Thornley Fallis – The Outdoors Guy

September 5, 2013September 5, 2017

Ford Flex’ able New England vacation

A great note of thanks to Maxine Patenaude of Thornley Fallis Communications for putting me behind the wheel of another fab 4-wheeled product.

My 10-day romance with the 2013 Ford Flex SEL included a jaunt to New England, on a 7-day family vacation to Rye Beach, New Hampshire.

I can say, having spent considerable time with this vehicle, the Flex is the possibly the most efficient family hauler I’ve had the pleasure of driving. From front to back and from side to side, the new Ford Flex is the ultimately distinctive; offering comfort and unique styling.

I was a tad apprehensive that the Flex would be a ride I could enjoy, with its long boxy stance and a silhouette more reminiscent of an old-school gangster car than a modern Crossover Utility Vehicle.

The look and feel grew on me, I must say.

My first impression of the Ford Flex, after getting past its long rectangular footprint was a feeling of modern style and effortless driving. This beast is both extremely comfortable and roomy for all seven passengers. Even my wife’s 7-passenger van offers limited leg room to the back passengers, while this one does not.

The interior space, fit and finish were just great and I found the windows offered excellent visibility from all around. Passenger and cargo space was more than adequate too with 4 adults and two 5-foot-something teens on-board.

Ford’s fancy Sync and MyFord Touch system is displayed in a groovy 8″ LCD screen, and as fun to play with as new toy, once you get used to it. Having tested a few of these newer models now, I’ve become fairly adept at the touch screen technology. My wife and I also had great enjoyment with the built-in Sirius Satellite radio.

“70’s on 7 please!”

The Flex also features a neat ‘flip and tumble’ feature to gain access to back row seating. With a touch of the button, second seats are cleverly folded out of the way to allow entry for back row passengers. I made of point of spending time in the back seat and was amazed at how spacious and comfortable it was.

The SEL model I tested comes standard with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that pushes out 287 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque, which I found to be more than adequate even with a full family load. If more power is to your liking, the higher trim model comes with a whopping 365 horsepower EcoBoost turbo($3000 upgrade).

With the SEL’s combined full economy hovering at around 20 mpg, I’ll stick with the standard power plant and, although I didn’t haul anything this time, the solid 4500 pound towing capacity would have made short work of our camper trailer.

Although not a full-fledged off-road vehicle, the Flex’s AWD traction was quite apparent; giving this beefy ride superior traction on the I89, or cruising up and down the curvy Seacoast Highway from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire to Kittery, Maine.

One of the more interesting redesign features of the new Flex is the front grill which, turned out to be a real head turner. I had several people comment on it during our beach house vacation. Young people in particular seem to appreciate the retro styling.

For those who aren’t used to a larger vehicle, the Flex does carry with it Michael Jordan shoe-sized footprint, and requires extra caution when parking and maneuvering into tighter spaces.

In the end, the 2013 Ford Flex SEL provided great family fun and was a joy to drive on a long trip. Anyone looking for top-of-the-line style and comfort and a radical change to your drab old minivan, this is the vehicle for you.

Outdoorsguy

May 25, 2012September 5, 2017

2012 Ford F-150 the Country Boy Cadillac

truckpic1

Fresh air, clean water and nature’s wondrous bounty all at your doorstep. Yes, growing up in the country certainly has its benefits and I’m proud to say I have been apart of that lifestyle.

Every country boy (& girl) I know either currently owns a truck or has owned one at one time. Quite a few city folks own trucks as well. I have owned two in my life and both of them were Fords. Of course that was many moons ago, and the vehicle I often refer to as a Country boy Cadillac has come a long way since those days.

I consider myself fortunate to be a country boy; fortunate to have an upbringing which brought me deep into God’s country, and back, on more outdoor adventures than you can shake a stick at. One of those special trips is my annual trout fishing trip into Northwestern Quebec in search of nature’s most perfect fish. It is 23rd anniversary of this trip with my father and brother-in-laws.

To gain proper access to nature’s perfect fish ( in case you didn’t know) requires not only good knowledge and equipment, but and a good solid truck as well. This year I was fortunate beyond belief when my old pal Kristine Simpson of Thornley Fallis asked if I would like to try out the new Ford F-150 with the EcoBoost engine?

“Ummmmm, I dunno Kristine. lemme think about it” I said with a smirk.

“OK, I’m in!”

Before I even had the bug spray or fishing stuff packed for my trip, I was Googling the new F-150. Man, there is a pile of info available on this bad boy!

The new Ford F-150, as I discovered, is not unlike the F-150 of days-gone-by except for one big difference – the new EcoBoost engine!!

What is the EcoBoost engine? Well, it is something best enjoyed while pointed northward out-of-town, and driven as fast as humanly(& legally) possible.

The EcoBoost has a feeling not unlike other power plants, that is until you step on the gas, and if you open the window while driving on a bush road, my brother-in-law and I agree, the EcoBoost actually has a similar hum to a jet plane taking off. You can hear and feel the old school ‘spooling’ of the turbo engine; as it quickly and efficiently builds power.

All that to say, the trip was off on the right foot once the truck was packed and loaded on our 5-day trip into God’s country. Yes, the interior layout and comfort was something to behold. Bright and roomy and I almost felt a bit guilty for getting it dirty.

