narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
that's certainly the 6-speed DSG. It'll break the small 7-speed (Perc's Octavia), and won't fit the large 7-speed (my brother's T5).How do you arrive at 35k?? I'd say it's more 45k?
Our "own" car reviews
- Thread starter NooDle
- Start date
that's certainly the 6-speed DSG. It'll break the small 7-speed (Perc's Octavia), and won't fit the large 7-speed (my brother's T5).How do you arrive at 35k?? I'd say it's more 45k?
Perc
Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object
You're doing it wrong.
Put it in D and go. That's why you pay a premium for the DSG to begin with.
NooDle
Ik ben niet alleen lekker met kaas!
How do you arrive at 35k?? I'd say it's more 45k?
Farting around on the configurator gets me 38k? without any discounts so I'm in the right ballpark...
And since over here, pretty much all packs are free or virtually free...(900? for ALL THE TOYS)
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You're doing it wrong.
Put it in D and go. That's why you pay a premium for the DSG to begin with.
Yes, that is the point of an autobox. But having played around with the smaller 7speed DSG in other VAG products, I know you can have all the benefits of the auto AND the total control that a manual gives you with one system!
Perc
Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object
I can't really see the difference between the various DSG's I've driven (including a Superb with the same drivetrain as the one we're discussing) and any other manually-shifted Slushbox. Except lack of slush, obviously. But you're still just pushing buttons that tell the little electronic man in the dashboard you'd like him to grab another gear for you. I'm sure that a PDK or something is in a whole different ballpark, but we're talking about a diesel repmobile here. Or in my case, a petrol junior repmobile. I've driven a 1.9 TDI DSG6 quite a lot and put 40,000km on my own 1.4 TSI DSG7, and the "manual" gearchange is a novelty as far as I'm concerned. But I'd still obviously rather have this than the old-fashioned PRND21 pattern most cars had up until the 90's. Besides, PRNDS654321 would be a bit impractical. :lol:
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narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
the pricing must be a Belgian thing then 
As for the lack of paddles, in a Superb they're a bit out of place. Put it in D and relax, it's not a race car... I did miss them hooning around the Sierra Nevada in my rental A3 convertible though.
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narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
...maybe it's more a noodles thing, even the Belgian site tells me around 42k?
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That's real easy to forget, with driver and fluids it's only 1555kg
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That's real easy to forget, with driver and fluids it's only 1555kg
NooDle
Ik ben niet alleen lekker met kaas!
Ambition spec + 2.0 tdi 190 hp + DSG + all the packs on offer gave me 38k and change. I didn't go the narf way and spec it all out exactly like my car was
Those 1555 kgs do surprise me though, felt more than that!
Those 1555 kgs do surprise me though, felt more than that!
narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
I don't think Ambition will even let you spec the big GPS screen in .be... 1k? premium for that alone compared to the small GPS screen in .de :lol:
vs
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Leadfoot866
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2015 Hyundai Sonata SE 2.4L 6-spd Auto
Got another Hyundai while my car was in the body shop for repairs. This time a larger and more "posh" Sonata...though still a base/rental spec SE model. Still, at least this was not as barren as the Accent.
Overall, I liked the car. However, I would probably rank this below the Ford Fusion. That's not to say the Hyundai is a bad car, it's just that to me, the Ford seems to be more well rounded than the Hyundai. Like the Accent, your money is going more into the power train than anything else.
Unlike the Accent, the Sonata's interior is not as depressing and more well thought out. However, there are a few areas where the interior does falter. For starters, the plastics feel pretty cheap and even flimsy in some places. While the dashboard did have some soft-touch materials, they didn't have the same quality feel as what you get in other cars. The seats themselves didn't offer much thigh or lumbar support, so it was a little tricky to find a comfortable position. That said, the fit and finish is pretty good.
Now, some of these gripes might not be an issue on the higher trim levels. This was the base SE, after all. Still, even a base model Fusion S feels better.
