Best 2009 family car (over $30,000)

Oct 19, 2009

Special to the Star

There's a love/hate thing going on with Flex's looks-like-the-box-it-came-in styling. The diamond-quilted upholstery gives a George Barris Kalifornia Kustom Kar vibe to the interior as well.

But if your personal-taste needle swings at least as far as "tolerate," there's a lot to like in this $32,699 vehicle.

The three rows of seating flip and fold all over the place, offering lots of people/cargo carrying permutations, ideal for family use.

The low floor eases ingress and egress as well.

The EcoBoost V6 – direct injection; turbocharged – provides one of the best performance/economy compromises in the business. 355 horsepower?

The grocery store has never been closer. Yet driven gently, you can rack up terrific mileage.

The six-speed automatic can be paddle-shifted as well, so it can even be fun to drive.

The Volvo-based four-wheel drive chassis provides safe secure handling in all weather conditions, particularly important for Canadian family use.

Loads of cool equipment too, including an optional self-parking system that really works.

There's also Ford's SYNC personal entertainment system. If you're looking for a family car, presumably you'll have a family, and with luck it will include some techno-hip kids who will actually be able to figure out how to use it.

And Flex is built right here in Canada.

NEXT BEST:

Chrysler Town and Country

Some upscale customers gag at the very mention of a minivan.

But if you're talking "family car," well, it doesn't get more family car than a minivan, and the Town and Country is about as luxurious as minivans get, which justifies its placing in our snack bracket.

All the minivan attributes are present and accounted for, with loads of room and an interior which can be configued a million ways.

The big V6 engine delivers smooth effortless power, and the big van handles remarkably well.

True, you can get most of what Town and Country offers on the Dodge Caravan.

But one check mark on your order form brings it all to you in the $27,160 Town and Country, along with the panache associated with the Chrysler nameplate.

It is also Canadian-built.

ALSO CONSIDER:

Nissan Maxima ($37,900): Many feel Maxima offers sufficiently more than the mechanically similar Nissan Altima.

Volkswagen Passat ($34,735): There is something to this "German engineering" thing.

Toronto Star