I am here to write about the 2009 Ford Flex. But before we talk about what’s new, let’s take a look back at where the Flex’s got its unique look.


The Toyota FJ and Mini proved the white roof is a cool thing.
But will it work for the Flex?

A couple years ago I wrote about how car manufacturers are releasing new cars modeled after older cars. If you are interested in this stuff, read it and enjoy the photos comparing old school and new school. Here is one of my comparisons from that blog:

  1. 1960s Ford Bronco (top)
  2. The titanium tough-bot Bronco concept that never made it into production (middle)
  3. Concept preview of the 2008 Ford Fairlane (bottom), which was renamed the Ford Flex.

In that blog, I wrote this:

“Concept cars usually don’t get manufactured, but they often hint the visual direction of future vehicles. In this case, the Bronco’s style pointed to the Ford Fairlane concept which debuted a year later in 2005. Although the Fairlane and Bronco have similar lines, the rumor is that the Fairlane will be released as a 2008 replacement for their minivan. I’m afraid the Fairlane will become a bore as soon as it’s marketed as practical and economical.”

It looks like Ford will make the Fairlane Flex, even it is a year late. I haven’t seen the car marketed yet…Ford discreetly added the Flex to their line-up on their website with little commotion. I’m trying to figure out if the Flex has enough cool points to succeed. To get an answer, you have to ask the basic question…

Can Practical be Cool?

Here’s the deal. Car manufacturers spend millions of dollars each year trying to make family cars look “cool.” This statement seems so simple that it can’t be true. But it is true. Most of what you see on car lots today are the result of people needing family cars, but not wanting to look like they are driving family cars. Here’s an abridged history of the last 20 years of self-conscious car buyers with children.

The minivan stormed America in the late 1980s because they were practical, but more “sporty” than traditional full-sized vans (think church van) and the non-sexy station wagon (think National Lampoon’s). Unfortunately, the popularity gained from it’s innovative functionality was lost as soon as everyone sobered up and realized that minivans= family haulers. So stylish people started looking around to see what else was on the car lot. What is this? A Ford Explorer?

We all remember the SUV frenzy of the 1990s and the earliest years of this decade. Everyone and their mother drove an SUV because it symbolized independence and versatility. A subplot in that 15 years was that the very essence of the SUV–elevated ride height, 4 wheel drive, truck-based platform–was evolving out of the pack by natural selection. Car buyers liked the looks of the SUV, but they wanted it to behave like a car.

This highly evolved SUV is now called a CUV, short for Crossover Utility Vehicle. But don’t be confused, the CUV is just a tall station wagon. And what is a tall station wagon? Nothing but a mini-van without sliding doors. Why do we keep coming back to this minivanish vehicle? Because in the end, practicality rules.

The Ford Flex: The CUV Anti-Hero

The Ford Flex is a unique vehicle in the cluttered me-too CUV market. Ford decided to be bold. Rather than having a car dressed up like an SUV, they opted boxed out a station wagon. Essentially, the stretched the Scion xB or Honda Element.

The 2009 Ford Flex. Boxy? Yes. Cool? Hmmmm….

Ford understood that their new creation would be misunderstood, so they worked hard to give it a fresh start. The first move, the best move, was to upgrade the name from Fairlane to Flex. The next move was to not tell people it’s a replacement for the Taurus X, a flattering name for Ford’s lame-ass CUV that replaced Ford’s lame-ass Windstar minivan.

Ford’s most interesting decision to give the Flex a fighting chance at “cool” was to hire the cool kids: Chip Foose and DJ Funkmaster Flex. The two went to work to customize the Flex before it hit dealerships.

I happy that Mr. Funkmaster got a shot at customizing the new Ford Flex, because he didn’t have much to work with on that dorky Ford Expedition project from a couple years ago. If you want to see what Mr. Funkmaster did with the Flex, go to Flex website. I don’t like it, probably because it looks like they took photos of his creation with their cell phone.

Instead, check out Chip Foose’s Flex. Mission accomplished.

 

Summary

It is difficult to predict whether or not a car will sell. Afterall, car manufacturers spend a gazillion dollars trying to figure out what works, and they often fail. I’m rooting for the Flex because it reminds me of the woody wagons in the 1930s-1950s. I get nostalgic when I look at the car, but this isn’t enough to make me buy it. (If Honda made it, I’d buy it tomorrow. Fords today are more reliable than they were 5 years ago, but I’m not in a mood to gamble.)

I hope some young car customizers see the potential in the Flex and make it their own.