Ford Flex News
-
Ford has surprised many by choosing to keep its seven-seat Flex crossover chugging along into the 2013 model year despite the Explorer SUV also being able to carry seven but undercutting the Flex in price, albeit very slightly. Nevertheless, a raft of updates for the 2013 Ford Flex should keep buyers happy, especially now that the problematic MyFord Touch system has been made more intuitive. Under the hood, the 2013 Flex is equipped with a standard 3.5-liter V-6 that now develops 285 horsepower, up 20 horses from the 2012 model. The engine is also 1 mpg more fuel efficient than the one it...
-
Ford SYNC More Affordable, Hands-Free Tech Now From $295
Very little in life comes for free, which makes us appreciate paying less for something all the more. A drop in price of $100 certainly makes Ford's SYNC hands-free, in-car connectivity system something to appreciate. The system is now only $295. Things haven't been easy for Ford with its GM OnStar...
Antony Ingram -
What's That Ecco? High Tech, Green, Electric Camper Van
Going straight onto All Car Tech's list of things we want is a new electric camper van by design collective NAU, known as Ecco. Describing it as a camper van almost doesn't do it justice, though. The teardropped vehicle is more like a Transformer, changing from efficient and spacious vehicle into a...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Ford Flex and Lincoln Vehicles Inherit Inflating Seatbelts
The inflating rear seatbelts first introduced with the 2011 Ford Explorer are finally trickling down to other vehicles. In a release, Ford stated that the 2013 Ford Flex and some yet to be named Lincoln vehicles will be installed with the safety technology by this summer. While the company...
Kevin Lee -
2011 Ford Flex Titanium Preview
Despite the arrival of the new car-based 2011 Ford Explorer next year, Ford remains committed to its relatively new Flex ‘wagon-meets-crossover’. Both models are similar in size, are likely to share the same powertrains and will almost certainly be priced around the same, but both have a secure...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford banking on common platforms for upscale SUVs
As the only company out of the once-mighty Detroit 3 to survive the worst of the global financial crisis without running to a bankruptcy court, Ford has proven the strength in its foresight in producing smaller cars earlier than its rivals and focusing on global production to reduce costs and...
Alex Kaufmann -
Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and this week the car took a step closer to arriving in showrooms as the first production models have started undergoing real-world testing. Having debuted in concept form at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the new Continental Supersports is scheduled to go on sale early next year as the carmaker’s most powerful and fastest production model ever. It won’t be the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive, but a $267,000...
-
Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car ever priced from $273,295
Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and with this week's announcement of the price of the car, its cash-burning abilities are known too. Taking its slot as the most powerful and fastest Bentley ever, the Supersports is also...
Kenneth Hall -
Ward’s Auto announces 2009 Interior of the Year winners
While we all like to go on about horsepower or differentials or suspension arms when discussing new cars, we often overlook the place where you and your car will spend the most time together - inside the cabin. In order to recognize this aspect of vehicle development, Ward’s Auto releases a...
Jeremy Weber -
Lexmaul pumps up the Vectra, adds flex-fuel capability
Ethanol is a hot topic among biofuels advocates - and opponents - and green-car fiends alike, but it has a long tradition as a performance fuel as well. Lexmaul taps into that tradition with their latest Vectra, converting the car to E85 flex-fuel capability for extra performance. The CO2 savings...
Alex Kaufmann -
Ford reopens Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 for EcoBoost production
After shutting down its storied Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 back in 2007, Ford has kicked the site back into life with production of its brand new EcoBoost engines starting today. The plant is the first manufacturing site in the world to build the EcoBoost engine and the first examples are...
James Martinez -
Video: Technology behind the Opel Ampera explained
General Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a...
Alex Kaufmann -
The first in a wave of new EcoBoost engines makes its debut in the Lincoln MKS, MKT and Ford Flex later this year as part of Ford’s global initiative to provide powertrains that deliver high output but low consumption and emissions. The first engine will be a 3.5L petrol V6 with direct-injection and twin-turbochargers, which is claimed to deliver the performance of a normally aspirated V8 but the economy of a V6. The new mill delivers a peak 355hp (265kW) at 5,700rpm and 350ft-lb (474Nm) of torque from 3,500rpm. A 10-15% fuel-economy benefit is expected versus normally aspirated...
-
2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced
The North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards are among the most prestigious in the industry, recognizing the vehicles that capture the votes of 50 top automotive journalists. This year's finalists, announced today at the Cobo Center in Detroit, are split about like the U.S. car...
Nelson Ireson -
13th International Car of the Year Awards to be presented in Detroit
January's Detroit Auto Show will be playing host to the 13th annual International Car and Truck of the Year awards, and the final nominees for each of the categories have been announced. Competing for the main prize of 'International Car of the Year' are three very different vehicles - the Dodge...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford enlists Nelly and Funkmaster Flex to promote Flex crossover
Ford is keen to drum up publicity for its Flex crossover, and has enlisted the help of rap star Nelly to help design a custom version for this year’s SEMA Auto Show. Ford has also enlisted the help of the appropriately named hip hop DJ Funkmaster Flex, who reportedly also owns a Ford Flex and...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford displaying 11 customized Flex models at SEMA
More than a dozen aftermarket designers will display their unique, "tricked-out" interpretations of Ford's Flex crossover at next week's SEMA show in Las Vegas. The publicity event is being conducted to highlight the personalization options available with the Flex in regards to its interior and...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford Flex earns five-star NHTSA safety rating
The 2009 Ford Flex has earned five-star frontal and side-impact crashworthiness ratings in the latest round of vehicle crash-safety tests conducted by America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Flex only scored a four-star rating, however, for both FWD and AWD...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
As a strategy to help keep sales high through a model's lifetime, Ford is moving to a three-year restyling cycle. The first indication of Ford's new short program is the freshening of the 2009 Ford Flex, which is already underway. That's right, the Flex is not even on dealer lots yet and it's already being redesigned. Ford's own design director, Peter Horbury, admits that it feels odd to be working on the redesign so soon after completing the original. The normal wait time would be five years before a redesign. But to meet a three-year product cycle, work on the next version must begin...
-
Ford Flex finally enters production
After what seems like an eternity, Ford’s new Flex crossover has entered production at the carmaker’s Ford Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada. The Oakville plant has increased production and is adding 500 jobs in an effort to keep up with the demand for new crossover models...
Siddarth Raja -
Production Ford Flex to look like concept
A near-production test-mule of Ford’s upcoming Flex crossover has been spotted testing, which reveals that designers have created an almost exact copy of the concept car (pictured), which appeared at April’s New York Auto Show. The only major difference will be a slight alteration to...
Ralph Hanson