Even the lowliest Flex SE model comes with backup sonar, while the must-have Sync feature is a $395 option there and on the mid-level SEL, standard on the upscale Flex Limited. There are three rows of seats and the middle row is the most spacious I've seen on a car while the third row is actually usable which means, of course, if all three rows are comfy, then even on a 202-inch-long vehicle luggage space is limited unless you fold down some of the seatbacks, and that's how Ford says Flex derives its name - flexible seating configurations. You also can choose two middle-row bucket seats flanking a console or a refrigerator ($760) and if you go for the twin seats, you'll love the moonroof configuration - a retractable sunroof in front, glass port over each of the two middle row seats, and a full width port over the third row, all with sunshades. This Vista Roof unnecessary and costly ($1,495), but it does give Flex a sense of style you may enjoy.

The arrival this summer of Flex gives Ford several crossover vehicles that might seem to overlap. Flex shares the same body platform (extended five inches) as the tall-wagon-lookingFord Taurus X, a great vehicle for undercover surveillance because you'll never be noticed. Flex is significantly bigger than the two-row Ford Edge but shares a common theme: Ford finally knows how to build cars with a sense of style and differentiation.

Flex technology
Ford's 2007 alliance with Microsoft to develop Sync looks better and better. Sync provides a USB connection for playing virtually any music source (iPod, other players, music on a memory key), voice recognition, and a Bluetooth phone connection. It makes palatable Ford's lesser offerings (hello, Taurus X) and provides an advantage where its vehicles are already competitive (Flex, Edge). I continue to believe Sync is the most important technology offered in the past year because an automaker finally acknowledged what car buyers have long believed: "We control our music, not you." Also, Sync effectively makes Bluetooth universal, which it should be. You can't crow about safety features if you don't have Bluetooth. Sync gets better later in the year when Ford offers 911 Assist to Sync for free. If you crash and your phone is connected, it dials 911 for you. GM will freak over the description, but here goes: 911 Assist co-opts the most important part of OnStar, namely Mayday calling, but for free, not $15-$30 a month. Ford still needs to create a padded holder in its consoles to insure the phone survives the crash, which is already more rather than less likely, OnStar's jabs notwithstanding.

$2,375 for a navigation system?At a time when the price of onboard navigation systems is headed toward $1,500 and the Huyundai Sonata is at $1,250 in order to better compete with portable GPS at $500, Ford lost all sense of reason and laid a $2,375 price tag on this option. "But that includes a backup camera," was the mantra repeated by every Ford spinmeister I spoke with, as if backup cameras cost $750. This was Ford's second bold move regarding navigation, the first being to step back from its alliance with Pioneer, which won last year's J.D. Power navigation systems survey, and hook up with Xanavi, a joint venture between Hitachi and Nissan. I found the Xanavi Flex touchscreen system to be at least as capable as its Pioneer predecessors. It has the usual flaws of the the voice recognizer stumbling over some words and the display being unreadable in sunlight, but that's the norm for 2008 unless you opt for a transflective display as BMW did in its 3 Series convertible.

Sirius TravelLink: traffic, weather, gas prices, sports scores
Both Sirius and XM are adding features to their satellite radio services. Sirius calls it TravelLink and on the Flex, if you have the navigation package, it includes:

-- Real time traffic information. As with competitors, it picks up on a lot of traffic jams, misses many others, and it has no clue if alternate roads provide a faster trip.
-- Weather. Not just the local temperature, but coast to coast weather and weather maps. It's great if you've got a long drive ahead of you.
-- Fuel prices. Recent (within 1-2 days) prices at more than 120,000 gas stations, which is about two-thirds of the stations in the U.S. (Many of the others can't break out price information automatically.)
-- Bells and whistles. Sports scores and schedules, movie listings, and ski resort conditions. For some of these, Ford requires that you be stopped to view the information.

Other reviewers have gushed over TravelLink in Flex. Not here. The difference is this: TravelLink is an exceptional promise that remains unmet until traffic data, the most important element, improves dramatically, and that's out of Ford's hands. And the fuel price reporting misses a third of all stations on average; in some places, it may be one of two without data.

