Overgrown MINI or Range Rover Copycat?

After discontinuing the production of the Freestar and Mercury Monterey crossovers, Ford Motor Corporation decided to develop an all-new vehicle, naming it Ford Flex. The trouble with the Ford Flex is its appearance. It may be just me, but from some angles this SUV looks a lot like the Range Rover. At the same time, the Ford Flex manages to resemble a lot an overgrown MINI. Again, before Ford fans start throwing tomatoes, this is a personal opinion.

The fact of the matter is that the Ford Flex has just been presented in the New York International Auto Show, and Ford officials - through Mark Field, Ford's president of The Americas - describe it like so: “The new Ford Flex crossover is a game-changer. It’s the first vehicle of its kind that combines seating for seven, interior spaciousness and surprising features with a striking design that looks great on the road and at home for today’s modern American families.”

Going on sale in the summer of 2008, Ford Flex will be equipped with a 3.5 liter V6 engine, couple to a 6 speed transmission. Accompanied by all-wheel-drive, this engine can develop about 260 horsepower and 332 Nm (245 lb.-ft.) of torque.

Ford also has some explications about the car's design via Gary Boes, Flex chief designer: “It’s something that customers have come to expect from their vehicles and equate with quality. Flex has been engineered from the onset with reduced noise, vibration and harshness in mind.”