A new crossover is on its way, although this may no longer be surprising since it seems like every other automaker has a new crossover to present but this crossover is quite different.

Ford Flex which was introduced as the first full-size crossover utility vehicle at the New York Auto Show —and this exactly what makes this crossover distinct from the rest of its competitors.

Until today, crossovers have ranged from the original mini-sized models such as all-new Ford Edge, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, Mazda CX-7 and CX-9, and the Suzuki XL-7.  The full-size SUVs that are available on the market are all truck-based models like the Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia.

The Flex will help expand Ford’s already good selection of crossovers comprising of the compact Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner—both of which also come in gasoline-electric hybrid versions. Moreover, Ford sells the Edge, based on the chassis of the Fusion midsize sedan, while the Freestyle was based on the chassis of the larger Five Hundred sedan.

Crossover shows a strong sales return as compared to the traditional SUVs and most auto analysts believes that such trend will continue. Also, it is observed that the truck-based SUVs are somewhat going out of style similar to the way when minivans lost their market dominance.

Ford, which is also has Mazda, maker of quality Mazda truck parts and Mazda truck accessories as a subsidiary, said that the sales of crossovers in the US market are expected to reach three million units annually by the end of the decade.

Despite the fact that both Flex and the Expedition can accommodate seven people, the Expedition can actually pull trailers weighing up to 9,000 lbs while the Flex is limited to hauling 4,000 lbs only. The Expedition appeal to people with bigger trailers while those people who are interested in plain transport would prefer the Flex.

As of now the Flex remains to the only full-size crossover utility vehicle.