While it was a bit tricky to find a comfortable position with the seats, once I had gotten it sorted out it was actually alright. Not great, but alright. Did a good job of absorbing the bumps the suspension was unable to (more on that further down) and would hold me nicely during hard cornering. The tilt and telescoping steering wheel also helped in finding the right position, unlike in the Accent.
Now, this being a mid-size family sedan, one thing that consumers in this segment will be looking for is decent/good rear seats. Here, the Sonata gains back some points by offering good head, shoulder and leg room, at least for someone who's 5' 10". Head room might be a problem for those of a 6'+ stature, though leg and shoulder room may still be alright. Rear seats themselves were also reasonably comfortable. A little bit more firm than the front seats, but still good if you are going on a long, family road trip. Center back-rest can flip down to reveal cup holders, but that's just about it (no secret cubby-hole like you get in some other cars, unfortunately).
Trunk/boot space is reasonable, though the wheel arches/suspension do seem to intrude a bit. Rear seats are 60/40 split and fold down flat. Trunk tunnel is a little narrow, but you can still squeeze sizable items through it. I had the car while helping my brother move house and was able to fit a fair amount of boxes and miscellaneous items in the back of this car.
Ride quality was good, though there is some firmness to the suspension. It did a good job of absorbing the smaller bumps, though it does crash about a bit on the larger impacts. Tires held the road nicely in the dry, though they're a little uneasy in the wet. Despite being a large-ish car, body roll is well managed and the car can be tossed around with some enthusiasm without it losing its composure (so long as the road is dry, anyways). That said, it's not the most exciting car in this segment to drive. Steering is somewhat numb, even when set on the heavier "sport" mode, and the pedals are mushy and somewhat vague. Yes, this is a family sedan and not a sports car, but at the same time you shouldn't have to drive something that's "meh" just because children have arrived. So if you want a fun family sedan, you may want to look elsewhere (Mazda 6 maybe?).
Power is...sufficient. The base 2.4L offers adequate horsepower, but does lack some low-end torque. Doesn't have a problem getting the car moving in the lower gears, but it does struggle once you go above 3rd gear. Might be best to go with the optional turbo engines (1.6 or 2.0) for a little extra oomph. The gearbox didn't do the engine any favors either as it was determined to keep the RPMs as low as possible (~1200). It was willing to let the engine rev more when in "sport" mode, but not by much. At least it offered a manual mode so you can pick the gears yourself and cut the engine some slack. The manu-matic is also pretty obedient. Shifts are generally smooth, though occasionally there was a harsh bang when kicking down from 4th to 3rd. Not sure if it was just a quirk with this car or if it's experienced across all Sonatas. Didn't do it often, though, so may have just be a software hiccup.
Car did offer some decent number of toys. Power windows all around with auto up/down driver's, power mirrors, cruise control, BlueTooth and USB connectivity, media steering wheel controls, two 12V AC power sockets for the front plus one for the rear seats, instrument cluster information screen, and manual HVAC controls. Instrument information screen offered a fair amount of information you could scroll through including instant and average MPG, digital speed readout, miles 'til next service, live tire pressure readouts, as well as customizable settings for lights, sounds and the display itself.
In summary, the Sonata may not the best car in the segment, but for the price it offers, it's a good alternative. Does have some value for money going for it. I still maintain that the Ford Fusion is the better car, but if your budget is a bit tight and you don't mind the cheaper materials, then the Hyundai is a good option to turn to.
Got another Hyundai while my car was in the body shop for repairs. This time a larger and more "posh" Sonata...though still a base/rental spec SE model. Still, at least this was not as barren as the Accent.
Overall, I liked the car. However, I would probably rank this below the Ford Fusion. That's not to say the Hyundai is a bad car, it's just that to me, the Ford seems to be more well rounded than the Hyundai. Like the Accent, your money is going more into the power train than anything else.
Unlike the Accent, the Sonata's interior is not as depressing and more well thought out. However, there are a few areas where the interior does falter. For starters, the plastics feel pretty cheap and even flimsy in some places. While the dashboard did have some soft-touch materials, they didn't have the same quality feel as what you get in other cars. The seats themselves didn't offer much thigh or lumbar support, so it was a little tricky to find a comfortable position. That said, the fit and finish is pretty good.
