Ford's funky, three-row crossover is about to get just a hint more technological: the automaker has announced that every Flex it sells will come with some sort of Sync infotainment system in 2013, from the least expensive to the most optioned-up example.
As before the Sync system can be had with or without the much-maligned, and recently significantly updated, MyFordTouch system. Top-spec models, obviously, will get the MFT system, while the lesser Flexes will continue to use the car's dot-matrix screen and physical button setup.
Although Ford has been advertising the heck out of Sync since 2007, the Flex is just the second model that will come standard with Sync across all trim levels, the first being the 2013 Fusion sedan. At last check, it's a $295 option on the 2013 Escape crossover, although Ford admits that may change before the car goes on sale.
There's a good reason for making Sync standard on the 2013 Ford Flex: very, very few Flexes are sold without Sync in the first place. The car, which starts at just under $30,000, usually leaves the assembly line with many more options, especially Sync and the two-panel Vista Roof. Dropping Sync from the options list should make the Flex just a bit easier to build and option, which would, in turn, make it a bit easier to buy.
Making Sync standard should put the Flex on top of connectivity charts for the seven-seat crossover market, but not for long: Toyota is hard at work on its Entune system, and Chevrolet is beginning to roll out MyLink to its cars. While neither the Toyota Highlander nor the Chevrolet Traverse are slated to get these systems very soon, it's probably just a matter of time before the two offer their respective connectivity systems.