Tech Feature: Power-folding third-row seats in the Ford Flex
Simply pushing a button is much more convenient than wrestling with manual seats.
If you’ve ever owned a vehicle with rear seats that fold flat, you know what a pain in the neck it can be to manipulate them manually. In the best case, you scrape your knuckles. In the worst, you feel like a combination contortionist and wrestler as you grapple with uncooperative seats and latches. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
The 2012 Ford Flex is the exception. It can be equipped with a PowerFold third-row seat. It makes manipulating the seat as easy as pressing a button. The seat can be positioned three ways: 1) Fully upright, for seating seven passengers; 2) Folded flat into the load floor for extra cargo capacity; and/or 3) Flipped to face the tailgate for recreational use at a picnic or sporting event. While it may not make the most comfortable seat, it at least gives you a nice pregame perch.
The feature allows you to fold both seats at the same time or individually. As you can see in the video below, it works quickly and smoothly for those times when, say, you have a shopping cart full of groceries and you're standing in the rain.
But this convenience will cost you. In this case $2,500 in the form of the Equipment Group 301A option package that also includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support, Adaptive Park Assist and heated and cooled 10-way power front seats. And it's only available on the top-of-the-line Limited model that starts at $39,230.
The 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan has a similar tailgate mode for its third-row seat, and it’s also motorized. While the Flex hasn’t proved as popular as the Caravan and other minivans, which one would you rather be seen with in a stadium parking lot?
"The Ford Edge was just listed in the previous article a s a cheap and unreliable vehicle that is to be "steered clear of"."
If you actually read the article, you would realize that was a statement for the V6 model only. Also, the "unreliable" part is most likely due to all the individuals out there whom cannot understand how to use the infotainment system in the Ford, this is the most likely scenerio as the other quality serveys have all shown that is the most complained about feature.
"The subscribers polled stated that it had "much worse than average reliability", that means that you cannot rely on this vehicle to get you from point A to point B, not that you can't rely on the stereo to work."
No, if you actually look at how the surveys are conducted, the "reliability" of a vehicle is determind on a total number of proclaimed issues with the vehicle. This ranges from complaints with drivetrain to issues with your infotainment units. If you look at every other survey of Ford, they all dictate that the drivetrain is reliable but the issues stem from the infotainment systems. These are from sources you're trusting as well.
"I doubt that the V6 had much to do with the "jittery ride", "pronounced road noise" and "distracting controls". "
Look at the model selected, it shows (V6), meaning it is only the V6 model they are discussing. I actually have rode in a few Ford Edge vehicles as well and have had no issues with any of the proclaimed problems that are stated. The only complaint I have about the Edge is it is so darn ugly but that is more an issue of opinion as I'm sure there are those that enjoy this look.
Power folding seats will have motors and switches that if they go bad, will no doubt cost you big to replace.
An infotainment system has nothing to do with reliability. The subscribers polled stated that it had "much worse than average reliability", that means that you cannot rely on this vehicle to get you from point A to point B, not that you can't rely on the stereo to work.
Ford's reliability is supposedly on the rise but in the last ten years I have been stuck on a mountain road side by their trucks (all late models , three of them) at least four times that can remember. I hope that they have ironed out their problems. At least one American truck manufacturer needs to tighten up their quality and give us a good option/value for $40k plus.
I have fifteen f-250's, 350's and 450's in my fleet and they require more attention than the equal amount of GM trucks that I have. Unfortunately, the only GM truck that I personally have owned was a 2007 Duramax 2500, it was a total lemon and bled fluids like a wounded animal. I dumped that sucker for a Highlander and haven't seen a repair shop in three years now.
ALL of my vehicles are maintained by the book (we have four in house mechanics) and get the same punishment from our employees so these problems are not maintenance related, they are quality issues.
In my opinion, that is worthless crap to add to a vehicle.
The Ford Edge was just listed in the previous article a s a cheap and unreliable vehicle that is to be "steered clear of".
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