Ford will use the New York Auto Show to take the wraps off a new crossover called the Ford Flex. Designed to replace the company’s now-discontinued minivans, the Flex is closely based on the Fairlane concept (pictured), first shown two years ago.
Various reports indicate Ford is targeting sales of around 100,000 units annually — not replacing the minivan segment singlehandedly, but rather offering consumers another choice aside from the Edge and Taurus X.
The “Flex” badge is proof Ford hasn’t entirely abandoned its obsession with nameplates beginning with the letter “F,” despite going back on its Freestyle and Five Hundred designations in favor of Taurus.
And although we might know the new crossover’s name, its final styling still remains a mystery. Unlike the Fairlane concept, the Flex will almost certainly have regular doors. But the extent of other changes is not known.
In December, Jim Hall, vice president of industry sales at AutoPacific, claimed to have seen the production model, and said it is notably different from the concept. “If you thought the concept was boxy, the production version won’t be,” he said.
However, Ford design chief J Mays recently stated it “looks almost exactly the same.”
In January, Ford confirmed it would also build a Lincoln version of the crossover. Executives didn’t provide a timeframe for the Lincoln vehicle, but said it would not be a simple re-badge of the Fairlane, although it will share some “key points” with the Ford version.



03/22, 3:28 PM
posted by:
Me
How about Flake?
03/22, 3:37 PM
posted by:
buenos
I was thinking Flubber
03/22, 3:40 PM
posted by:
2ksc
Fux
03/22, 3:41 PM
posted by:
maximus
I’m thinking Waste of Space
03/22, 3:42 PM
posted by:
Jon
Sounds like a superhero.
Hope it does better for Ford that their “Faurus”.
03/22, 3:42 PM
posted by:
maximus
Fluke
03/22, 3:43 PM
posted by:
Jon
oops. “than”
03/22, 3:44 PM
posted by:
Jon
Flunk.
03/22, 3:47 PM
posted by:
Egbert Souse
Failure
03/22, 3:55 PM
posted by:
buenos
Actually Jon, you may be on to something. The Ford “Oops” works quite well. So does Whoops, and Yoiks.
03/22, 3:57 PM
posted by:
Piablo
So what’s the difference between the Edge and Flex? Are we now going to see the emergence of the small, medium and large lineups of crossovers as with sedans and SUVs? Being that a crossover really is about having the seating of an SUV with car-like characteristics, I don’t see the point in a small crossover. Instead, we’ll have the cramped, liveable, and spacious lineup of crossovers.
03/22, 4:16 PM
posted by:
gbb
At first I thought Ford was going to call this thing “Fairlane” and that would seriously disrespect the 60’s mid size cars I liked so well. I have never owned a SUV and I seriously doubt I’ll own a crossover. I either want a car or a truck not some compromise.
03/22, 4:16 PM
posted by:
Aston Martin
Looks like a Range Rover gone wrong. A very bad decision. I am flabbergasted. In fact, the front looks OK, but the back is too square, quite unlike the neat angle found on the Range Rover’s ass. Looks too try-hard. Yet another urban 4×4 for loons who like driving tanks through the city centre.
03/22, 4:18 PM
posted by:
buenos
Piablo… the difference is, one is called the Edge, and one is called the Flex. or something like that.
03/22, 4:37 PM
posted by:
whoopee
wow borrowing styling cues from another ford turd, range rover
my assumption is all the range rovers are just rebadged ford garbage anyway
you have to be a special brand of idiot to pay $80k for a ford rebadge with the quality metrics of a skoda
no wonder craigslist is full of range rovers that are six months old
03/22, 4:45 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
looks like a seabring suv. ford is running out of f names.
03/22, 4:53 PM
posted by:
04focus
soooo… will there be a Ford Funk Master Flex?
03/22, 4:58 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
funky ford madina
03/22, 5:21 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
cool name…NOT
03/22, 6:33 PM
posted by:
FallGuy
Doesn’t make it sound like it has a whole lot of structural integrity.
03/22, 6:37 PM
posted by:
F451
Too bad, but it looks like Ford is not hitting the right notes. I did see an Edge, and it wasn’t too bad, but with Ford teetering, I would not buy one for fear Ford is on the way out. I wonder whether Saleen will try to get the rights to the Mustang name?
