Ford Flex 2013 Review – Video Demo – review, features, and video demo of the 2013 Ford Flex. For this review I am comparing the Flex to the Honda Pilot.
I recently was loaned a 2013 Ford Flex for one week for review. I know I’m not the first to drive the Ford Flex, but I will give you a thorough review from an ordinary person’s point of view – including both the vehicle itself and the features that were on the model I received.
FORD FLEX 2013 REVIEW – VIDEO DEMO
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I will start by saying that my 2012 Honda Pilot was about $36,000 compared to the Ford Flex that I’m testing which has a sticker price of about $49,000. I will admit that was a bit of a sticker shock and I was expecting to step foot into a car with 18 karat gold trim. Instead, I found an abundance of electronics and touch screen controls. I’m a techy at heart but never felt comfortable spending this kind of money on a car – my dad always taught us that the complicated and expensive toys bring the most headaches and the most expensive repairs. So in all honesty, this was a neat experience to try out this Ford Flex. I hurriedly synced my phone’s bluetooth capabilities and downloaded my contacts. Next, I played with the voice activitation commands. It was definitely convenient to be hands free.
I can’t hold back from saying that there is a definite learning curve when a car is this stocked with gadgets. I found myself fumbling with certain controls and messing up by not giving the exact necessary voice commands. It would sometimes reach the point of frustration where I’d want to just shut it all off and start over because I’d lose my way in the sea of all the incorrect screens. But, in time, I’m sure I’d master it. But, in a week’s time, I for sure didn’t.
Another “gadget” on the Ford Flex 2013 that I really liked was the automatic/mechanical rear seats. How many of us have strained a back muscle pulling on levers and pushing down to get rear folding seats to fold? With the Ford Flex it can all be done with the touch of a button. There were four buttons – one let you pick if you wanted to do the left and right side individually. The others allowed for you to fold, stow, and finally (and most interesting) – tailgate. Pushing the tailgate button takes the back seats of the Ford Flex and rotates them so they face outward allowing for you to sit in the back of the vehicle with the hatch door open – a great option for tailgating or watching a youth soccer game.
My goal is to find features that make my life easier. I am a busy person (as are all moms) and time is of the essence. There were simple features on the Ford Flex that I appreciated for this reason. For example, the push button start was a nice feature because it prevented me from having to sift through my purse looking for the keys. I also liked the remote/automatic power liftgate. Being able to push a button from the remote, or from the driver’s seat to open the back liftgate is way better than having to fumble with the door handle itself. And one final “gotta have it”… the ‘no gas cap’ feature. The easy fuel capless filler is something all cars should eventually switch to. You simply open the little door and insert the gas pump – no pain in the butt gas cap to mess around with. Another time saver and convenience. I quickly grew used to these features on the 2013 Ford Flex.
There were some features that were just ok, or even could be done without, in my opinion. First and foremost, the red light bar and sounding alarm, i.e. the Collision Warning, when the Ford Flex detects that you are approaching another vehicle at a speed greater than the vehicle in front of you. I see how this is a safety feature and I suppose this could be a nice feature… However, it was quite annoying when I would be approaching a left turning car to pass it in the shoulder lane, or if I were approaching a car right before switching lanes. Having the red bar light appear in my point of view on the windshield and hearing an alarm sound is quite disconcerning… which is almost even more distracting when I am trying to drive safely.
Speaking of safety, I did appreciate the rear inflatable seat belts on the Ford Flex 2013. Coming from someone who got a broken rib from a seat belt during an auto accident, this is a nice feature to have especially with little ones in the back seats.
I didn’t have the opportunity to try out the auto parallel parking either. I have no issues with parallel parking, and it doesn’t come up all that often where we live so it’s probably a feature on the Ford Flex that I could do without. I think it’s a very sophisticated feature, but I’d rather just go this one on my own.
The 2013 Ford Flex seats seven very comfortably. A very nice part about it is that you don’t feel like you’re driving a vehicle that seats seven. You feel like you’re driving a “car.” The Ford Flex is low to the ground so you get a nice mix of a spacious vehicle that seats more than car, but that also has that cozy car feel. I like my Pilot, but sometimes I feel like I’m jumping out of it to reach ground level again. That said, however, the gas mileage on the Ford Flex is the same as it is for larger SUV style vehicles – 16 city, 23 highway. I was actually a bit surprised by this and was expecting better numbers. But, I can somewhat understand it because the Ford Flex does have some kick to it.
I decided to drive the Ford Flex 2013 for the entire week in place of my car to see how I would feel once I went back to my car. Would I miss the side mirrors’ warnings of a car in my blindspot? Or, the voice activation system? I didn’t because for me, that’s not what a car is all about. Don’t get me wrong, I can be won over with some fun features (especially the time saving and convenience ones), but it all comes down to reliability and functionality with me. I like a nice looking car, but that’s also not a deciding factor (if it were I probably wouldn’t even consider the Ford Flex since I’m not a big fan of it’s exterior). I go with the vehicle that has the proven track record. If that’s what the Ford Flex offers, I would happily consider it as a possibility for my next car purchase.