Now, some of these gripes might not be an issue on the higher trim levels. This was the base SE, after all. Still, even a base model Fusion S feels better.
While it was a bit tricky to find a comfortable position with the seats, once I had gotten it sorted out it was actually alright. Not great, but alright. Did a good job of absorbing the bumps the suspension was unable to (more on that further down) and would hold me nicely during hard cornering. The tilt and telescoping steering wheel also helped in finding the right position, unlike in the Accent.
Now, this being a mid-size family sedan, one thing that consumers in this segment will be looking for is decent/good rear seats. Here, the Sonata gains back some points by offering good head, shoulder and leg room, at least for someone who's 5' 10". Head room might be a problem for those of a 6'+ stature, though leg and shoulder room may still be alright. Rear seats themselves were also reasonably comfortable. A little bit more firm than the front seats, but still good if you are going on a long, family road trip. Center back-rest can flip down to reveal cup holders, but that's just about it (no secret cubby-hole like you get in some other cars, unfortunately).
Trunk/boot space is reasonable, though the wheel arches/suspension do seem to intrude a bit. Rear seats are 60/40 split and fold down flat. Trunk tunnel is a little narrow, but you can still squeeze sizable items through it. I had the car while helping my brother move house and was able to fit a fair amount of boxes and miscellaneous items in the back of this car.
Ride quality was good, though there is some firmness to the suspension. It did a good job of absorbing the smaller bumps, though it does crash about a bit on the larger impacts. Tires held the road nicely in the dry, though they're a little uneasy in the wet. Despite being a large-ish car, body roll is well managed and the car can be tossed around with some enthusiasm without it losing its composure (so long as the road is dry, anyways). That said, it's not the most exciting car in this segment to drive. Steering is somewhat numb, even when set on the heavier "sport" mode, and the pedals are mushy and somewhat vague. Yes, this is a family sedan and not a sports car, but at the same time you shouldn't have to drive something that's "meh" just because children have arrived. So if you want a fun family sedan, you may want to look elsewhere (Mazda 6 maybe?).
Power is...sufficient. The base 2.4L offers adequate horsepower, but does lack some low-end torque. Doesn't have a problem getting the car moving in the lower gears, but it does struggle once you go above 3rd gear. Might be best to go with the optional turbo engines (1.6 or 2.0) for a little extra oomph. The gearbox didn't do the engine any favors either as it was determined to keep the RPMs as low as possible (~1200). It was willing to let the engine rev more when in "sport" mode, but not by much. At least it offered a manual mode so you can pick the gears yourself and cut the engine some slack. The manu-matic is also pretty obedient. Shifts are generally smooth, though occasionally there was a harsh bang when kicking down from 4th to 3rd. Not sure if it was just a quirk with this car or if it's experienced across all Sonatas. Didn't do it often, though, so may have just be a software hiccup.
Car did offer some decent number of toys. Power windows all around with auto up/down driver's, power mirrors, cruise control, BlueTooth and USB connectivity, media steering wheel controls, two 12V AC power sockets for the front plus one for the rear seats, instrument cluster information screen, and manual HVAC controls. Instrument information screen offered a fair amount of information you could scroll through including instant and average MPG, digital speed readout, miles 'til next service, live tire pressure readouts, as well as customizable settings for lights, sounds and the display itself.
In summary, the Sonata may not the best car in the segment, but for the price it offers, it's a good alternative. Does have some value for money going for it. I still maintain that the Ford Fusion is the better car, but if your budget is a bit tight and you don't mind the cheaper materials, then the Hyundai is a good option to turn to.
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rickhamilton620
has a fetish for terrible cars
^ I really wish Hyundai would cut out the cost cutting on the base Sonata - This gen follows up on the last gen in skimping on interior materials on base cars unless you opt for a preferred equipment package. The door cards on these "stripper" cars like the one you rented are entirely hard plastic save for the armrest and dark upper window sill portion.
