No matter what category you stick it in—crossover, station wagon, big car with three rows of seats—the Flex is a remarkable vehicle. It is as stylish on the outside as it is functional on the inside. Which pretty much makes it unlike most vehicles that are on the road today. Realize that Ford has gotten out of the minivan-making-business. Minivans are the type of vehicle that can accommodate six or seven in comparative comfort. But some people are just getting tired of minivans or are off-put by them because of some stigma associated with what driving one means about one’s self. So they might go for an SUV. The trouble here is that while SUVs may seem big on the outside, on the inside that space is not what you might imagine. And the so-called “third row” in some of those SUVs (be they frame-based or unibody, it doesn’t much matter) is laughable—or, more accurately, reason to cry if you’re the one who has to go deep. But the Flex doesn’t have that issue.

Let’s face it: The Flex is a big rectangle on wheels. Which makes it like a minivan. Yet it has far more presence than a minivan, which makes it something like an SUV. But in this case, it is not the look of a quasi-militaristic vehicle, but actually something with panache and style. And when it comes to matters like that, not everyone is going to be in agreement with it: While it is probably an exaggeration to say that it is polarizing (I doubt that there would be a group of active Flex Foes), it is a matter of taste.

Ford executives and engineers knew (1) they were getting out of the minivan segment and (2) that their remarkably successful Explorer SUV was becoming surprisingly unsuccessful. So it seems that they decided that they would have to come up with something that would help them deal with those two while, at the same time, creating a product that would draw positive notice of the Ford Motor Company. After all, once you get past the Mustang and F-Series, there isn’t a whole lot on the radar screen. Sure, there’s a blip here and there (e.g., Focus, Taurus), but nothing that shouts “Blue Oval.” And while not necessarily raising its voice, the Flex makes a statement.

So the interior spaciousness is that of the minivan. And with the all-wheel-drive option, while this is not going to be the vehicle for Kilimanjaro, it is exactly what people who do things like drive to work and to school and to the mall and to. . .well, for people who drive like the most of us need when the going gets messy.

One of the features available on the Flex (and other cars in the Ford fleet) that I thought might be a yawn but which is really rather clever is the EasyFuel capless fuel filling system. Pop the fuel door and insert the dispenser. This may belie a certain laziness, but there are the advantages of (1) no cap to drop on the ground or (2) no tethered cap to slop around. It is a little thing like this that makes a big vehicle all the more remarkable.

Vehicle as Driven

Engine: 3.5-liter V6. Aluminum block and heads

Horsepower: 262 @ 6,250 rpm

Torque: 248 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 117.9 in.

Overall length: 201.8 in.

Height: 68 in.

Width (with mirrors): 88.8 in.

Curb weight: 4,661 lb. (all-wheel-drive); 4,498 lb. (FWD)

EPA fuel economy: 16 city; 22 highway (all-wheel-drive); 17/24 mpg (FWD)