# Ford Flex. Does anyone have experience with one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648 "2019-01-12T16:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/21 "2019-01-30T12:12:03Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I you don’t mind me asking, how are the driver’s sight lines when performing parking maneuvers? I’ve heard that backing one of them up in a crowded parking lot can be a nerve wracking experience due to poor, all-round visibility. A 2018 model year will have a government-required rear camera, with a wide angle lens. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/22 "2019-02-01T05:07:45Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I you don’t mind me asking, how are the driver’s sight lines when performing parking maneuvers? I’ve heard that backing one of them up in a crowded parking lot can be a nerve wracking experience due to poor, all-round visibility. With the backup camera and fairly good side mirrors, backing up is acceptable. Not great, but ok. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Do you mean shorter in height? Because the Flex is 32" inches longer than an Element. It _is_ a huge vehicle; it’s only 10" shorter than a Crown Vic, or 22" shorter than a Suburban. The Element is just slightly taller because of its arched roof (and isn’t exactly a small car itself). The Accord has grown prodigiously over the last three generations, and the US-market model is now a large car by anyone’s reckoning. > > I kind of like your reasoning as far as styling goes, but if you don’t want an SUV/crossover, why not just buy something that isn’t an SUV/crossover? Sorry, bad choice of words. I do mean it’s shorter in height than the Element. It’s definitely longer (front to back) by a bunch. As far as SUV/crossover? We want a SUVish vehicle. We live in the snow belt, with a steep driveway. An all wheel drive vehicle is a must for us. In addition, we want the ability to tow a small camper, so most cars are right out. AWD + towing + low step-in height + tall driver headroom left a very small pool of vehicles to chose from. On the funnier side, during the vehicle search, my SO stumbled across a used lot that had a pair of Hummer H2s. We figured 'Why not, I’ve never seen the inside of one?" and went off to see about a test drive. We got the keys, sat in the seats, immediately got back out and returned the keys. My SO couldn’t sit in the driver’s seat without his head touching the ceiling. For such a HUGE vehicle, it’s rubbish inside, for space. The front seats have about 40" of headroom, minus a couple of inches if it has a sun or moon roof. And they only seat 5 people, even with third row seating. Because the tires are so big, there was no way to stow a spare underneath or in a wheel well. If you carry a spare tire, it takes up 1/2 of the third row (which much make riding in the 1 remaining third row seat interesting, with a wall of rubber as your neighbor.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/23 "2019-02-17T22:20:11Z")
If you get the Flex, I’ll be interested in your ongoing experience with it. It might make for an adequate replacement for my Scion. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/24 "2019-02-17T22:25:32Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > If you get the Flex, I’ll be interested in your ongoing experience with it. It might make for an adequate replacement for my Scion. Oh **Ascenray**. You deserve so much more than adequate. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/25 "2019-02-17T22:39:58Z")
Do you have an actual suggestion or is that just some bit of irony? ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/26 "2019-02-17T22:44:08Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Do you have an actual suggestion or is that just some bit of irony? A joke about your phrasing. No offense intended. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648/27 "2019-02-18T05:56:35Z")
My sister leased on a couple of years back and ended up returning it under the Lemon Law after far too many issues and repairs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ford-flex-does-anyone-have-experience-with-one/827648.md?page=1)