twintornados Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Well, I hope Ford is wise enough to realize that the Flex and Taurus X will directly compete against each other on the showroom floor in 2009 unless Ford does some re-aligning of the product. The Taurus X will be a hit but will soon be overshadowed by Flex when she hits the floor. Ford...do yourself a favor and give the Taurus X the Sable treatment and move her upstream so that they can both survive and dominate in the marketplace instead of beat each other up on the same showroom floor. Although the car mags (Japanese bias to the MAX) beat on the Five Hundred and FreeStyle mercilessly as boring and underpowered. (203 HP is underpowered??) every person that I know that stepped up to the plate to buy one, absolutely loves the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 the Taurus is a wagon. The Flex is a CUV. Some like the higher seating position of a CUV, some prefer a lower to the ground wagon that doesn't have body roll in the corners. Fact is, cars will overlap with other cars. The Explorer overlaps with the Expedition to some people (V8, 3 row seating) The Focus is close to the Fusion in size. Some ask why sell a Crew cab pickup because it takes away from Expedition sales. Why sell the Flex when it will steal Explorer sales. No mass vehicle occupies an exclisive niche. Something is always out there that is close. And usually within the same company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misteredog Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I would guess that there is going to be a base price difference of roughly $3000.00 between the Taurus X and the Flex, with the Taurus X starting around 27K and the Flex at roughly 30K, when you begin to add option the Flex will probably top out around 37 to 38K with all options whereas the Flex will be starting out at 30K and with a more extensive options list, probably topping out between 42 and 45K. That's plenty of room for differentiating the vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 Upon more reflection and thought...I realize that Toyota's own Scion brand has two direct competitors, the xA, and xB,,,same concept but different execution of styles.....maybe the Flex and the Taurus X can co-exist on the same floor without destroying each others sales chart. Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Upon more reflection and thought...I realize that Toyota's own Scion brand has two direct competitors, the xA, and xB,,,same concept but different execution of styles.....maybe the Flex and the Taurus X can co-exist on the same floor without destroying each others sales chart. Time will tell. you're not wrong in your original statement. It's just some grey areas are larger than other grey areas. Ultimately, I think the 2 will appeal to different people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000SableWagon Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 It is always better to lose a sale to yourself, than to a competitor. The Taurus X is a little smaller and cheaper, and has a different look. This broader spectrum could easily offer a choice to a customer who might otherwise be going down the street to another dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Although the car mags (Japanese bias to the MAX) beat on the Five Hundred and FreeStyle mercilessly as boring and underpowered. (203 HP is underpowered??) every person that I know that stepped up to the plate to buy one, absolutely loves the vehicle. Five Hundred feels sluggish yet firm in acceleration getting off the line. That is just because it's a big car (heavy) with smooth, longish gearing on the low end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 (edited) the Taurus is a wagon. The Flex is a CUV. Some like the higher seating position of a CUV, some prefer a lower to the ground wagon that doesn't have body roll in the corners. Funny thing is, the Taurus X will have high seating like a CUV. Taurus/Five Hundred has a roofline almost equal in height to a Tacoma or Ranger, and a foot taller than sedans built just 10 years ago. Edited May 13, 2007 by Roadrunner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Well, I hope Ford is wise enough to realize that the Flex and Taurus X will directly compete against each other on the showroom floor in 2009 unless Ford does some re-aligning of the product. The Taurus X will be a hit but will soon be overshadowed by Flex when she hits the floor. Ford...do yourself a favor and give the Taurus X the Sable treatment and move her upstream so that they can both survive and dominate in the marketplace instead of beat each other up on the same showroom floor. Although the car mags (Japanese bias to the MAX) beat on the Five Hundred and FreeStyle mercilessly as boring and underpowered. (203 HP is underpowered??) every person that I know that stepped up to the plate to buy one, absolutely loves the vehicle. I think you will get your wish about Mercury Freestyle in that there is a preproduction Sable X sitting in Livonial Trans parking lot off of Levan sitting there for all the world to see. It is white, has Mercury signature grill and taillights, and CAP must have built it recently. Not sure what Ford is waiting for in announcing it as I find it hard to believe thay they would go to trouble and expense for CAP to make it and then not produce it when CAP could use the extra production, Mercury could use the product as it doesn't have a CUV right now, and there should be a Sable X wagon just like there used to be with the old Sable. Btw, I saw the Sable X again today as anyone who drives by off Levan North of Plymouth Rd. can see it about 20 feet off of sidewalk. Again, it is white and has been sitting out there for over a week. There are 2008 Focuses sitting out there too and usually a few test mules. Currently drive 2002 Taurus SESSport Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 You think you can get a pic of two of it....make for a nice "scoop" here on blueovalforums...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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