I ventured up to a cabin in Big Bear, Calif., this weekend for a bachelor party. I tasked myself with bringing three of the nine other guys up, and although any number of our sedans could have done the job, the Flex was once again called upon for a road trip. Quite simply, there's no other car that's been in the long-term fleet during my nearly three-year tenure that approaches the Flex's desirability for treking distances.
I've driven a Flex to Big Bear before, so I've previously noted how its lack of manual gear selection hampers the journey up and down the 7,000-foot climb. When hauling derriere up the mountain to make up for the time we lost in traffic, the Flex was surprisingly capable of taking turns, but wasn't happy to do so and I doubt many drivers would duplicate my pace.
Yet, what about the thoughts of the nine other guys?
Well in short, they loved it. When we ventured into town with six aboard, the power flip-and-fold second row seats elicited oohs, aahs and the demand for the four other guys traveling by 4Runner to check them out. The Vista Roof, back seat refrigerator, DVD entertainment system and the sheer fact that six grown men could comfortably fit in a vehicle that's not a minivan were other plus points. One guy noted he appreciated the styling much more in a dark paint scheme where the side ribbing is less noticable.
This journey proved to me once again the Flex's ability to make practicality cool. Would a Honda Odyssey or Buick Enclave garner such positive reactions from a group of 26-year-old beer pong-playing dudes -- one of which said he'd consider buying one? No way, not a chance. Go Flex.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 33,439 miles
desmolicious says:
03:45 PM, 09/14/09
A college buddy of mine had a bachelor party in Big Bear. It was fun for about the first few hours. His fiancee and her g/fs had their's in Vegas.
Ya can tell who wore the pants in that relationship...
As for the Flex? Yeah, it's nice. Nicer than the minivans.
subaru123 says:
03:47 PM, 09/14/09
33,439 miles? WOW!
wrinklebump says:
03:51 PM, 09/14/09
Good to see the Flex getting love. Can't imagine buying anything else if I had a bunch of ankle-biters to haul around.
edubya says:
06:24 PM, 09/14/09
"Would a Honda Odyssey or Buick Enclave garner such positive reactions from a group of 26-year-old beer pong-playing dudes[?]"
You're right that they wouldn't, but I'm still buying an Odyssey (despite the fact that the Ford dealer is three miles vs the Honda dealer's 50) because it remains the more practical vehicle. Plus, my wife, two kids, and mother don't play beer pong.
zsh says:
07:35 PM, 09/14/09
@subaru123: We have 28k or so on ours and it is not our jobs to drive cars and report on them (since Nov 08). I cannot agree more about the fact that driving long distances in the Flex is very easy and almost fun in a sick twisted way.
hybris says:
09:48 PM, 09/14/09
Just wondering edubya how is a Odyssey more practical than a Flex?
They are virtually the same size, have roughly the same engine (Excluding EcoBoost), and even weigh about the same.
Features wise they are about the same as well.
dgcamero says:
10:46 PM, 09/14/09
@hybris
Sliding doors.
gdmstrb says:
10:48 PM, 09/14/09
hybris: Well the Oddy does have a little more room behind the rear most seats and it has sliders, other than that I can't think of much reason why. Even with those shortcomings, I can't imagine being able to clearly concede to the Honda unless the sliding door is a must.
dragonflight says:
12:51 AM, 09/15/09
@gdmstrb, hybris, dgcamero
You can also find Siennas and Odysseys (I'm thinking more Sienna here, but I'm pretty sure both apply) for far less than what Ford wants for a Flex. Not saying that the Flex is a bad car or badly priced (I believe it's the only CUV I'd consider at this point) but the minivans still do have a very competitive price point. And hell, our Sienna isn't too shabby to drive either, and it doesn't even have the 3.5l update.
arumage says:
08:29 AM, 09/15/09
@dragonflight:
The Flex is $2k more than an Odyssey, but you get:
leather wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming mirror, fog lamps
The rest of the difference can be chalked up to popularity contest. It's not cool to own a minivan.
My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Aerostar. I have no problems with minivans, but my wife doesn't like them. We own a Ford Freestyle now.
jriz says:
09:43 AM, 09/15/09
"We own a Ford Freestyle now."
...which is essentially a Flex with a less posh interior, less funky exterior and less power. Otherwise, you get the same brilliant packaging, space and utility. You were ahead of your time, man, excellent choice.
baggs32 says:
09:58 AM, 09/15/09
You get more than those three items for the $2000 arumage. Add an extra gear in the tranny, more power, better fuel economy, rear park sensors, and 17 inch aluminum wheels to your list. There are several other small creature comforts that I don't feel like listing, but all are either optional or not even available on the Ody.
I based this on a Flex SE FWD vs. a base Ody LX. Which I assume you did as well.
bradyholt says:
09:35 PM, 09/15/09
"Well the Oddy does have a little more room behind the rear most seats and it has sliders, other than that I can't think of much reason why."
If by "a little more" you mean "twice as much." No crossover comes close to matching a minivan for cargo space.
_markvgti_ says:
09:26 PM, 09/18/09
Is this the highest-mileage vehicle in your fleet, ever?