Review: Ford Flex

What better time than the Fourth of July to test out a bright red Ford Flex? It's a show-stopper of a car that's ideal for road trips. Everywhere I went, I got compliments on it—I particularly enjoyed the cheers I got driving by a group of soldiers after a small town Fourth of July parade!

The car feels like an update on a classic truck. Its exterior is modern, and its interior, while having top of the line technology, including Microsoft Sync system to hook up your smart phones, has a vintage vibe. I particularly liked the silver-edged analog clock.

The Microsoft Sync system works via Bluetooth. Once it's hooked up, you can make phone calls, play your iTunes or listen to Pandora. Word of warning: your incoming calls will be announced, so don't hook up the Bluetooth if you have something to hide! All of these functions are also available via a firewire cable hook up as well. The car comes with built in GPS.

The Ford Flex is surprisingly easy to drive for such a large car. It has a parking assist that helps you parallel park (something I did not attempt to do) as well as a rearview video display, similar to the one on the Lincoln MKX.

My biggest complaints about the Flex are that it's hard to figure out how to fold down the seats to allow passengers access to the third row. (My guy compared it to a opening a parachute.) And, that last row of seats is so tight, you wouldn't want to put adults back there for a long drive.

If you're looking for a car that's fun to drive and will get you noticed, the Ford Flex is for you.

Review: Lincoln MKX

When my hubby decided to ride his bicycle out 100 miles from Babylon, New York to Montauk for the Montauk Century, it was the perfect excuse to take a road trip. Someone needed to drive our bags out after all and I'm not up to cycling 100 miles in one day. (That's him above, right after crossing the finish line. Go, Leo!) We used the trip as the opportunity to test drive the 2011 Lincoln MKX Crossover SUV. We went big because we knew we needed a big car to get his bicycle home in.

One of the first questions a friend of mine asked when I told her that's what we drove was if I was intimidated to drive such a big car. And the answer is an even bigger N-O. The car has so many safety features including small lights on the side view mirrors that light up when another car is nearby and it's not safe to change lanes, blinking lights on your dashboard if you get too close to the car in front of you (not that I did that), as well as an automatic display of what's behind you as you reverse (below).

In addition to all the safety features, I loved the built in GPS which displays on the same screen as when you reverse AND on your dashboard. I found it much easier to follow directions when they were right in front of me (lower right).

The trip to Montauk, for me at least, if not my husband on his bicycle, was one of the easiest and most enjoyable in my life. I'm sure it was partly because it was early on a Sunday and there was no traffic, but the Lincoln MKX had a lot to do with it. The seats are super-comfy and have heating and cooling options, I could relax knowing I wouldn't get lost with the easy-to-follow GPS and the HD stereo had a jack from my iPhone cord so I could easily listen to my tunes (it charges your phone, too!). It was the first time I can remember that MORE time had actually passed than I thought while driving.

Other factors I loved about the Lincoln MKX are:

• its dual sun roofs—even when you're in the back, you feel like you have  room to move and breathe,
• the driver and passenger temperature controls so there's no arguing about who is too hot and too cold,
• the ambient lighting 
• and the multi-sized cup holders.

The car had a nice pick up—when you stepped on the gas it actually goes. All in all, I heartily recommend the Lincoln MKX.

Review of the Mercedes Aircap

As someone who has a recurring nightmare about eating ice cream with my hair down in the back of a friends convertible circa senior year of high school (Two words: Sticky mess), I was excited to hear about the new Mercedes E350 and E550 convertibles. Both versions of the sleek cabriolet  have a wind deflector called Aircap, which is said to reduce the dangers of riding with the top and your hair down. Thanks to the folks over at CoolHunting for the enlightening review.

The Ford Fiesta

We recently had the chance to chat with Lesli Ann Mie Agcaoili, color and materials designer at Ford Motors who explained that the new Ford Fiesta was practically designed for JSG's. "It's really unlike any other car on the market--it's really meant to be a fun car." With colors like Lime Squeeze (shown), Bright Magenta and Blue Flame, Lesli and Ford are definitely on the right track.

Lesli says that she looks to pop culture and fashion when dreaming up the candy colors for the interior and exterior of the car. "Lime Squeeze reminds me of the Diet Mountain Dew I often drink." As for her other inspirations, Leslie named swimwear, California culture, graffiti art and even nail polish. "I check out Sephora to see what new colors they introduce."

In addition to an attention-getting outside, the Ford Fiesta offers seven interior trim options--25% of the fabric inserts are made of recycled material--and flattering ambient lighting, a la Virgin America.

But it's more than just bright colors and aesthetics that caught our eye on the Ford Fiesta: It also has unexpected options for a car of its class, including heated seats, a push-start button, heated side view mirrors, plus it gets up to 40 MPG on the highway.

The 2011 models are available at Ford dealers nationwide.