Under $15,000: Ford Flex vs Toyota Highlander
Among three-row SUVs, the Ford Flex and the Toyota Highlander are two of the best and now we’re going to find the best one available for $15,000.
Budget SUV Showdown
Toyota and Ford took very different approaches with regard to the three-row SUV around a decade ago and as a result, they’re both attractive in the used car market. The Flex offers a totally unique style and the Highlander can almost pass for a baby Land Cruiser. With $15,000 to spend, we’ve scoured the Carsforsale.com listings to find a Ford Flex and Toyota Highlander to see which is the better option when purchased used. We’ll compare specs, driving characteristics, interior comfort, and available features to find a clear winner.
Used Ford Flex vs Toyota Highlander Specs
For $15,000 we’ve found a number of nice Toyota Highlanders available and on average you’ll be looking at a 2013 year model or older. Right near the top of our budget, most Highlanders have around 150,000 miles on their odometer. Most come with a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 270-horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard but it’s not unusual to find all-wheel drive-equipped models for this kind of money. The Highlander gets around 19 or 20 mpg combined depending on the drivetrain.
Ford Flexes that come under our budget tend to be newer and have considerably less mileage. We found four different Flexes between the years of 2012 to 2017 all of which were under budget and had less than 90,000-miles on the clock. Most of those model years use the exact same two engines, the first of which is a V6 that makes 285-horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque. The upgraded engine is a 365-horsepower twin-turbocharged unit. Like the Toyota, front-wheel drive is standard on most models with all-wheel drive as an option though in the turbo model it’s standard. Those motors get on average 18-20 mpg combined. Remember that when we get to the horsepower discussion. On paper, these vehicles are pretty similar but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Driving & Performance
The Toyota Highlander really is as truck-like as an SUV can get without being something more sturdy like the Land Cruiser. It has an agreeable upright seating position, excellent forward visibility, and tons of headroom and legroom. Despite those aspects of the design it’s actually sitting on the same K-Platform that Toyota used for the Camry of the same year which provides it with above-average handling and better steering feedback.
Ford’s approach towards the Flex was to make it sort of a tall wagon and that’s what it feels like on the road. Headroom and legroom are just as good as the Highlander but drivers have a lower seating position in the cabin. We like the way that allows the SUV to feel a lot more car-like but it does hamper forward visibility to a small degree. The Flex is built on Ford’s D4 platform which is a derivation of the one used on the Ford Taurus SHO so handling is even more precise and direct than in the Toyota.
Both vehicles can be equipped with an all-wheel-drive system that’s largely front-wheel-drive biased. The only time we noticed it was in very hard cornering where the front wheels struggled for grip. The Highlander leans a lot more in those corners than the Flex does and consequently isn’t as confidence-inspiring as the Ford. The Flex also exhibits far better athleticism in part due to its powertrain. Both V6 options for the Flex are more powerful than that found in the Highlander and the turbocharged model isn’t just fast for a crossover or an SUV, it’s fast period. It’ll zip from 0-60 in just 5.7-seconds which is a full second faster than a 2021 Toyota Highlander.
Comfort & Interior
In their top trims, both of these vehicles provide an excellent space to spend time in. The issue is that with our budget, the only way we can afford a top trim in the Highlander is either to buy one with 200,000+ miles or look for one made in the early 2000s. Still, the lower trims on the Highlander still offer excellent interior space, supportive seating, and clever storage solutions as well as fold-flat third-row seats. The Highlander is quiet on the highway too with excellent insulation from road noise and vibrations. We like how it soaks up bumps in the road too but we wish it felt just a touch more stable on the highway. Sometimes the softer suspension can feel floaty at highway speeds.
The Flex can be had in just about any trim from about 2015 or older under budget and under 100,000-miles. Even newer ones up to at least 2017 are out there in base or near base form with less than a century worth of miles too. We’d aim for a 2013 model in Limited trim with the Ecoboost engine because it offers heated seats in both the front and second row, power-folding second and third rows, and some of the nicest leather you’ll see in a car of this age. We also love the multiple sky ports for rear-seat passengers that accompany a large sunroof for the first row. The Flex is also quiet and benefits from a lower ride height that makes highway cruising even more comfortable than in the Highlander. It’s sharper too and still manages to keep the effects of poor road conditions out of the cabin.
Trims & Features
In 2013, Toyota sold the Highlander in four trim levels including base, Plus, SE, and Limited. The entry-level Highlander started out with cloth upholstery, dual-zone air conditioning, Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, 17-inch wheels, and a 40/20/40 split-folding second row.
The Plus model gets a lift-up rear window, one-touch fold-flat second-row seats, fog lights, roof rails, and driver seat power-adjustable lumbar support.
If you can step up to the SE for this budget you’ll find heated front seats, a sunroof, a power liftgate, and leather upholstery.
At the top of the line is the Limited trim which uses 19-inch wheels, perforated leather upholstery, a nine-speaker JBL sound system, tri-zone automatic climate control, and keyless ignition.
Ford offered just three trim levels the same year including SE, SEL, and Limited. The base car received 17-inch wheels, air conditioning, automatic headlights, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, and a 60/40 split second-row seat.
The SEL got 18-inch wheels, power-adjustable front seats, a 7-inch infotainment system, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lights, and two additional touchscreens in the driver information center.
The Limited trim came with 19-inch wheels, LED tail lights, perforated leather upholstery, a wood-trimmed steering wheel, a 12-speaker Sony sound system, blind-spot warning, and keyless ignition. Almost all Limited models use the turbo engine and all-wheel drive.
For Under $15,000, Which SUV is the Best Choice?
The Highlander has kept exceptional resale value thanks to its bulletproof drivetrain and Toyota’s reliability reputation but it’s not good enough to justify the extra cost and mileage incurred when comparing it to the Flex. That’s why we’d go with the Flex, and in fact why I personally bought a 2012 Ford Flex Limited. The Flex is the better driver’s car, offers more power, more interior luxury, and hasn’t suffered from any major reliability issues that buyers need to be aware of. For $15,000 it’s just a far more well-rounded vehicle with no weaknesses compared to the Toyota.
