2013 Ford Flex Limited Review: Forget the Minivans

I stepped on the gas, and the full-size crossover SUV slowly started moving along the road. I looked back and was amazed it moved at all. I’m travelling between Ottawa and Toronto in the 2013 Ford Flex Limited AWD, with lots of bells and whistles thrown in (but we’ll get to those later).

With five passengers and luggage for six packed tightly into this beast, I worried if it could move at a decent pace. The 3.5L twin-turbo V6 engine holds a very healthy 355 horsepower. But the Flex is a big boy on its own. Add six people plus luggage, and I had questions. But when I stepped on the pedal, it moved. Slowly, at first, as I understood how much input it needed though, it accelerated up to highway speeds with no issue.

Ford Flex Limited Interior

The cabin space is impressive in this six-seat crossover (a seven-seat version is also available). Not only did we fit six people, but we fit comfortably for a four-hour trek. And no children were involved in this road trip. We had six full-grown men all hovering around, or topping, six feet in height.

And they fit – even in the third row. I don’t think the two in the back would choose to ride like that for the rest of their lives, but the Flex afforded us the space we needed, and we were pleased.

The Ford Flex Features That Shine

Now, we can get to all the bells and whistles that really upped the comfort during the trip.

• Heated front and second-row seats; adaptive cruise control (absolutely golden on a drive like this when sailing along the oh-so-boring stretch of Highway 401)

• Refrigerator console (yes, an actual small fridge in the back; we were all doing mental high-fives, knowing we didn’t have to smell that leftover piece of a tuna sandwich for hours)

• Active park assist (I used it, and I loved it; for a car this long, I don’t mind the help parallel parking…no ego hurt on this end!)

• Cooled front seats (everyone’s quick to highlight heated seats, but with leather in a vehicle at this price range, cooled seats are a must; I used them for half the ride as things got pretty hot and musty after lunch)

• A 110V outlet (my friend riding up front loved it; he was able to plug in his laptop and spent most of the ride getting work done).

This is just a small sampling of the comfort creatures that transformed this large crossover from being on my “quirky, interesting car” list to a “top three road trip vehicle.” Of course, all of those add-ons cost. Quite a bit, actually. The Flex begins at $30,885 for the basement level SE trim. Jump to our Limited edition, and you’re starting at US$39,885 (C$44,399 in Canada as tested). Then add on everything we had, and you’re looking at C$58,349. Ouch.

Takeaway

I loved having it for the road trip, but would I want it for everyday driving at that price? Not really. It doesn’t fit my lifestyle; I don’t have any kids yet, so most of my longer trips are with my wife. That would mean a lot of wasted space behind us. If you’re a family of four or more, though, and find yourself constantly on the road and needing more space, don’t like the eccentricity of it’s exterior discourage you from checking it out. I would rent one of these in a heartbeat for another group road trip. And when our family expands.

2013 Ford Flex Limited Specs