Compare that with a near comparable Optima LX with a padded cloth door card insert, higher quality soft touch materials overall and greater content for the same price. If one were to shop the two previous gen cars back to back, one would feel cheated going with the base Sonata. The 16' Optima, although it's ugly looking, looks to continue this "better interior" trend.
I'm disappointed to hear about the transmission issues - usually the 6 speed Hyundai auto is well behaved, there were teething issues on early 2011 cars but it seemed to have been sorted out.
If I had to choose between this, a last gen Optima or Mazda 6, I'd go with the Mazda first, Optima second and Sonata third.
Compare that with a near comparable Optima LX with a padded cloth door card insert, higher quality soft touch materials overall and greater content for the same price. If one were to shop the two previous gen cars back to back, one would feel cheated going with the base Sonata. The 16' Optima, although it's ugly looking, looks to continue this "better interior" trend.
I'm disappointed to hear about the transmission issues - usually the 6 speed Hyundai auto is well behaved, there were teething issues on early 2011 cars but it seemed to have been sorted out.
If I had to choose between this, a last gen Optima or Mazda 6, I'd go with the Mazda first, Optima second and Sonata third.
narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
I had this smelly VAG for a week:
It's an A5 with the 2.0 "clean diesel" TDI good for 190hp and about 6.6l/100km (26c/km all-in, quite good for a 55k? car), paired with the 8:1 CVT and FWD, plus - for 7500km on the clock utterly scratched up, welcome to Spain - 19" wheels with lovely 255er Pirellis.
Going through tiny cities was a bit butt-clenching due to its size and you do occasionally notice its enormous mass, but apart from that it was very good to drive. The gearbox is far from sporty, but it matches a relaxed big convertible very well. Buttery smooth, low revs, and more than enough shove to get you in trouble with the Spanish Inquisition.
Its stop-start took some getting used to, you need to take your foot off the brake a fraction earlier than you normally would to allow for the engine to start before creeping off the line, but after that it worked quite well. The coast-forever feature was good after getting used to as well - with a very light touch of the brakes it'd "shift" down instead of actually applying the brakes if you don't want to coast forever, and if you do then a 4-pot diesel doing 900rpm at any speed won't slow you down at all.
The roof also has this electric cover over it so it looks fairly sleek, adding time to the roof opening/closing... but it felt quicker than the complicated deal on the A3, and operation up to 50km/h is a nice feature I miss in my Eos.
I have no idea how it is to drive with the roof up very little wobbling with the roof down, they've put the 1820kg to good use. The rear view mirror vibrates under acceleration, but that's about it... very little to complain
The interior is massive. So big in fact that it gets very turbulent over a certain speed, making it understandable why the wind deflector comes as standard. I obviously didn't think to check under the boot floor where it probably was hidden, but the motorway stretches were short and few. For more motorway it'd quickly become annoying.
The bluetooth was weird - I could connect my phone, but only as a phone. It won't play music over it
Its boot was spacious enough for a large convertible, you could probably fit three carry-on suitcases underneath the roof plus some taller luggage behind it. Didn't check, but it looked as if you could fit three crates of Coke behind the roof and several crates of beer under it.
Upon pickup the rental agent made me hope for a 2-series, but then he failed to secure one - that would certainly have been more fun on the narrow, twisty roads... regardless, the A5 did manage them well too. Wouldrent accept an upgrade to again not rent, because they're asking about 3x as much as I paid...
It's an A5 with the 2.0 "clean diesel" TDI good for 190hp and about 6.6l/100km (26c/km all-in, quite good for a 55k? car), paired with the 8:1 CVT and FWD, plus - for 7500km on the clock utterly scratched up, welcome to Spain - 19" wheels with lovely 255er Pirellis.
Going through tiny cities was a bit butt-clenching due to its size and you do occasionally notice its enormous mass, but apart from that it was very good to drive. The gearbox is far from sporty, but it matches a relaxed big convertible very well. Buttery smooth, low revs, and more than enough shove to get you in trouble with the Spanish Inquisition.
