It was during this period of electronically induced bliss that we noted the Flex's quiet highway ride. The Flex is one of the first Fords to benefit from a new emphasis on sound quality. That means not just hushed cruising but even things like the sound of the door latches and less grating warning chimes.
To explain why his mommy wasn't going, Schroeder told Levi, "Because it's The Man Trip." As such, no vegetables were eaten, and bedtimes were ignored. We also had ice cream for lunch, and we never asked for directions. We did, however, make liberal use of the navigation system and found its new interface (which it shares with the new Lincoln MKS) to be one of the best we've experienced. Our electronics aptitude ranged from the pathetic (mine) to the advanced (Fets's - he had to have the new iPhone the day it came out). I found it easy to use, while Fets was impressed with its range of functions. We were particularly enamored of the screen's ability to integrate satellite radio info (artist and song title) in various sizes depending on what else is being displayed. We also liked the way you can toggle through various navigation display options just by hitting the "map" button. And we were taken with the Sirius weather-map function, which includes radar and five-day forecasts. The only disappointment was with the mapping software, which was not up to date with the location of some hotels.
"I'm going to go home and get one of these," said a Ford Excursion-driving dad from Connecticut, who was in Cooperstown for a father/son baseball tournament. If he does as he says, he can expect a significant decrease in his fuel bill, as our all-wheel-drive Flex's EPA-estimated 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway ratings leave the Excursion in the dust. We exactly matched the highway figure before the hour of idling at the border, in-town driving in Cooperstown, and gridlock in the Bronx dragged down our average to an indicated 19 mpg.
Our route out of Cooperstown probably didn't do our mileage any favors, either, but it was incredibly beautiful, as we wound our way through the foothills of the Catskill Mountains on rural back roads, angling east and south toward the New York State Thruway. Steep climbs and the occasional two-lane pass didn't show the 3.5-liter V-6 in its best light; it does the job, but nothing more. The six-speed automatic makes the most of what's there, but the 3.7-liter engine in the Mazda CX-9 would provide more power and polish. Sometime in 2009, Ford will offer an upgrade in the form of its much-hyped EcoBoost V-6, a turbocharged, direct-injected unit that will debut next spring in the Lincoln MKS. ...next page >>