Ford Saying Goodbye To Flex
Retrospective: Ford Flex stood out as bold, fun and fashionable in a crowded minivan/SUV segment.
Fun and fashionable, the 2008 Ford Flex dared to be bold. It gained a loyal following as a stylish, roomy wagon blending sport/utility vehicle and minivan capability in a low-slung retro-inspired package.
Today, as part of a plan to strengthen its focus on products in the heart of the fastest-growing segments, Ford is saying goodbye to the Flex, a crossover wagon that dared to be different. Production that began to celebrity fanfare is now winding down after more than a decade at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Complex.
With its formula of offering a family-size interior and amenities on a platform that drove more like a car than a full-size SUV, Flex’s unique, innovative look — created by designers with backgrounds in fashion instead of cars and trucks — made a statement. Its interior was created by Ford interior designer Anthony Prozzi, who worked in the New York fashion industry. He and his team brought in quilted leather seating surfaces and mahogany inserts in the door panels that resembled the surface of a beautiful roll-top desk. For a time, Flex also could be ordered with a real refrigerator in the console between the second-row seats.