Its stop-start took some getting used to, you need to take your foot off the brake a fraction earlier than you normally would to allow for the engine to start before creeping off the line, but after that it worked quite well. The coast-forever feature was good after getting used to as well - with a very light touch of the brakes it'd "shift" down instead of actually applying the brakes if you don't want to coast forever, and if you do then a 4-pot diesel doing 900rpm at any speed won't slow you down at all.
The roof also has this electric cover over it so it looks fairly sleek, adding time to the roof opening/closing... but it felt quicker than the complicated deal on the A3, and operation up to 50km/h is a nice feature I miss in my Eos.
I have no idea how it is to drive with the roof up
very little wobbling with the roof down, they've put the 1820kg to good use. The rear view mirror vibrates under acceleration, but that's about it... very little to complainThe interior is massive. So big in fact that it gets very turbulent over a certain speed, making it understandable why the wind deflector comes as standard. I obviously didn't think to check under the boot floor where it probably was hidden, but the motorway stretches were short and few. For more motorway it'd quickly become annoying.
The bluetooth was weird - I could connect my phone, but only as a phone. It won't play music over it
Its boot was spacious enough for a large convertible, you could probably fit three carry-on suitcases underneath the roof plus some taller luggage behind it. Didn't check, but it looked as if you could fit three crates of Coke behind the roof and several crates of beer under it.
Upon pickup the rental agent made me hope for a 2-series, but then he failed to secure one - that would certainly have been more fun on the narrow, twisty roads... regardless, the A5 did manage them well too. Would
not rent, because they're asking about 3x as much as I paid...
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Perc
Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object
The bluetooth was weird - I could connect my phone, but only as a phone. It won't play music over it
In my car, the BT Audio input doesn't show up on the head unit at all unless something is actively playing on the phone. It does remember the last used input though, but if I've been listening to the radio I have to put some music on before the option shows up on the head unit.
rickhamilton620
has a fetish for terrible cars
That would annoy the shit out of me.
narf
Sgt. Maj. Buzzkill
Yeah I suspected something like that... paired my phone, had it connected properly, hit play on my phone, music came out of the phone's speaker, the media selection on the car still showed no blue teeth
NotFastNough
Member
Adrian
Chariot of Fire
- Joined
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- T?sberg, Norway
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- '13 VW T5, '07 SMC, '94 BMW 850, '92 Donkervoort
Now imagine this, but in brick form and pulling a round 2500kg on the scales.
Wanna get high?
Another from the series of "Craig rents different things than the rest of you". :lol:
Skyjack SJ6826-RT
Our "own" car reviews
Our "own" car reviews
2015 Ford Flex Limited (cue RCR songs)
Naturally aspirated V6 FWD with 20 something thousand on the odometer.
First impression, holy shit, is that a Ford Flex parked at Enterprise next to the Suburbans and Tahoes? I had a very delayed flight causing me to get into Austin, TX at 9:30-10PM. Due to this, Enterprise didn't have a whole lot to choose from. Out of curiosity I asked about the Flex. At no cost to upgrade(as a 'sorry we don't have much' apology thing), I got it for the price of an intermediate car with the Young Renter Because Fuck You Fee. Naturally, I folded the third row seats down and packed my shit in with no trouble at all. It was great.
Being the Limited model it has everything but, being a rental model, the GPS SD card was removed. Leather seats, full power drivers seat with lumbar adjustment. Heated seats, Sony stereo, auto climate control, Sync, power tailgate, remote start, password entry, touch sensitive unlock and lock handle as well as the coveted ford pass code entry on the drivers door. I had a 3 hour trip ahead of me. Once I got the seat, steering wheel, mirrors, pedals adjusted, phone blue toothed, and iPod connected. I finally made my way out.
