A valiant attempt to reinvent the minivan by emphasizing its horizontal proportions and flattening the roof, the Flex and its Lincoln sibling, arrived on the market in 2008, which turned out to be exactly the wrong time; consumers were looking for vehicles with less-exaggeratedly large proportions. Despite Ford's blossoming, the Flex found itself trailing the more conventional Chevy Traverse and Toyota Highlander in the showroom. Ford was expecting to sell 100,000 annually but has struggled to sell a third that many. So far in 2011, only about 2,000 Flexes are finding buyers each month.
NEXT: Smart fortwo
Find Your Next Car 
