2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost Review

2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost Review - Ford needs to set up standard cloaking tools on its Flex large crossovers. A week earlier, I was commenting that I never ever see them on the road. Currently, they're everywhere I look. Discerning assumption aside, you 'd assume I 'd have a hard time missing out on something as large and also monolithic as the blocky Flex.

The 2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost is extremely geometric. The crossover's lengthy as well as upright shape is further accentuated by straight character lines that extend down its flanks and also across the grille and also tailgates. The Flex looks, put simply, like a shoebox on wheels. Some people dig it, some locate it constantly bland. Personally, I think it appears like someone at Ford flexed a first-generation Successor xB to seat 7-passengers. From its optional different roof, it appears like the world's largest Mini Clubman.
Boxy layout, blocky capacity
Directly, I'm a fan of the rectangle-shaped style, but I should admit that the appearances had to grow on me throughout a week's testing. Even if it's not your box of tea, there's little rejecting that the upright as well as crate-like Flex's flaunts plenty of space on the inside for people as well as their points. For beginners, the flat roof enables lots of headroom on all 3 of the crossover's rows (around 41 inches for the very first 2 rows and also 38.7 for the 3rd), which is good if you thinking of packing adults back into the third row. (Legroom, however, comes to be a more valuable source on that 3rd row, however with 33 inches offered, I had the ability to easily fit my 5-foot-9-inch chassis into the area for a brief travel.).

2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost Review

Adding to the spacious feeling is the optional View roof, which includes three small skylights to the Flex Limited's roofing system behind the healthy front moving moonroof. The View roof's glass is repaired as well as does not open, but there are a trio of tones that can be drawn if one desires to shut out the sunlight. I claim leave 'em open; the skylights allowed much required light into the Flex's spacious (and dark) log cabin.

Among my favorite attributes is the optional PowerFold third-row seats. At the touch of a button, both rear seats can be independently or simultaneously folded into a variety of placements. The seats could simply fold forward or put into back freight area, forming a flat-floored, 82.3-cubic-foot cargo hold from the front seatbacks to the back hatch.

The power seats also showcase a "Tailgating" method that flips the bench backwards, developing an area to sit when hanging out at the rear of the car. Yes, in this last setup it can be bit tricky to obtain in and out of the seats and when in this mode you form of end up sitting atop the folded up headrests, but the Tailgate method is a great perk feature for those that camp, barbecue or (naturally) tailgate.

Ecoboost and all-wheel drive.
The Ford Flex comes standard from a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that outputs 287 horse power, yet our design improves to an Ecoboost version of that mill. Twin-turbocharging as well as direct-injection bump the outcome to 365 horse power as well as 350 pound-feet of torque. That engine is mated with six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters (that many Flex proprietors will never ever make use of). The Ecoboost version also makes the Flex's on-demand all-wheel drive system a typical function. (Naturally aspirated Flex owners have a selection in between front- or all-wheel drive.).

An EPA approximated 16 city and 18 consolidated mpg, the Ecoboost AWD Flex sheds only a solitary mpg when compared with the much less effective normally aspirated AWD version. The 23 highway mpg price quote is the same for both models.

2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost Review

The big crossover's handling is concentrated on comfort, yet doesn't really feel careless. The Flex's trip is remarkably peaceful, though wind noise is notable at greater speeds-- you'll have that with such an upright windshield slapping into the air. Fortunately, the wind sound is easily hushed by the Limited's basic 12-speaker, 390-watt Sony costs audio system.

A mixed bag of outdated tech.
The 2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost debuted back in 2008 (as a 2009 version) and also has actually only seen small refreshes ever since. Being an eight-year old vehicle, it's no surprise that the Flex's technology offerings are a variety of outdated and also fresh features, but on the whole, coping with the Flex's tech from day to day is a good experience.

For starters, there's the MyFord Touch infotainment and also navigating system, which is simply too slow for my preferences. Whether inputting addresses or simply changing sources, every action of every communication from the system seemed to take a bit longer compared to it must have. If I were driving and got in a tunnel, the map display would certainly go empty for 2 to 3 secs while the software program revises the map in nighttime shades.


Though slow, the Ford system does flaunt a solid feature set from a range of electronic media resources on the same level with its competitors, accurate traffic information when navigating, and most significantly, the power of Ford Sync voice command. Sync is really this system's saving grace, considering that it permitted me to simply consult an address and get back to business of driving while the slow-moving routing software application exercised my intentions by itself time.

The Flex likewise includes Ford's Smartgauge hybrid tool collection, which is as good as it ever before was and also remains among my favored scale collections on the road. The system flanks a big, easy-to-read speedometer from two smaller sized color displays. The screens each correspond one of two tiny directional pads on the guiding wheel, placing a host of automobile details on the left screen as well as duplicating one of the most important infomercial features on the right. Just what's most remarkable is exactly how logical and also low diversion this arrangement is.

Self-parking modern technology.
The 2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost is readily available with Ford's semi-autonomous auto parking system, which measures available parallel parking rooms and could steer the crossover into a place while the driver controls the guiding and brakes. This is, nevertheless, an older generation of the tech and can not reverse-perpendicular park like the some of the most up to date Ford models. Even so, I discover this function to be crucial on a car as long as the Flex. Certain, I can do a respectable job of by hand parking with the common rear video camera, however the vehicle parking assistant merely makes every little thing so effortless and idiot-proof.

The same plan that includes that vehicle parking aide also rolls in a lane-departure sharp system, which uses video cameras to detect when the Flex is wandering from its lane without signalling and shakes the guiding wheel. This is an alert system, however there is no assistance.

2016 Ford Flex Limited Ecoboost Review - The package deal also includes adaptive trip control, which keeps a pre-programmed rate on the freeway, however could slow down to keep a secure following range behind a lead car. But this isn't really a full-speed system; it deactivates at speeds here 15 miles per hour, so you cannot utilize it to creep through web traffic.

We have actually additionally got blind-spot tracking, back cross-traffic alert, and park range sensing units, completing a driver-aid tech suite that hits the high points but isn't really as fleshed out as I would certainly such as a $50k crossover to be. The 2015 Ford Flex starts at around $29,100 with an $895 destination cost for the base SE model. Nevertheless, near to fully filled from the Restricted trim upgrades, the Ecoboost engine, the driver-aid equipment package and even more, our example rolls off of the great deal at $49,845 prior to rewards, which pushes the limit of what I believe the Limited deserves. Staying with the center of the Flex's price range (which could possibly indicate avoiding the Ecoboost powertrain) yields a far better value.

However contrasting the Flex to its peers is challenging, since it's so unlike the remainder of the seven-seaters on the marketplace. The Honda Pilot, the Toyota Highlander and their pal are all typical SUVs with standard SUV driving feeling. The Flex's handling is the most car-like (attempt I say, minivan-like?) of the whole lot and makes sure to attract drivers uncomfortable with the suggestion of actually climbing up into a "utility car.".

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