03/22, 7:06 PM
posted by:
0GSharK6
The fact that anyone even gets the idea that someone needs another option alongside Taurus X and Edge depresses me. Are people really that much of sheep that Ford needs to slap together THREE similar-sized “crossover” SUVs to choose from, and yet there’s this supposedly neat Euro-Focus that we won’t get?
I kind of think the whole “crossover” idea is just a marketing gimmick. Yeah, they’re using car chassis, but they still handle like a brick.
03/22, 8:40 PM
posted by:
global_lightning
Flop
FooBar
Funky
Frak
Feeble
Fleabag
Fuzzball
03/22, 9:53 PM
posted by:
Thomas
Fairlady. Whoops… Nissan’s got that one.
Ok then… How bout the Ford Flipper.
Fester?
Fumble. Yeah… that’s it… the New Ford Fumble!
03/22, 9:59 PM
posted by:
Thomas
It’s like this…
You’re one of the top auto manufacturers in the world and you’re almost to the end zone… then something happens and you FUMBLE 12 billion dollars (in one year!).
Ouch.
Ford Fumble.
03/22, 10:50 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
“deantj”, you rule.
03/22, 11:31 PM
posted by:
A4
dont encourage him
03/23, 1:10 AM
posted by:
Adrio
I dont get this name at all. Flex? This car has a retro feel to it. Why name it something trying to sound modern? Thumbs down for the name. Good lookin truck tho.
03/23, 1:25 AM
posted by:
Blakkarr
I just can’t touch this one. It’s too horrible…
Ford FUBAR’d
Ford Flabby-@$$
Ford Forgotwhatgoodcarsare
Ford …
Forget it I’ll go GM. They are at least making a real effort and making headway too.
03/23, 1:38 AM
posted by:
Jon
Futile.
03/23, 3:53 AM
posted by:
fan
am i the only one who likes the fairlane concept? as much as the three-bar-frontgrille bores me, on this one it looks kinda good. and the name fairlane sounds ok, too.
ford should just have the guts to build it like this.
about the taurus x, edge and so on… no clue as to which markets ford is hoping to sell them – at a profit
03/23, 6:54 AM
posted by:
Renton
I need to see the interior before I pass final judgement.
At least its not the same old thing.
03/23, 8:09 AM
posted by:
HoosierHero
I like this concept. It beats the “Taurus X” crap. I also think they should have kept the Fairlane name. Oh well…
03/23, 8:53 AM
posted by:
dl_caldwell
We need to see the final design before passing judgement, period. The crossover concept is very simple. When asked to describe what they want in a SUV most people described a minivan with AWD without the styling stigma of a van and without the gas guzzling stigma of a SUV.
This complex task has put all the automakers hard at work trying to figure out exactly what this vehicle will look like. The results can be seen in the Outback, Pacifica, Freestyle, Edge, Pilot, Highlander and Acadia. Now “Flex” is added to the list. These are not enthusiasts cars, so they wont generate much hyperventilation here. However, this is a dynamic segment and of critical importance to all the automakers involved.
03/23, 9:17 AM
posted by:
maximus
on second thought, the front looks like an LR3
03/23, 11:28 AM
posted by:
buenos
Oh.. how about Floozie – for the discerning driver of low moral character (deantj comes to mind)
or given size, weight and handling characteristics of most Ford products, the bovien inspired Flossie…
03/23, 11:58 AM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
my buddy just bought a freelander and it sucks the biggest ass ever, i hate the hell out of it. its dissapointing its so crappy, the seats are hard rubber, the dash has more plastic than all of gm`s line up put together, the removeable roof leaked the first day he bought it, it has no power the breaks hardly stop it. its like land rovers cruel joke. i told him to test drive an exterra. now here is the worst part of all; his wife lives in australia soon to be an american. he at first bought a liberty, sent his wife the photos and she MADE him take it back and go get the land rover instead. no matter how many studies i have shown him about how ****ty land rover is here in the states, it didnt matter the wife from 10,000 miles away has the same mindset about american cars sucking. I would have told her to shut her damn trap.
03/23, 12:17 PM
posted by:
Jon Luc
Could be worse, could have been a Chevy Tahoe or a Range Rover.
03/23, 12:34 PM
posted by:
terk184
How about “Doh!”
03/23, 2:55 PM
posted by:
europerspective
Freelander has always been substandard but a lot of people are willing to put up with mediocrity to own a 4×4 with a Land Rover badge. What I can’t work out is why they would put up with it to own a phoney off-roader with a blue oval on it?
