies and dogs in their Flex ads, but is it too much to ask to have someone get into the second row seat and say "Look at all this &^#%@ room!" on camera? Ok, or something like that... Anyway, I think it's a great vehicle, but the timing is proving to be unfortunate.