Why no love for the Ford Flex?
This wagon/minivan/SUV is a wonderfully functional, highly reliable, all-around people-hauler. It's so good, 80 per cent of current Flex owners say they'd buy it again, according to J.D. Power and Associates' APEAL study, a so-called "things gone right" bit of research.
In addition, the Flex is one of only two Ford vehicles recommended by Consumer Reports in its latest research. Reliability is excellent and long-haul ride comfort is outstanding. You can configure the Flex to carry up to seven people and still have loads and loads of room for hauling their stuff. And with a stance slightly higher than a normal passenger car, but lower than a typical SUV (sport-utility vehicle), the "hip point" is exactly where it should be for easy entry and exit.
Yet Canadians (and Americans for that matter) have never shown any real love for the Flex, even though it's been a good deal for all of its life – even now, with discounts that could add up to several thousand dollars on the table.
This is baffling. Canadians generally are very practical car buyers. Last year just 2,365 Canadians bought a flex, according to data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Twenty times more bought a Dodge Caravan minivan.
Since its launch in 2008, fewer than 200,000 buyers in total (Canada and the U.S.) have bought a Flex, far shy of the 100,000 in annual sales Ford envisioned seven years ago at launch. Ford sold more than 200,000 Explorer SUVs alone in 2014.
But the Flex soldiers on. Automotive News reports that Ford says the Flex is profitable and has a small, but loyal pool of owners. Ford has no immediate plans to abandon them by canceling production of the Flex.
The big argument against the Flex is its boxy design. But it's that shape that makes the Flex so useful. And boxiness alone is no explanation for the lack of love.
Jeep's Wrangler and the four-door Wrangler Unlimited, for instance, are just as square, though as an everyday city rig not nearly as useful as the Flex. Yes, the Wrangler is a stud in the bush, but how often does anyone hit the outback in an SUV? And for the record, you can get the Flex with all-wheel drive if you want it for bad-weather driving, or unpaved cottage roads.
The Wrangler Unlimited does not have anywhere near the cabin space of the Flex, it's not particularly comfortable for on-road driving, fuel economy is mediocre at best and the five-speed automatic gearbox is out of date. Consumer Reports' research says predicted reliability is well below average – exactly the opposite of the Flex.
Yet the Wrangler is a best-seller. Jeep sold almost 10 times as many Wranglers in Canada last year, many of them of the four-door Unlimited variety. It seems the emotional appeal of the Wrangler far outstrips the logical hook so obvious in the Flex.
Now most of the hot-selling vehicles combine the reliability of the Flex with less-polarizing looks and very good functionality – all at a fair or better price. Toyota's RAV4 comes to mind.
The RAV was Canada's third best-selling compact SUV in 2014 and right now it looks like a good deal. Toyota has a $1,500 after-tax incentive on the RAV ($1,327 before tax) and as Unhaggle.com reports, dealers are throwing in another $1,561 in average incentive money. Unfortunately, buyers cannot combine or "stack" the factory money with 0.99 per cent financing (48 months) or a 1.49 per cent lease rate (48 months).
Finally, for the buyers who want a purely emotional ride, Chevrolet's Camaro is wearing $4,500 in factory sales sweeteners and dealers are averaging nearly $2,000 more in incentives, reports Unhaggle.com. So about $6,500 in discounts on a very sporty coupe, one that really does sell for the love of it.
Deals of the Week consulted with www.unhaggle.com, Car Help Canada, www.carcostcanada.com, and other sources on these offers. As usual, pricing information here is subject to change and dealer discounts vary, so consult your dealer for all the final details, including expiry dates for all offers.
2015 Ford Flex SE FWD
- MSRP: $30,899
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,790
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,200
- Taxable subtotal: $31,489
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $35,582.57
- Factory discount: $1,000 (Costco incentive)
- Factory discount: $1,000 (various loyalty incentives)
- Factory discount: $500 (auto show bonus)
- Final price: $33,082.57
- Factory and dealer incentives can be combined with zero per cent financing for 36-60 months or a zero per cent lease rate for 24 or 36 months.
2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
- MSRP: $36,195
- Freight, dealer prep, fees and air conditioning tax: $1,830
- Dealer discount (estimated): $2,302
- Factory discount: $2,500 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $28,054
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $31,701.02
- All incentives can be combined with 3.49 per cent financing for 48, 60, or 84 months.
2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE 4WD 6AT
- MSRP: $30,900
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,825
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,561
- Factory discount: $1,327 (employee pricing discount)
- Taxable subtotal: $29,837
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $33,715.81
- Factory incentives cannot be combined with 0.99 per cent financing for 48 months or any other finance offers. The same true for lease offers.
2015 Chevrolet Camaro 3.6 1LT 2WD Coupe
- MSRP: $30,520
- Freight, PDI, AC tax: $1,785
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,966
- Factory discount: $4,500 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $25,839
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $29,198.07
- A $1,000 factory offer can be combined with zero per cent financing for 48 or 60 months, or a 3.9 per cent lease rate for 48 or 60 months.
and
. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Where noted, "dealer discounts" are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis. Unhaggle Savings are actual discounts received by Unhaggle customers.
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