Beloved by families, reviled by insecure SUV drivers, the Flex is the last “American” wagon you can buy. But not for long, as Ford have announced that it will be discontinued by the end of this year, likely in November.
“American” is in inverted commas, because it’s built in Canada, in the same factory as Ford Edge, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln MKT, which is also being discontinued. Four hundred workers are scheduled to be laid of at the start of next year.
This announcement comes as a surprise to nobody, as Ford has previously pledged to stop making cars that aren’t SUV’s or Mustang’s, a move which has been widely regarded as extremely short sighted by industry experts. This, combined with poor sales, meant it was only a matter of time before it was axed from the lineup.
But we along with many other people will miss the Flex. In our review, it gets described as a “Tahoe sized car” and as a “living room on wheels.” Really, it was a modern interpretation of the classic American wagon, with the aluminum on the tailgate mimicking the wood panelling found on the tailgate of a Ford Country Squire. And while it didn’t have a V8, it had plenty of performance, and even handles well for its size. You can’t say that about something like the Explorer. More spacious too.
So if you want a cool wagon and you can’t afford a Mercedes E Class, you’d better get to your local Ford dealer soon. Leave it too late, and all they’d be able to sell you is a soccor mom-mobile like the Explorer.