By now you all know our 2009 Ford Flex is headed out of the long-term fleet to make room for something fresher. I, for one, will miss having it around.
A sudden business trip popped up in San Diego, so I decided to take the Flex for one last jaunt before the "for sale" process gets well and truly underway. OK, San Diego isn't that far away, but this round trip still amounted to another 200 miles.
In short, our 2009 Ford Flex drives like it always has. Steering, brakes, ride comfort -- it's all pretty solid, much like it was the first time a drove it back in September 2008. The interior still looks great, too, especially after Phil Reed had it detailed in preparation for sale.
The new owner will have about a year of rubber left -- the tires are getting down there but they're not far gone enough to toss them out just yet. The windshield star crack at the a-pillar was repaired and stabilized, but it's still visible. And the wonky center storage box latch still lacks the spring it lost over a year ago. We could fix this kind of stuff, I guess, but I've found it's not a bad policy to have something minor to point out as a car's biggest flaw. Besides, we'd pay more to fix that latch than we'd receive in incremental value.
Fare-thee-well, Flex. I'd like to take you back to my driveway, but I don't want a car payment just now. My family will miss you. You've made the twice-annual trip to Oregon quite pleasant on more than one occasion.
Which brings up a relevant question: which long-term car do we take this year?
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 72,487 miles
cello_one says:
07:41 AM, 12/10/10
I realize the haters are cheering the sale of the Flex. But even auto publications need to haul around Ford GT500 tires/wheels and camera gear! We bought our Flex in July, 2009. And since this blog reinforced our own experiences (test drives, other reviews, etc) we were glad this predestrian vehicle was in the stable. I hope the rest of the new Flex owners on the blog have as good as luck as we have had with ours! Still rattle free, comfortable, etc. Ours hasn't been detailed recently so it is an absolute pig stye though...
acbayard says:
07:42 AM, 12/10/10
Take the Audi A4 Avant, compare your road trip experience between a full-sized crossover and a luxury station wagon.
old_volvo says:
08:10 AM, 12/10/10
I will miss the flex. This car was like taht friend you could always rely on, which is essentially what most cars should be. It's styling was polarizing, but no one could knock its utility and reliability. You will be missed, what will be the replacement? A mini van?
I'm still pushing for a 15 passenger van, or some unconventional van like vehicle:
Options:
Dodge sprinter - I see you tested a dodge sprinter, that would be an interesting skid pad test (probably doesn't have defeatable ESC though, so Josh won't like it.) I'm also not sure if these are even available in the 2011 MY
Chevy Express 15 passenger - yeah, it would be fun to read Erin's report of taking this beast on those backwoods highways.
Ford E-series - see Chevy express comments.
Another ford, this time the Transit Connect XLT premium. Small, cheap and from what I can tell, fairly utilitarian, it is not a very good substitue for the flex, but it is new and different, and ugly.
Now for some other suggestions:
an Earth roamer or a sportsmobile 4x4 van.
I can see that there is a sportsmobile showroom in cali:
http://www.sportsmobile.com/z-IS_calif.html why not drive up there and take a look?
ocramidajzj says:
08:12 AM, 12/10/10
Raptor...
bodyblue says:
08:20 AM, 12/10/10
Transit Connect? Interesing idea!
rsholland says:
08:25 AM, 12/10/10
Sprinter? TransitConnect? Either one would be great, as it would give another perspective into the trucking world (as in not everyone buys a pickup).
ed124c says:
08:35 AM, 12/10/10
Oh, please, the TransitConnect has a 2 liter engine with a 4 speed automatic. Who wants to hear about that for a year?
I vote for a car brand most everyone seems to ignore, and that's Subaru-- either a Legacy 2.5 with the CVT (marvelous in the test drives I have taken in it) or the Outback with the 3.6 boxer.
schen72 says:
09:04 AM, 12/10/10
You have to finance a used car that has >100k miles on the clock?!?
throwback says:
09:08 AM, 12/10/10
The question was what "long term" car goes on the Oregon run. Considering the way you pack, I suggest the Traverse.
bankerdanny says:
09:43 AM, 12/10/10
schen72, The car has 72k miles, not >100k, and what does mileage have to do with financing? Perhaps Dan doesn't have a spare $15-$18k sitting around that he wants to tie up in a car.
yellowmiata says:
09:45 AM, 12/10/10
I vote for IL to take the Raptor to Oregon - lets see how to overly big truck handles regular duty.
bimmerjay says:
09:52 AM, 12/10/10
-1 on reading about cargo/full-size vans, sorry. Cover it in a single road test and leave it at that.
The Flex was a great long-termer and held up pretty well. Good that the brake issue was sorted as I imagine that would be really noticeable to any prospective buyer taking a test drive. Resale might be tough with the high miles but hopefully you guys will get a good price. It really surprises me that sales haven't been better on these.
old_volvo says:
09:55 AM, 12/10/10
Mazda Miata for Oregon trip.
j/k how about the rx400h, haven't heard about it in a while.
ed124c says:
10:10 AM, 12/10/10
Oh yeah, sorry, we were supposed to make suggestions about the trek to Oregon.
OK, how about the Crosstour-- it has been getting really good ratings on its highway demeanor.
The Cruze? Big trunk. It would be a good MPG test.
Fusion Hybrid? Nice MPG test to follow up on the Volt/Leaf comparo.
makakio says:
10:12 AM, 12/10/10
Buy everyone gift cards and take the BMW.
misterfusion says:
10:55 AM, 12/10/10
@Dan: IIRC, you once packed everything inside a 7-series, so the first thing I thought of for this trip was the 528i. However, it's more likely the Traverse's job to lose.
pontiaksolsice says:
10:59 AM, 12/10/10
Well if you were looking for something to take on a road-trip, I assume the next logical choice within the fleet would be the Traverse, Terrain, Crosstour or the 528 if traveling in good weather. Although as I remember, the Oregon trip does have snow.
nicholasrage says:
11:12 AM, 12/10/10
Hmm. Lots of choices! The 528i, A4 Avant, Crosstour, Volvo or Sonata all sound like good candidates for the oregon hauler.
thehankhill says:
12:13 PM, 12/10/10
I would take the M56 (ahem, when you get it that is...)
subarubiker says:
01:59 PM, 12/10/10
Seeming as the only long-term Subaru you guys have had since starting the long-term blog, I think a 2011 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5 (nonturbo) would be a great choice to replace the Flex. Also, with all the reported concerns with the redesigned Outback on subaruoutback.org, even an Outback 3.6R Limited or 2.5i Limited would be cool too!
If you need something bigger, I'd love to see a long-term on the redesigned 2011 Kia Sorento EX V6 or SX AWD and how it stands up to Inside Line's extensive testing.
f1mom says:
02:34 PM, 12/10/10
The Raptor has made the summer trip to Oregon,but with only half the usual crew: http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2010/08/2010-ford-f-150-svt-raptor-road-trip-suspension-impressions.html
Remember, one of the passengers on this road trip has a marked propensity toward carsickness. Low CG is a good thing.
And the square footage of presents that must be hauled has gone down quite a bit now that the kids are teens and only want small electronic devices.
vt8919 says:
05:47 PM, 12/10/10
+1 for a Subaru to join the fleet.
vvk says:
06:08 PM, 12/10/10
SEDAN!
The 5er would be my first choice. Cruze second. Sonata third.