2009 Ford Flex Performance Review

• Overall
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Specs
• Photo Gallery

Performance - What the Auto Press Says

The 2009 Ford Flex delivers competent -- albeit a bit boring -- performance. Test drivers especially like the ample engine power and smooth ride, but most classify the overall driving experience as just adequate.

• "Although looking at a Flex might get people excited, driving it won't. With its 262-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 with 248 pound-feet of torque, it is far from slow, but it's also far from fun." -- Car and Driver
• "The Flex is remarkably quiet, with a well controlled ride, yet has the steering response of a much smaller car." -- Road and Track
• "The experience of driving or riding in the 2009 Ford Flex is more serene than you might anticipate, given Ford's previous family-truckster efforts." -- Edmunds
• "According to Ray, it drives exactly like a Taurus X, which is to say depressingly adequately, which doesn't compensate for the fuel consumption, 16/22 for the AWD version is too SUV-like to wow us." -- Jalopnik

Acceleration and Power

The Flex comes with a more-than-adequate 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 262 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. According to the EPA, the FWD Flex should net 17/24 mpg city/highway, while the AWD model should get 16/22 mpg city/highway.

• "The engine is silent at cruising speeds but is loud and rather unhappy under full throttle." -- Car and Driver
• "The Flex feels amply powerful for most driving in and out of the city. The 3.5-liter V-6 has enough power to get the job done, though there's a slight amount of engine roar at the top of the rev range." -- The Car Connection
• "Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission that is designed to pull away in first gear, the Flex easily moves itself around without hesitation. Only in the canyons did we find ourselves getting a bit frustrated with the transmission's electronic brain. The slushbox wanted to save fuel. We wanted torque." -- Autoblog
• "Should you want to humiliate a Honda Odyssey in a boulevard drag race, you're going to have to wait until next year when the twin-turbo, direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 sneaks onto the Flex's options sheet. The 340-hp so-called EcoBoost mill should make the Flex the undisputed badass of the day care circle drive." -- Edmunds

Handling and Braking

The Flex features an independent front and rear suspension that makes for a smooth ride. It also has power rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes.

• "Regardless of whether one chooses the front- or all-wheel-drive model (weighing 4500 or 4650 pounds, respectively), there is nothing overtly sporty about the Flex. But in all fairness, this shouldn't be problematic for buyers. The chassis is well tuned for a family crossover, with pleasantly direct steering that has just the right amount of boost and good on-center feel." -- Car and Driver
• "As if the styling isn't enough to differentiate the Flex from workaday crossovers and stroller-toting minivans, Ford has been eager to make the driving experience something unexpected. And, indeed, for a big ocean-going passenger liner of a vehicle, the Flex is pretty damn composed through bends." -- Edmunds
• "Handling is as you would expect in any large vehicle. Which is to say that this is not really a corner clipper. Special attention needs be paid while parking and lane changing, as one would with a minivan." -- Left Lane News
• "Perhaps the best quality of the 2009 Ford Flex is its ride. It's not soft, and not firm, just ideally tuned to a comfortable setting that keeps its vertical motions controlled while absorbing most of the atrocious impacts you can find on the Sawmill Parkway -- or Lexington Avenue." -- The Car Connection