Yes, very flexible – but flex is also a verb.

So let’s move from the applied math to the actual stats. The Flex’s cargo volume with the second and third rows down is 2,355 L; with the just the third, 1,224; with all benches up, there’s still 426 counting the spacious rear seat well. Between the two aforementioned trips, we twice drove Orson to the off-leash doggie beach in Toronto’s delightfully seedy port lands. He rested comfortably in the seat well. The floor space was longer and thinner but not unlike the dimensions of his crate.

In this case, flex can be short for flexible but it’s also about muscle. The Flex Limited trim sports a hefty and responsive 3.5L six-cylinder twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine, which achieves 365 hp at 5,500 cycles and 350 lb-ft of torque at 3,500. It doesn’t just flex, it bulges. Better still, you can put it in sport mode and paddle between gears for an extra surge without feeling guilty because it doesn’t require premium.

1,726 mm tall, the Flex is not as far up from the ground as tippier CUVs. The view rides above compacts and sedans but not much else. The upside of being lower is the Flex drives more like a car than most SUVs. True, the turning circle is a rather wide 12.4 meters, making quick escapes a challenge, but the exceptionally long wheelbase of nearly three meters spreads the centre of gravity well, inspiring driving confidence with a decent grip. In the city, flex the engine’s muscles for quick passing and use the Sport mode for launching quickly off lights. It’s almost like driving a power sedan. The Flex AWD is rated to drink 15.7 L/100km in the city and 11.2 on the highway but, during its trial, you can bet Transport Canada wasn’t flexing accelerator the way I do in the city.

One more point regarding the use of space: that long wheelbase allows plenty of room for passengers in either back row. Some competitors assume only small children will ride in the very back. This different looking CUV remains practically tall throughout. Speaking of different looking . . .

People say it’s ugly but I disagree.

In my opinion, most other CUVs and SUVs are the ugly ones. Worse, they are generically so – looking dully similar. Even if you don’t like it, the Flex is at least not afraid to try something wholly unique. The French have a word that loosely translates to ugly-beautiful for someone who is not conventionally pretty. Think Shelley Duvall or Frida Kahlo. The Flex is jolie laide: ugly or even hideous to some but compelling and attractive to a specific connoisseur.

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