After about an hour driving I found a minor annoyance. There's some room to put your feet but not much. Maybe I'm used to my Colony Park where you can stretch your legs fully out in front of you. There's a left foot rest under the parking brake pedal (push in to engage, push in again to disengage) but, I found my legs feeling a little cramped. On the plus side, the ride is very good. Power is sufficient and allegedly is enough to maintain 110MPH but have plenty of room to keep going if the tire speed rating was known. I do know that this vehicle can manage 24MPG at 80MPH for 3 hours on Texas state roads. Night time driving is amazing. The head lights are amazing. You really don't need high beams at all because of the amount of visibility you get. The only drawback with this is people think your high beams are on and I managed to get flashed multiple times while driving from Austin to Brownsville. I still used the high beams because of the amount of deer seen in the ditch. I didn't want to meet the Flex's end in the middle of nowhere.
All seats are adult sized unlike the Patriot which gets seats from the same place airline economy seats and small college girl seating is made. They're supportive in the back but flat on the legs section which is nice because I didn't feel squeezed in. You can make the seat high adjustment to allow to feel like you're in a real SUV as opposed to a low riding "crossover" and lower to a more car like style.
Sync Radio is usable. I don't mind it. I prefer it over GM's system. Ford's responds better and does not have a white background causing night time driving to suck even more. The problem with the Sync screen at night is it has a different brightness than the dash LCD's for some reason and so it appears brighter which is annoying. If you hook up your iPod to the USB port in the arm rest, you get a nifty Ford logo on it locking you out of the iPod forcing you to live in Sync. Searching through 50 something GB of music slow because of the limited lines available. You cannot search artists by typing in a name. You can select letters in the alphabet but in groups determined by Sync. The Sony system sounds really good even with all of the adjustments set to 0 and surround turned off. While searching for the dash light dimmer, I pressed the electric rear hatch button. Nothing happens except a beep telling you that opening the hatch at 80MPH is a bad idea. The dash light dimmer is a rocker switch the same size to the right of the hatch button hidden from plain view. It's right next to the steering column.
This model had second row bench instead of the buckets and center console. It looks roomy back there. Enough for adults. I didn't sit back there to try it.
Trunk space is minivan sized if you keep the third row up. Once the third row is down, it becomes a normal station wagon. The internet says it's not full 4X8" but, it's very near it if all seats are folded down. I was able to stick a pelican case in length ways with my backpack in front with a small amount of room to spare in front of it still. It'd very accommodating to take a lot of your shit somewhere. It's a low but tall opening. I don't understand why you'd want the Explorer when the loading height is much higher. visability is much better in here than an explorer. I've now driven both and can safely say, the Flex is MUCH better. Though, the backup camera is still helpful since the rear pillars are large enough to lose people. The side mirrors are a nice size, rectangular seems better than big squares like the Patriot. The Flex's are full electric adjustment meaning you can also fold them in if you need to with a flick of the switch.
All in all, if I need a wagon that's more proper sized, I would run to the Flex. Fuck the Explorer.
Our "own" car reviews
2015 Ford Flex Limited (cue RCR songs)
Naturally aspirated V6 FWD with 20 something thousand on the odometer.
First impression, holy shit, is that a Ford Flex parked at Enterprise next to the Suburbans and Tahoes? I had a very delayed flight causing me to get into Austin, TX at 9:30-10PM. Due to this, Enterprise didn't have a whole lot to choose from. Out of curiosity I asked about the Flex. At no cost to upgrade(as a 'sorry we don't have much' apology thing), I got it for the price of an intermediate car with the Young Renter Because Fuck You Fee. Naturally, I folded the third row seats down and packed my shit in with no trouble at all. It was great.
Being the Limited model it has everything but, being a rental model, the GPS SD card was removed. Leather seats, full power drivers seat with lumbar adjustment. Heated seats, Sony stereo, auto climate control, Sync, power tailgate, remote start, password entry, touch sensitive unlock and lock handle as well as the coveted ford pass code entry on the drivers door. I had a 3 hour trip ahead of me. Once I got the seat, steering wheel, mirrors, pedals adjusted, phone blue toothed, and iPod connected. I finally made my way out.
