Although their shapes are similar, you could almost fit two Scion xBs inside the Flex (well, OK, maybe it'd be closer to one-and-a-half). The new Ford is based heavily on the Taurus X (née Freestyle) crossover, but the boxy design yields even more room inside. Critically for us, its second-row seats are more comfortable, and the cargo space behind the third-row seat is expanded. We had our biggest guy, six-foot-three-inch Schroeder, in the second row, where he could minister to our littlest guy, and both had plenty of room. Between their second-row chairs, our Flex Limited had a console refrigerator, which kept drinks cool. Up front, photographer Jim Fets and I sat on comfy, wide-butt seats and enjoyed nicely padded armrests, but I wished for a telescoping (rather than just tilting) steering column, which I find more useful than Ford's power-adjustable pedals in achieving a comfortable driving position. Fets's thirteen-year-old, Noel, and my son, Tommy, who's eight, were our back-benchers, and over the course of the four days, we heard no complaints from them - at least none related to their third-row accommodations. It helps that the third-row seats are set noticeably higher than the second row, which in turn is raised above the front seats. And let's not underestimate the value of a view, maximized by the Flex's arrow-straight beltline. The climb into the back was made easy by the Flex's low step-in height, wide rear door openings, and second-row seats that drop down and flop forward at the push of a single button.
We all packed light, but I was still concerned about fitting everything, since most crossovers have so little space behind the third-row seats. Luckily, the Flex has a minivan-style well in the floor, and it extends forward under the rearmost seats. We were able to slip some camera gear and baseball mitts under there before stacking one small and two standard-size roller bags, one camera bag, a small duffle, and - most important - a diaper bag in the main space.
Our Flex Limited was loaded with every conceivable option except the one most important for this trip: a DVD player. The wise dad is always prepared, however, so we fired up two portable DVD players, using power outlets in the cargo area and in the second row. At one critical juncture (when the portable players' inability to start I Love Toy Trains threatened to cause a meltdown on the part of toy-train-loving Levi), we supplemented with a laptop computer, which plugged into a 110-volt AC power outlet located at the back of the center console. ...next page >>