Not trying to argue with you shipo, but your information is inaccurate

The Flex seating does fold flatinto a single surfacefor all rear rows, in addition, the front passenger seat back also folds flat (something no minivan I know of does)

At17 mpg city/24 mpg hwy it is very comparable to all of the current minivan offerings. Chrysler T&Cis 16/24. Honda Odyssey shows 16mpg city/23 hwy, Toyota Sienna is 17/23......So the Flex is actually very competitive withthe current crop of minivans.

http://www.chrysler.com/en/performan...g_town_country
http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey...20081209155420
http://www.toyota.com/sienna/index.html

Its available in all-wheel drive andcan also tow up to 4500 lbs. It would also have less of a tendency to roll-over in a side impact as the center of gravity is lower. (I find this very important for family vehicles as roll-overs create a much higher chance of serious injury)

The point of the Flex is that you can get the utility of a full-size SUV without the poor fuel mileage (avg 21mpg vs avg of ~16mpg)

Crossovers are for the most part station wagons. I prefer station wagons over minvans (My wife has a Mazda6 wagon) Minivans handle like absolute crap....Ive driven the Flex and it is a very nice car to drive (much nicer than any minivan.)

To each his own....the appearance isnt for everyone, but neither is the minivan look. At least the Flex is something different. Every minivan looks the same.

Here are some reviews from people who have bought them (yahoo.auto) They seem pretty pleased with their decision.

http://autos.yahoo.com/ford_flex-reviews_user/

 

How quickly they forget.... Remember the original first gen "80"sMAZDA MPV?? It too had hinged rear doors... the only one of it"s kind. They were long and kinda" clumsy but they were hinged.

"Just thought I would point that out. You guys can go on debating now.....

 

I'd say the main difference is the overall height of the vehicle. (station wagon vs minivan)

Sorry for the hijack jaimie.....

 

Not trying to argue with you either, but 21MPG is nothing to boast about, regardless of what that vehicle class averages. The New F150 can get 20MPG, and it's as aerodynamic as a couch.

I'm with shipo though...all this crossover nonsense will never appeal to me. Not saying that I'd buy a minivan though...I drove one once. Well, I don't think "drove" is the right word, because you never feel in command of a minivan...my philosophy remains the same as it always has: get a hatchback for small/medium stuff and/or people. Hauling more people/things consistently? A wagon, or if you must, a minivan. But come on, you can't sit there and tell me seating for 8 is something a lot of people need on an everyday basis. More likely than not, vehicles with that capability are wasted on 3 or 4 person families who should've just bought a sedan, but daddy has to have command of the road in his Jeep/Flex/CX-9/insert large vehicle.

About the only person I can see needing 8-person seating is a kids' baseball/basketball/etc. coach, really.

 

Quote:

ORIGINAL: VB

About the only person I can see needing 8-person seating is a kids' baseball/basketball/etc. coach, really.

Well, almost My son is on an elite travel soccer team that competes from Maine to North Carolina, and we're on the road, loaded to the gills, quite often

 

know what. to most of you the flex looks butt ugly. but working in a plant in which makes them. i gonna say it. they look good. well i think so anyhow. and the ford edge with 22s on it. the sport AWD i guess. nice car. and interesting how this went from my car to ford.. ahh well wahtever

 

I hear you VB, but The F-150 rating of 21 mpg is highway (not average) the 21 mpg I quoted was an average (and is heavily biased towards city driving). You can see from the above info that highway rating on the Flex is 24 mpg. Show me other 7 passenger vehicles that get better than 24mpg. You're not going to find a vehicle with this type of utility with 30+mpg

My wife is a stay-at-home mom....she frequently takes the kids out with her friends (museums, parks, etc.) When they go out, they always have to take multiple cars. It would be nice for them to be able to carpool and split the cost of gas. Afterall, she only puts about 12,000 miles annually on her car, so a little poorer gas mileage won't cost that much more. (@ 3.00/gallon it would cost about $300/year more to drive a 24 mpg Flex vs a 30 mpg whatever....) There are many people out there that want and/or need the utility to haul up to 4500 lbs (small camper, boat, etc.) and have seating capacity for more than 4 people (5 passenger vehicles quicklyturn into 4 passenger once you put child seats in them.)

I put about 30,000 miles per year on my car and can benefit from a higher mileage vehicle and I don't need a 7 pass vehicle. (Really a 2 seater would do just fine) The newFusion Hybrid coming out gets 39 mpg. (6 mpg better than the Camry hybrid)

 

Hybrids...that a whole 'nother topic.

 

Show me other 7 passenger vehicles that get better than 24mpg.

All three of the following get 25 mpg (although two are basically the same van):
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008c...f.jsp?id=26111
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008c...f.jsp?id=26115
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008c...f.jsp?id=26117

 

17 city/25 hwy or 17 city/24 hwy.....basically the same mileage (1 mpg is 4%)

These numbers below were quoted on those same vehicles from the actual manufacturers websites. (The Routan is the Chrysler T&C) Not sure why your links conflict with the information direct from the manufacturer.

Chrysler T&Cis 16/24. Honda Odyssey shows 16mpg city/23 hwy

i.e....they have very similar capabilities and fuel consumption.