2009 Ford Flex (Fairlane)

By Lloyd Frazier

Rediscover Ford. This is Ford’s new mantra. You will be hearing this a lot in the coming weeks and months. As Ford discovers that it needs to be…well… rediscovered. It appears Ford has found a web designer that knows how to really shake things up. Check out this link >>> The All-New 2009 Flex. The website is a lot of fun and informative of where Ford’s design team is headed in their future designs. We are seeing return to American innovation in the design of automotive exteriors and interiors. By taking cues from past designs, not only of cars, but of an appliance, if you can believe that, Ford has come up with a unique looking vehicle. More like a station wagon than a van or CUV, the Flex conjures up memories of things we remember seeing from our past, but can’t quite put our fingers on. The automotive aftermarket ought to have a lot of fun coming up with custom add-ons for this gem. I can already see a woody wagon kit complete with a surfboard rack! Ford will be offering a Vista roof upgrade to give passengers a sense of wide open space. I have seen a few mixed reviews of this vehicle. Some complaining of its boxiness and coefficient drag and blah, blah, blah. But what about Scion’s Xb or the rumored VW model that is similar to the Xb. It can’t always be about aerodynamics. This is a simple, straightforward, nicely laid out vehicle whose purpose is to transport people in comfort and enjoyment with a little retro thrown in. As everyone knows, you can’t please everybody with one model. That is the reason for a whole range of choices that automakers provide. Gee, what a concept. I think Ford has a winner with this vehicle. We will wait and see.

GM has been shaking things up in the quality department, Ford is headed for a quick comeback, and Press, former President of Toyota of North America, is shaking things up at Chrysler LLC. It is going to be interesting to see what is in store for us here in the US with the Big Three over the course of the next few years. What an exciting time to be living if you are a car nut like myself.

As my friends in Australia say…g’day.