Is the Expedition too large to suit your needs? Ford has got you covered with the Flex, a full-size crossover that can comfortably seat seven people. If you’re in the market for a Flex, however, you’d better be quick about it because its passing looms on the horizon.
After lots of talks with Ford about the manufacturer’s Canadian manufacturing footprint, the Unifor trade union reached an agreement with the North American brand. Whilst on the verge of strike, Unifor signed a tentative agreement with Ford. Due to factors that include “well-deserved increases” and “gains for retirees,” something had to give from Ford's part.
That something, as you may have guessed from the headline, is the Flex.
According to the Detroit Free Press, trade union officials let it slip that the Flex has to in 2020. If this hearsay turns to reality with a confirmation from Ford, then that’s that and live moves on. Unifor members and Ford will have the final say on the agreement after a vote planned for November 6, 2016.
Produced at the Oakville plant in Ontario, Canada, the Ford Flex is built alongside models such as the Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKX, and Ford Edge. Introduced in 2008 and updated for the 2013 model year, the Flex (and similarly sized MKT) are underpinned by the Ford D4 platform. Yup, that full-size unibody backbone derived from the Volvo P2 platform from 1998.
When all is said and done, the spiritual successor of the Ford Model A-based Woodie is an old geezer that can’t be taught new tricks. Looking ahead, no spiritual successor is in the offing, not even in the rumor mill. Despite its old bones and popularity with soccer moms, the Flex’s body shell is a thing to behold. Penned by Peter Horbury, Volvo’s current vice president of design, the Flex is a cohesive mix of retro and modern exterior styling cues.
Priced from $30,025, the 2017 Ford Flex is available with two engines. Be it the freely aspirated 3.5-liter V6 or the force-fed EcoBoost V6, the Flex sure likes to drink. Rated at 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway, the horrendous mileage is due to the 4,440-plus pounds that the Flex has to haul around.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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