rmc523 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 (edited) Well folks, here's a couple sketches of the 2012 Flex.... Changes on the front include: -flush front bumper (no visible bumper) -redesigned grill inspired by 2011 Edge -removal of Ford emblem, with FLEX written on hood like 2011 Titanium models -new headlight design, with LED turn signals -foglamps replaced by LED lighting strips (function as running lights, both day and night) -new wheels Changes out back are more minimal, and include: -redesigned taillights (including LED reverse lights and LED amber turn signals) -FLEX written across top of liftgate panel, LIMITED (and SEL/Titanium) label moved to lower left corner of panel, EB/AWD badges remain in the lower right corner -color-coded reverse sensors -redesigned bumper that accomodates new rectangular exhaust outlets (goes better with Flex's horizontal theme) Edited December 2, 2010 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Nice work! I think this is probably in line with what we'll see for the Flex MCE. A few things I may have done different... I probably would have put "F O R D" on the hood instead of the "F L E X", and then had the "FLEX" logo stamped into the bottom bar of the grille (a la 2008 Escape). And what if the entire grille opening were a bit trapezoidal in shape (larger at the top, slightly smaller at the bottom)? This could help further smooth out the front clip (along with your brilliant deletion of the visible bumper). And, one final thought... I've always thought that the Flex would look cool with roof-colored (either body colored or white) A-pillars, then leaving the B, C, and D pillars blacked out. As always, a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Great job...again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 20, 2010 Author Share Posted September 20, 2010 (edited) Well thanks to all of you - glad to see it's getting such a warm reception both here and elsewhere. That's the fastest I've ever seen a photoshop thread be replied to.....EVER, especially at multiple sites! I wrote FLEX and not FORD on the hood because the 2011 Titanium model has FLEX written across the hood, and I thought I'd read somewhere that that design 'feature' would be spread to the other trims in the future as well. I didn't think of having FORD up there with FLEX stamped in the lower bar. I thought about adding more of a Kinetic look, but a few things stopped me: 1) I thought the 2011 Edge would get a much more kinetic look, and well, it didn't, so I followed what happened to the Edge very closely with this one (heavily revised front, sharing design themes w/ Edge, and lightly revised rear), and 2) Flex obviously has a horizontal and boxy theme, so I'm not so sure a kinetic look would work that well on it, and therefore tried to stick to the boxy/horizontal look (squircles? LOL). I like your thought behind the colored A-pillar matching the roof (I've done that on a few of my designs you've seen PD if you remember), BUT I'm a huge fan of the floating roof look on the Flex....maybe it could be optional or something? ---- For clarification on the taillights: I changed the design within the existing housing. It's probably hard to tell, but they're supposed to be red around the outer edges, with a "C" look, and I made area inside of that clear, with both the reverse lights and new amber turn signals being LEDs (following the Edge/Explorer amber turn signal theme). LED tubes also surround the red part of the taillights for distinctive nighttime running lights. Edited September 20, 2010 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I wrote FLEX and not FORD on the hood because the 2011 Titanium model has FLEX written across the hood, and I thought I'd read somewhere that that design 'feature' would be spread to the other trims in the future as well. I didn't think of having FORD up there with FLEX stamped in the lower bar. I remember them saying this, but I would still like to see the "F O R D" on the hood and the "FLEX" stamped within the bottom of the grille surround. I thought about adding more of a Kinetic look, but a few things stopped me: 1) I thought the 2011 Edge would get a much more kinetic look, and well, it didn't, so I followed what happened to the Edge very closely with this one (heavily revised front, sharing design themes w/ Edge, and lightly revised rear), and 2) Flex obviously has a horizontal and boxy theme, so I'm not so sure a kinetic look would work that well on it, and therefore tried to stick to the boxy/horizontal look (squircles? LOL). I wasn't thinking kinetic as much as I was thinking Taurus / Fusion / Edge, where the upper grille starts wider at the the top and gets narrower at the bottom. Kinetic would be more like making the lower grille larger and upper grille smaller (or nonexistent). I like your thought behind the colored A-pillar matching the roof (I've done that on a few of my designs you've seen PD if you remember), BUT I'm a huge fan of the floating roof look on the Flex....maybe it could be optional or something? I'm a fan of the floating roof, too, but I think the colored A-pillars could actually do a lot to better accentuate the blacked out mid and rear pillars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Very Nice work, as usual. Ford will have to do some sort of model refresh without a complete redesign. This is definitely the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Sometimes drawings don't copy well without adjusting contrast/brightness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'Cal Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Nice job! I'm not sure if the Flex can survive surrounded by the Edge and Explorer. Ford needs a minivan and Lincoln needs the Flex to replace its strangely designed and cramped MKT. The Flex feels so much roomier than the MKT that it feels more luxurious than the MKT. Change the sheet metal a bit but keep it big, and start with the Titanium for the new MKT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey61 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Holy shizz. That's amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunter4814 Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 Pretty subtle changes...I like it! Good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddysystem Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 With the new Swagger Wagon styling efforts of Toyota and Nissan, It makes me wonder what the Flex would look like if it morphed into more of a minivan; shorter hood, taller roofline, sliding doors etc. With the overlap Explorer coming on line, I think it might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpark Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 That grille makes a huge difference, Ford might run with that. Good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fou_bleu Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 With the new Swagger Wagon styling efforts of Toyota and Nissan, It makes me wonder what the Flex would look like if it morphed into more of a minivan; shorter hood, taller roofline, sliding doors etc. With the overlap Explorer coming on line, I think it might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARMANBG Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Great job...again! I agree... Great Job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenracing Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Well folks, here's a couple sketches of the 2012 Flex.... DAMN maybe I should wait and see if they make the 12 Flex like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest liquidleaf Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Love the grille - pulls a bit of f150 badness into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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