The F-150 FX4 model boasts a lot of great amenities including full leather, Sync command system, Sirius satellite radio, generous drink holders and fully adjustable electric seat controls with lumbar support. (Man, my back loved that)

When it comes to seating and storage space, the new F-150 FX4 comes with comfortable folding rear seats which tuck neatly away against the back wall. Since we usually travel two men per vehicle, this feature is great for allowing extra camping and fishing gear to be stored inside during the trip. (And trust me; I had stuff piled to roof.)

Another feature of the FX4 I really enjoyed was the pop-out step sides, which allowed for great access into the truck box from the sides. When loading and unloading the vehicle, having a leg-up from the side is a real bonus!

Once we arrived at our lakeside paradise in Northwestern Quebec, the F-150 seemed to fit right into the surroundings with its rugged outdoor appeal. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of style and class when you’re roughing it in the wilderness. That’s what I kept telling the boys anyway.

The tailgate also made a super place to ‘cop of squat’ after a long day on the water, room enough for three tired (but happy) campers.

For those who are into statistics, the new Ford has plenty of impressive ones. The direct-injection twin-turbo 6-cylinder has a tow and payload rating (5,125 kg/11,300 lb and 1,388 kg/3060 lb respectively. As far as gas mileage goes throughout the trip, the truck saw as high as 18 L/100 KM in fuel consumption, but averaged somewhere around 16 L/100 KM, I would say.

All in all, the new Ford f-150 FX turned out to be a worthy fishing companion and a head-turner as well. The truck performed flawlessly, got great gas mileage and held up like a charm to the punishment of 4 hours on some of the toughest roads in Quebec. (& without shaking your kidneys too much)

The 2012 F-150 EcoBoost was a huge part of this year’s fishing trip and from I’ve seen, would be perfectly suited for any hunting or fishing trip you can think of. (And I can think of a lot)

The Outdoors Guy

May 31, 2011

Outdoors Guy with an Edge

A FORD Edge that is…….

(Me nestled comfortably in the cockpit of a 2011 Ford Edge Sport)

Thanks to Kristine Simpson of Ottawa’s Marketing Agency Thornley Fallis and the good folks over at Campbell Ford for putting me in one sweet ride last weekend.

Over the years I have reviewed and field-tested pretty much every gadget under the sun including: spotting scopes, trail cameras, GPS units, hunting apparel, sunglasses, fishing tackle, rifle scopes, remote control fishing boats, digital range finders, field binoculars and even boots, but I can honestly say I have never tested out a vehicle.

And considering the 2011 Ford Edge Sport is my very first, I’d say I’m kicking things off in style!

My time with the Edge over the May long weekend included a trip up the Ottawa Valley to our trailer in Cobden. I found the Edge to be roomy enough, and the automatic lift gate was a play toy I would never tire of. Press the button hatch goes up, press the button again the hatch goes down. I was like Homer Simpson with a donut….a big shiny silver donut….mmmmm donuts!

The Edge’s interior is a must see. It is laid out in a functional yet extremely modern and stylish manner. Once you have mastered the ‘voice command system’, you simply press a button and tell the car what you want.

“Radio….106.1 FM, please” Your system seamlessly switches over to Ottawa’s Classic rock, and all that’s left is to control the volume; which is conveniently located on the steering console.

Pretty much every aspect and feature of the Edge can be monitored from the control panel: the navigation system, heating & cooling, sound system and so on. You can use the touch screen, or live life on the ‘edge’ and go with the soothing voice command system.

It even tells you how many KM’s you have before you need to fill up, I thought that was neat, and the kids really enjoyed the MP3, USB and SD memory card slots.

As far as performance and practicality goes, the Edge was top notch. We flew up the Ottawa Valley like a ‘Bat out of Hell’..I actually had a Meatloaf CD playing, in case you were thinking something else.

As a member of the Crossover Utility (CUV) Class, the Ford Edge provided an ideal ‘apples to apples’ comparison for me since my regular vehicle is a Highlander – Toyota’s popular crossover a direct competitor.

But this was certainly a fancier machine than I’m used to driving.

With perhaps the most aggressive looking grill I’d ever seen, a beefy 305 horses purring underneath the hood and 22 inch wheels, the Edge is a real head turner. Even the lad at the McDonald’s drive-thru in Arnprior was smitten with it. (And once you’ve impressive the younger generation, you know you’ve made it big time)

“Hey man, you got 20’s on that?” he inquired. “No my friend, 22” actually” I replied proudly.

I have never been a particularly ‘showy’ type, but when it came to this vehicle I did feel somewhat like a show-off. Was it the big wheels, mean looking grill or all leather interior, I wasn’t quite sure but I did feel rather pompous and important whilst driving it.

As far as outdoor utility goes, I can see how the Edge would fit in; although I would go with the standard 18″ wheels for heading off road to the hunt camp. The Edge’s AWD system handled very nicely on the wetter days that weekend and having owned a Subaru I say that with experience.

In the end, the Ford Edge Sport was a great long weekend diversion and a vehicle I was very sad to return. Recently named the 2011 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, as well as the Top SUV/CUV in the $35,000 to $50,000 price range, the Edge has evidently attracted a lot of people’s attention.