Sony audio, hard disk jukebox
For its premium audio, Ford went with Sony. The quality from the 12-speaker system is fine. If you get the navigation system, there's a 10GB hard disk used to store map data, with enough space set aside for 150 hours of ripped audio, Ford says. (1,000 hours would be better but this is a start.) An integrated Gracenote database recognizes thousands of the most popular CDs. The price of the hard disk also figures in Ford's pricing of the navigation system, which is offset partially by not needing a second optical drive for the navigation disc.

Sync's shortcomings
The Sync USB connector gives you access to music on an iPod, virtually any other music player, and music on flash keys or even portable hard drives. Over time, as my initial fascination with Sync has worn off, I'm less enamored by the rigid command structure. While the TV ads show two happy occupants issuing instantly obeyed commands to play different kinds of music, what you don't see is that every time you want to adjust a music selection on a nav-equipped Ford, first you have to issue the command "User Device," then "USB," and only then can you say, "Play artist Coldplay." This tree structure is a trick employed by overworked voice recognizers and CPUs to increase recognition accuracy, limiting you to one mode (navigation, phone, music) at a time. This aside, Sync is still as good as it gets in cars, especially when it's part of the base price or no more than $395.

Non-techie stuff: Excellent cockpit
Fit and finish on the Flex is pretty good, and the materials quality is high, especially on the high-end Limited. It's less somber than many European cockpits, less your-father's-Oldsmobile frippery than American cars of a decade ago. Opt for the Limited and you get laminated window glass, which cuts road noise. All Flexes have the side door bottoms cut deeply into the rocker panel, making it easier to get in and out, although it also means if a ponderously heavy passenger gets in - and Flex is likely to be a hot ride for hip-hop musicians of girth - the opened door will probably hang up on the sidewalk curb.

You get one engine choice, a 3.5-liter, 262-hp V6 (with a six-speed automatic transmission) that has won 10-best-enginesof-2007 honors when used by other members of the Ford family. A more powerful turbo engine is due in a year (allowing us time enough to get ready for $5 a gallon gasoline prices). So long as you don't floor it, the engine is smooth. A 0-to-60 run takes about nine seconds, so-so for today's vehicles, fast for the 1990s. The ride is smooth and comfortable and while there won't be a Ford Flex division in the SCCA runoffs any time soon, handling was capable on country roads.

Should you buy?
If you're looking to downsize (slightly) your SUV, Flex could be the ticket. If you want absolute comfort for four, this puts to shame a BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GL (not to mention costing a third less), as well as Flex's closer price competitors: Chevrolet Traverse-GMC Acadia-Saturn Oulook , Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, or Toyota Highlander. The driving excitement comes from the music you order up via Sync, not the ability to handle twisty country roads. It's a first-year vehicle, which might play on your decision if you've ever been burned buying a first-year disaster, as I did a decade ago acquiring a Ford Windstar, which is something of an ancestral relation to Flex; on the other hand, the last decade has seen light years of production improvements from every automaker. Given the name, it's too bad Ford didn't choose to offer a hybrid edition Flex from outset. I'm not sure Flex offers many practical advantages over the best of the minivans, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, other than not being a minivan. At the least, take a look at Flex, knowing that every other vehicle you look at will come up short in the back seat department unless you cross-shop Flex and a Checker Cab. This is a competent, roomy vehicle with superb cockpit electronics.

I don't see much way to get a Flex for less than $40,000 since the most-desirable Limited starts at $35,405 front-drive, $37,255 for all-wheel drive, and you're likely to want spend$870 to make the perforated second-row leather seats reclining, $2,375 for the navigation system, $1,020 for rear entertainment, plus two frills, $395 for the contrasting-color roof, $1,495 for the four-panel Vista Roof, and you're hit $41,560. Back off to a cheaper model and you've got to pay extra for Sync, high-intensity headlamps, LED taillamps, the 110-volt power inverter, and the premium audio system.

Ford Flex
Ford, www.ford.com
Price: $28,795 - $45,190
EPA economy: 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway front drive (16/22 all-wheel drive)
Pros: Sync Bluetooth/music system, excellent navigation, new Sirius Link travel services. Roomy second row seating seat.
Cons: Overpriced navigation. Optioned price can hit $40,000.
Bottom line: Nothing else looks like Flex except the Mini Cooper Clubman, and that's four feet shorter. With Sync and a good navigation system, this is about as good as it gets for hauling four adults in extreme comfort.