Ford Flex

The 2009 Ford Flex is the automaker's minivan replacement that combines funky exterior styling and vast interior room.

Ford’s big, bold, and boxy Flex arrived during 2008 just in time for record gas prices and the imploding economy. Timing is everything, and in this case Flex went on sale at about the worst possible time. But hey, so did Chevy’s Traverse. Still, even with all of GM’s problems, Traverse sales in calendar-year 2009 more than double Flex deliveries during the same time.

While we rank the big GM crossovers like the Traverse and GMC Acadia as Best Buys, the Consumer Guide staff was impressed enough with Flex to name it a 2009 Recommended pick. Any Flex is pleasant to drive, roomy, surprisingly refined, and certainly looks nothing like the competition. If you’re shopping three-row crossover SUVs, Flex is certainly worth a look.