If you are looking for a sharp crossover, have you considered the Edge? Ford’s five-passenger family hauler is a nice alternative to the variety of imports, but how does it measure up? To see what it is capable of, we spent a week with a 2017 Edge Titanium loaded with everything except AWD. Styling is sleek and subtle, using the same shapes found on other models. The only flaw is the fake front vents. Fog lights would be a great upgrade for the bumper, but they are not even optional. The hood has muscular creases running front to rear, and they sometimes send sunlight into your eyes at dawn and dusk.
Plastic body trim always fades, which is why the industry has moved back to painted panels. But the lower bumper of the Edge along with the doors are covered with the finest in Canadian cladding. The Edge is built in Ontario with attention to panel fit and paint quality. Interior quality is also a priority, as the center console and infotainment are first class. The armrest is in the perfect spot for long drives, and it covers a ginormous storage box. Cooled by the rear A/C ducts, it has 12v and USB connections. Sony engineered the controls, which is uncluttered and easy to learn. The screen menus are also logical and feature redundant controls for the buttons below. Every command is also shown in the display next to the speedometer, along with adaptive cruise and lane warning displays. Seats are heated and cooled, with many adjustments for lumbar and headrests. It would make for a perfect cross country trip if all things were equal.
Around town, the Edge is completely acceptable, but the highway should not be considered. Something in the suspension geometry made the car unable to hold a straight line. Constant corrections were needed to keep from invoking lane departure warnings, but the electric power steering has no assistance above 50 mph. So it takes serious effort to move the wheel, as the Edge bounced between the dotted lines. Hitting a reflector produced a rattle in the cargo area, but we couldn’t find the offending panel. Road noise is also intrusive at speed, but Sony provided an audio solution.
We love Ford’s EcoBoost line of turbo engines because they make great power on high octane. The problem is that Ford ships the cars with regular gas from the factory. The 2.0 liter four cylinder under the hood was rated 245 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. But those numbers were from a test of 93 octane without any ethanol. So running on regular the Edge accelerates gradually. Our highly instrumented highway test was conducted by one human and one German Shepard, and both agreed it was a fine Ford for a daily commute. Look for dealer incentives, because the MSRP of $45,135 is a bit steep for a four cylinder rated at 29 miles per gallon. Safety is among the best in this class, so if you are interested our dealers are ready to help you.