03/23, 5:29 PM
posted by:
Vertical
Has anyone who visits this site ever looked at who’s on Ford’s or GM’s board of directors? The ONLY people on either board with any automotive background are Bill Jr. and Wagoner. It’s no wonder they have so many problems. These people might be smart, but I don’t see a shred of evidence of anything automotive in their backgroungs. They’re accountants, drug pushers (drug companies), and other “business” people. Toyota doesn’t release that type of info, but I have no doubt their board is stacked with engineers.
03/23, 5:43 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
i do like the larger rovers theyre great, but the freelander has Ford written all over it. other than the original bronco there is not a ford offroader thats worth a crap, and i dont want to hear about how great of an offroader the pick up truck is, thats not what im talkin about.
03/23, 5:47 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Foul
Fall-off
The vehicle is of probably above-honda quality, but it looks ugly, and I don’t understand the name. If you tell me it has 8,129,810,402,327,719,291,136,292,333,533,333,335 ways of arranging the seating, then the name “Flex” gets better, but still not good
03/23, 6:00 PM
posted by:
0GSharK6
Tahoes are actually pretty reliable.
I think they should drop the Taurus X and throw this out there instead. This looks ten times better. The Taurus X has decent ergonomics but it just looks stupid IMHO to make 2786 different crossovers under the same brand. Maybe offer this as a step up under the Mercury name brand instead.
03/23, 6:31 PM
posted by:
Menace
Fugly
The best description I have for this ugly piece of sheet metal is a Pittsburge Pirate ball cap.
03/23, 8:51 PM
posted by:
autonutt
Come on Mullally.. I thought we were giving up on the “F” names, especially with the truckish crossovers… shouldn’t it have an “E” name? Or better yet, bring back another recently departed Ford name.. Contour would make more sense on something this oddly shaped and strangely overdetailed than it did on the boring, slab-sided Mondeo. Or why not Escort? If this is truly a minivan replacement, that makes sense because many men that own minivans presumably have families and thus troll for hookers when they can get away!
03/23, 9:21 PM
posted by:
autonutt
“Doesn’t make it sound like it has a whole lot of structural integrity.
Comment by FallGuy, posted on March22 at 6:33 pm”
LOL FallGuy rocks! After the Flex debuts, we should expect the Ford Cowlshake, Rattle and Jounce to follow quickly after.
03/24, 10:38 PM
posted by:
Jon Luc
Shark, actually, no, they’re not!
03/25, 5:31 PM
posted by:
Robert
First, the name was not chosen because it had an “F.” Second, the Taurus X is going away after the Flex launches. Ford’s “crossover” line will consist of the 5 seater Edge, the vaguely minivan-ish Flex and a seven-seater Explorer that is a direct Highlander competitor by 2010 (from what has been stated in various forums and articles).
The name aside, this could be a very good vehicle for Ford. What you see with the concept is basically what you’re getting in the production vehicle. They’ve needed a competitive people mover (whatever you want to call it) and the architecture its built on has the components to create such a vehicle.
Ford’s recent launches have been extremely good. The recall on the 6.4SD is the only recall issued for any of their new products in a long time (maybe since the launch of their Explorer in 2005). There have been comments that Ford’s dealers are getting it too as they pay very close attention to every minor vibration that people report. I would expect this launch to be no different and Ford’s quality numbers to continue to climb.
No, this won’t be a sports vehicle. It won’t be the coolest thing since you did a burnout in your ‘78 Firebird in the school parking lot. What this vehicle will be is a well-built family mover – and probably a very good one at that.
03/26, 1:47 PM
posted by:
Get Real
Fr. FoMoCo Fresident:
Flease Feep “F” Famed Fars Foming, Fhe Fublic Foves Fhem.
Fou Far Fo Fmart.
03/26, 3:29 PM
posted by:
The Stig
Fuggedaboutit.
03/28, 8:44 PM
posted by:
ironpony42
The Stig called it on this one!
It’s a weak car with a weak name for a weak market from a weak manufacture. Hmmm… The Ford Weak.
Man, Ford need to keep it together. They failed to deliver me the turbo diesel Ford Bronco concept from a couple years back. That was a great design. Then they show us this POS with the Fairlane label on it. Fairlane is a CAR. They should have named that “Interceptor” concept Fairlane, or Galaxy. This perticular product deserves to have the crappy name “FLEX”. Crappy name for a crappy car. Way to go Ford.