In a league of its own

The 2009 Ford Flex has appealing looks, roomy interiors and is meant for those who want a relaxed, spacious and silent cruise.

One of the worst things that can happen to an audiophile is getting interrupted while listening to a good piece of music in a perfectly audio- balanced environment. Like a phone ringing while Richard Ashcroft's voice is resonating perfectly through your speakers. But it wasn't such a bad experience in the 2009 Ford Flex when the audio was cut off and the dash started calling out to me to answer my phone. All I had to do was move my thumb slightly down to press a button on the steering wheel. I couldn't believe that Microsoft has managed to blend in and make a seamless connection with my Windows OS Phone! 'SYNC' as they call it, is designed to connect well with all phone operating systems and provide the driver with a pleasant hands-free and safe driving experience. In fact, the Flex is so safety oriented that the 'lady' in the dashboard boldly refuses to let you operate any setup features while driving. It is also complemented by the well balanced audio setup designed by Sony which it claims boldly on the LED panel when you start up the car.

Soft blue lighting has always been one of my favourite interior dash lighting colours, and the Flex has a lot of backlit buttons and so there was blue everywhere. Moreover the ambient light colours can be changed to fit seven different moods – and hence the term mood lighting with seven colour options.

Dashboard layout was perfect except for the microscopic hazard button which is placed a few millimetres away from your maximum stretch position. However, I must say the car has well designed interiors. For once, it does not completely feel like a gadget filled techno-music loving car that is quite common these days. Rather, it's a car that a rock star wouldn't mind owning. Neither would Tasmin Little if she had to rehearse a little in the car on her way to a show.

The exterior design is quite eye- catching and it was obvious by the number of heads that turned as we cruised around in this car. This car comes with a dual tone body colour, the roof being a standard white. It's long and slender, its ground clearance is a little more than that of a Ferrari, and it has all-wheel drive. What more could a road cruiser want? To put it another way, how much better could a mini-van get? Other innovations include a cap-less fuel filler and a compressor driven refrigerator.

From the outside, I was initially under the impression that this was a 4x4 with an unusually long wheel base and an unusually low ground clearance. Getting into the car changed everything totally. The Flex isn't out to compete with 4x4s. It's for people who never go off-road. It's one of its kind in a segment of its own. It's for people who want a relaxed, spacious and silent cruise combined with the balanced feel of the all-wheel-drive system which keeps this long car on track; especially on curves. I never had to switch on the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) during the test drive because the car seemed to handle better than expected in most situations.

Engine response and speed was inline with what you would expect from most cars in this segment. The Flex is powered with Ford's award-winning 3.5-litre V-6 engine delivering 262 hp at 6,250 rpm and 336 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. The gear system lacked the now common step-tronic mode, but I wouldn't bother with that for such cars where its application is quite limited. Gear shifts are quite smooth and suits a broad range of driving styles. Cruising can be fun in this car and the overall driving experience was quite satisfactory.

The Flex is equipped with an 'Intelligent all-wheel-drive' system which is factory tuned for all weather conditions. The system constantly monitors and predicts traction. It can deliver torque to all four wheels, even before the wheels begin to slip. The active, on-demand electronic centre coupler can allocate a precise amount of torque from front to rear and up to 100 per cent to either axle.

This system along with the standard 'Advance Trac' with 'RSC (Roll Stability Control)' can transfer torque from both the front to the rear and from side to side.

The dashboard information system is quite detailed and is designed to keep the driver fully informed of what is going on inside and outside the car. However, it couldn't tell me what position the gear was in! I had to look at the shifter for each shift from Reverse to Drive and vice versa.

The big seats were very comfy and so was the driving position and lumbar support – a very important factor for cruisers. Second row seats are designed for two passengers with ample leg room and a huge armrest / refrigerator in between and individual glass roofs for each (Ford calls it the Vista Roof). Makes you feel important sitting at the back. The third row seats can seat up to three persons of average size and they won't feel claustrophobic at all because the Vista roof is there for them too! A real luxury mini-van.

Coming to terms with the length of this vehicle could take a while. Especially at parking places where this long vehicle is guided only by parking sensors which a good driver rarely relies on. The side mirrors seemed to magnify the image much more than usual mirrors and this could add to the parking struggle.

The Flex's windows are large and provide good visibility for the driver as well as for all passengers. It has a button operated tail gate which opens and closes gracefully and is sensitive to any obstacles in its way. The throttle and brake pedals are adjustable and can be moved a few inches towards the driver's seat if required.

To sum things up, this is more of a laid-back car. A cruiser van with style. A trustworthy butler like Batman's loyal Alfred with the 'extra strong hold' gelled hair, a thin moustache
and droopy eyes who faithfully does what you want him to do without constantly nagging because he's always known what your preferences are. And such butlers are hard to come by these days.