After about an hour driving I found a minor annoyance. There's some room to put your feet but not much. Maybe I'm used to my Colony Park where you can stretch your legs fully out in front of you. There's a left foot rest under the parking brake pedal (push in to engage, push in again to disengage) but, I found my legs feeling a little cramped. On the plus side, the ride is very good. Power is sufficient and allegedly is enough to maintain 110MPH but have plenty of room to keep going if the tire speed rating was known. I do know that this vehicle can manage 24MPG at 80MPH for 3 hours on Texas state roads. Night time driving is amazing. The head lights are amazing. You really don't need high beams at all because of the amount of visibility you get. The only drawback with this is people think your high beams are on and I managed to get flashed multiple times while driving from Austin to Brownsville. I still used the high beams because of the amount of deer seen in the ditch. I didn't want to meet the Flex's end in the middle of nowhere.
All seats are adult sized unlike the Patriot which gets seats from the same place airline economy seats and small college girl seating is made. They're supportive in the back but flat on the legs section which is nice because I didn't feel squeezed in. You can make the seat high adjustment to allow to feel like you're in a real SUV as opposed to a low riding "crossover" and lower to a more car like style.
Sync Radio is usable. I don't mind it. I prefer it over GM's system. Ford's responds better and does not have a white background causing night time driving to suck even more. The problem with the Sync screen at night is it has a different brightness than the dash LCD's for some reason and so it appears brighter which is annoying. If you hook up your iPod to the USB port in the arm rest, you get a nifty Ford logo on it locking you out of the iPod forcing you to live in Sync. Searching through 50 something GB of music slow because of the limited lines available. You cannot search artists by typing in a name. You can select letters in the alphabet but in groups determined by Sync. The Sony system sounds really good even with all of the adjustments set to 0 and surround turned off. While searching for the dash light dimmer, I pressed the electric rear hatch button. Nothing happens except a beep telling you that opening the hatch at 80MPH is a bad idea. The dash light dimmer is a rocker switch the same size to the right of the hatch button hidden from plain view. It's right next to the steering column.
This model had second row bench instead of the buckets and center console. It looks roomy back there. Enough for adults. I didn't sit back there to try it.
Trunk space is minivan sized if you keep the third row up. Once the third row is down, it becomes a normal station wagon. The internet says it's not full 4X8" but, it's very near it if all seats are folded down. I was able to stick a pelican case in length ways with my backpack in front with a small amount of room to spare in front of it still. It'd very accommodating to take a lot of your shit somewhere. It's a low but tall opening. I don't understand why you'd want the Explorer when the loading height is much higher. visability is much better in here than an explorer. I've now driven both and can safely say, the Flex is MUCH better. Though, the backup camera is still helpful since the rear pillars are large enough to lose people. The side mirrors are a nice size, rectangular seems better than big squares like the Patriot. The Flex's are full electric adjustment meaning you can also fold them in if you need to with a flick of the switch.
All in all, if I need a wagon that's more proper sized, I would run to the Flex. Fuck the Explorer.
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rickhamilton620
has a fetish for terrible cars
It's ford's best kept secret in their crossover lineup. Supposedly, while it's a dud most everywhere, it sells a ton in California. Journos suggest that would explain the whole "quick..how can we hide the fact that it's actually a Ford?!" exterior refresh the car got a few years ago - In import loving California, there's still a stigma about driving a domestic car and some who liked the Flex pre "deFordization" may not have bought literally due to the badge being there for all the neighbors to see and judge on.
That sales success would likely help to explain why the thing is still around in general. A shame as it's a good car...i actually dislike the lack of badging up front and the headlights on the refresh though.
That sales success would likely help to explain why the thing is still around in general. A shame as it's a good car...i actually dislike the lack of badging up front and the headlights on the refresh though.
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PelicanHazard
Well-Known Member
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- 2,507
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Car(s)
- '13 Dart, '03 Ranger, '20 390 Duke, '22 K16GTL
That's the part of the refresh I really liked. Stands out in a very good way with that style.