FORD Flex 2009-2012 Photos, engines & full specs

Based on the 2006 concept-car Ford Fairlane, the Flex was an unusual-looking vehicle built for those who liked the vanilla ice-cream but with some chilly powder on top.

Every now and then, carmakers are building different vehicles to test the market. Sometimes, these cars are hitting the jackpot while other times are hitting bottom. Ford Flex was not a sales winner, but the blue-oval brand kept it on the production lines until 2019, and that proved that it was on the green side of the profit charts. Since Ford built it on the same platform as the Taurus, it lowered production costs.

The design was definitely unusual. Even though it resembled a stretched Scion xB, it didn't look out of place on the road. Its blacked-out greenhouse pillars and white or silver roof made it look even longer than it was. At the front, the three-slats chrome-plated bars were already a Ford signature used on other vehicles, including the F-Series. In the back, the corner-mounted taillights flanked a silver area from the tailgate. Everything about it was about horizontal lines, from front to back from left to right.

Inside, Ford offered the Flex with six or seven seats. The former version featured two individual seats on the middle row, with a big center console between them. At the front, the sloped center stack sported the infotainment system that included navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.

Under the hood, Ford installed a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that sent the power to the front or an all-wheel-drive system. The full-options version featured a turbocharged unit that could propel the car to 60 mph (97 kph) in less than seven seconds.