Used 2012 Ford Flex SE for sale 

The 2012 Flex Wagon comes in a total of 4 trim levels: SE, SEL, Limited, and Titanium. All the trims get the same engine, with an optional engine to choose from. The price starts at $29,465 and maxes out at an expensive $43,105 for the top trim. Standard features in the car include auto headlamps, rear privacy glass, rear parking sensors, cruise control, air-conditioning, 6-way power driver seat, leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and 17-inch alloy wheels. You also get a ton of optional equipment as well like roof rails, sliding+reclining second-row captain chairs, multi-panel rear sunroof, refrigerated compartment, etc. 

We Recommend 

We recommend the Limited trim. At $35,000, it has the perfect balance between cost and offered equipment. Plus, the available optional equipment has a lot of options to choose from, so we recommend that you pick up what you need. We do recommend the power-folding rear seats and the rear sunroof.

The car gets one engine as standard. This engine is a 3.5L V6 with a power output of 262 hp @6250 rpm and produces a torque of 248 lb.-ft @4500 rpm. This engine can take the load of this crossover and is adequate for the Flex.

The other engine is optional on the Limited and Titanium. This is the standard engine but with a turbocharger. The turbocharged engine makes 355 hp@5700 rpm and 350 lb.-ft @1500 rpm. The car is coupled to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This car comes as a front-wheel-drive car, but an all-wheel-drive option is available. The crossover takes 8.2 seconds to reach 60 mph and 16.1 seconds for completing a quarter-mile.

The 4,000 lbs Toyota Highlander is pretty light on its feet, with a 0-60 mph mark coming up in 7.5 seconds. The Flex is slightly behind at 8.2 seconds, whereas the Durango slowly came up in 9 seconds. The Toyota is ahead in the quarter-mile and top speed as well. But the Flex has a long driving history that speaks good about it, and the satisfied customer reports speak the same who love driving the Flex. It has a top speed of 134 mph.

Flex’s fuel economy is good enough when you consider its weight and the kind of power it produces. It has an economy of 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, with the 6-speed automatic and FWD. The AWD drops this economy to 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg for the highway. The Ecoboost engine with the standard AWD still manages a good economy of 16 mpg (city) and 21 mpg(highway).

The range of the Flex falls behind due to its smaller 18.6-gallon tank. It has a range of 316 miles in the city and 446 miles on the highway. The Highlander does better on the economy front (18/24) and the capacity front as well (19.2-gallons). The Dodge beats them all with its humongous 24.6-gallon tank that gives a range of nearly 400 city miles and 565 highway miles.

The interior of the Flex is rather satisfying. There is a gracious use of soft-touch materials on the inside, along with the dash, the door, and the central console. Once you get in, you will find that the interiors are very attractive, and boast of premiumness all around.

There’s a tremendous amount of storage on the Flex, just like its space. The overall quality and the finish of the car are excellent. The crossover comes with a cargo capacity of 20 cubic feet.

The Flex is spacious, and there’s ample space in all the rows for comfortable seating. Seven passengers can sit properly, and the seats in all the rows provide excellent back support and under-thigh support. The third row is not a compromise at all, and the 33 inches legroom can find some adults happy in there. Getting into the third row is also an easy task. The trunk space is good at 20 cubic feet, but the available space with the third row folded takes a hit, compared to the other crossovers. A few interior features are:

• Perforated leather upholstery
• Power adjustable pedals
• Driver memory functions
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Rear privacy glass
• Cruise control

How intuitive is the 2012 Ford Flex’s infotainment system?

The infotainment system on the Ford Flex is powerful and easy to use. As standard, you get a CD player, auxiliary audio input jack, and a 6-speaker sound system. The SEL trim adds satellite radio and the Sync system.

The Limited and the Titanium add a CD/DVD player, HD radio, digital music storage, navigation with real-time traffic updates, and a 12-speaker Sony sound system. The Sync system adds Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB/iPod audio interface, turn-by-turn navigation, and traffic reports. A rear-seat entertainment system with screens is an optional feature. Some infotainment features include:

• Bluetooth
• 12-Speaker Sony audio
• Satellite radio
• Navigation with real-time traffic
• HD radio

When we first set our eyes on the Ford Flex, it very much reminded us of the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover. But on closer inspection, the Flex had its own style statement. The front is big, with the long hood, rectangular headlamps, and the three-line grille. The lower bumper protrudes at the front as well as the rear, giving the car an even larger appearance.

Along the sides, you have thick grooves along the entire door lengths, large windows, and big wheel arches. The rear is pretty simple, with rectangular LED taillights, a clean and long rear glass with two stubby exhaust ports. The overall look of the car is long and somewhat pushed down. But the design is attractive and tends to grow on you.

The Flex is large in proportions but has managed its weight well. It is the longest car in the comparison at 201 inches. The car is also the widest at 78 inches. The Dodge has the longest wheelbase of 120 inches, whereas the Highlander is tight with its 109.8 inches wheelbase. The Highlander has the lowest weight of 4,045 lbs, which surely helps with the gain in performance. Some exterior features are:

• Xenon headlights
• LED taillights
• Powered tailgate
• Rear sunroof
• Heated mirrors

The IIHS gave the Ford Flex a “Good” crash safety rating, which is a high safety rating. Standard safety features across all trims include front and side airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock disc brakes, stability control, rear parking sensors, and traction control. Optional equipment includes a rear-view camera, blind-spot warning system, and adaptive cruise control. Few salient safety features include-

• 4 wheels ABS
• Ventilated front discs and solid rear disc brakes
• Post Collision safety system
• Dusk sensing headlamps
• Emergency braking assist
• Tire Pressure monitoring

The Ford Flex is our favorite car and has been for a long time. The offered equipment, along with the performance that’s coupled with the ease of use and handling, makes the Flex a very desirable car. Huge on the inside and large on the outside, the car has a good balance between comfort and the number of passengers you can sit. There are other options out there, and some fellows might even tell you to look away. But we highly recommend that before you finalize, you should drive this car once and experience what we experienced.