The minivan craze has abated, replaced largely by SUVs and CUVs; but the shine is fading on these family workhorses as well. Recognizing the creep of boredom, Ford performed a "re-think" of the segment and came up with the Flex; a fairly radical, somewhat nostalgic looking, six-seater featuring front-wheel-drive (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations.

The Flex is a highly rewarding rig to drive. It delivers a sense of substance without feeling excessively large.

Looks deceive
I parked my Flex test unit behind my neighbour's Honda Odyssey and set him up. "Which one's longer," I asked knowing full well what the answer is. Without a moment's hesitation, Peter claimed the Flex was undoubtedly longer.

"Au contraire Pierre," I sarcastically replied. At 201.8-inches (5126-mm), the Flex is a full inch shorter than Honda's commodious people mover. Perhaps it's the vehicle's low, flat roof or its expanse of side glass that contributes to the "larger than life" image.

As the saying goes, "it's not the length, it's what you do with it that counts." And Ford has done a lot.

Spacious cabin is appealing yet functional
Climbing into the Flex reveals an upscale cabin of unique design and function. Unlike minivans and SUVs that tend to have a three-position third row rear seat, the Flex seating configuration is 2+2+2, for a total of six occupants.

The front seats in my tester were about the best I've sampled from Ford, or any domestic manufacturer for that matter. The seats are generously proportioned, soft yet supportive; the same holds true for the second row buckets.

Perhaps the most desirable aspects of this well thought-out cabin include legroom, headroom, ingress and egress. Space allotments for limb and cranium are outstanding in the first two rows, and remarkably decent in the third row. An adult can actually sit in reasonable comfort there without fear of vertebra or patella compression.

Have a look at the rear doors; their length should jump out at you. These portals provide easy access to third row seating. A button activates the power folding mechanism to quickly accordion the second row-seat out of the way, eliminating obstruction to the third row. All six seats fold flat to create a vast, although not particularly tall, cargo cavern.

The Flex seating configuration is 2+2+2, for a total of six occupants.