Goodbye to Edge

[TheWizard]

Our '13 Edge Limited is a mere 18 months old and has already been in the shop for three weeks while they replaced the steering rack and power steering four times to fix a noise and shuddering when making a left turn. We though the problem was behind us for the past six months but now it has returned. There are enough things about the Edge that neither of us like (not to mention how much we despise our local dealer) that we have decided not to go through the hassle of getting it repaired again so we have traded it in on a '15 Kia Sorento.

 

Now before you start laughing... all of the things we found most annoying about the Edge are not present in the Sorento, it has some really nice extra features like heated and ventilated seats and real fog lights and it costs a couple thousand dollars less. I wish we had looked at it two years ago but I had X-plan and liked the Ecoboost engine.

 

Okay, so here is what is different...

- it has real buttons to go along with the 8" touch screen.

- it has real gauges in front of the driver.

- it has voice activated navigation, climate, bluetooth and audio that actually respond correctly.

- it has a touch screen that does not require mashing with your finger just to get a response... it's as responsive as my phone.

- it has a nice old-fashioned mechanical turn signal lever with its reassuring click when it shuts off (and it still has the one-touch 3-flash feature for those who like that sort of thing).

- even with the V6 engine, it gets better mileage than the Ecoboost when driving over 70mph (28.6 mpg calculated - the Ecoboost is great up to about 65mph but only gets around 25 mpg once you hit 70mph).

- it doesn't slip and then suddenly slam the transmission when accelerating on the highway after cancelling the cruise control for traffic.

- it lets me disable the backup warning beep just once with a real on/off switch for when driving with the bicycle rack mounted (the Edge requires turning it off every time the vehicle is started).

- it has a large storage area under the rear floor (where 3rd row seats would fold if we had them).

- it has built-in music storage that allows you to transfer your music from a flash drive and then remove the drive.

- how about a built-in 110V inverter?

- those ventilated seats are going to get a lot of use here in Florida.

 

The Edge still had some nice features...

- it had maybe an inch more rear leg room - not a huge difference but certainly noticeable for tall people.

- the power front passenger seat raises and lowers.

- the Ecoboost engine has good efficiency for overall combined city/highway driving as long as you resist the temptation to put your foot in it.

- the keyless entry keypad on the driver's side is convenient.

- the grade assist mode is nice in the mountains to keep the transmission from constantly shifting.

- the backup warning system has cross traffic alert.

 

I will miss the community here... there are a lot of good people with interesting points of view and lots of knowledge to contribute to other members.

 

I will be posting some accessories for sale at fire sale prices in the for sale area so if you're interested in a LockPic or maybe some custom fit rear seat covers, be sure to have a look in the next day or so.

 

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Gotta do what's right for you, still, saddened by your experience with the EB Edge. Good luck with the Sorento

[ls973800]

Can't blame you at all after reading about your mechanical issues. My 2013 FWD Edge with 40000 miles has been great with NO visits back to the dealer for any work other than oil changes. Just the luck of the draw I guess.

 

Wasn't too long ago that Kia and Hyundai were on the bottom of the pecking order, and held no value after a few years. They have really put together a strategy which has resulted in better cars with reliability and features that were lacking in the past. I see more and more of them on the road and there are some nice looking ones.

 

Good luck with your new one and I wish all goes well this time.

[Waldo]

Hyundai/Kia are making some nice products these days, but too bad you couldn't hold out for the 2015 (or 2016 with the next Sync) Edge, it will address almost all of your complaints.

[ls973800]

How do you like the Kia after the first week?

[Cellbine]

Being over in Korea, I see these cars all the time. They look great. I hope you love your new ride!

[TheWizard]

Overall, I am very pleased with the new Kia so far. My wife loves it so that's a big plus (she was never really fond of the Edge from the first day we got it).

 

There are some things that I would improve if I could. For example, the touch screen display is a "one thing at a time" design - you can look at a map or at the current audio but there is no split screen view allowing any combination of nav, audio, climate and phone to be displayed at the same time. And although you can load images into the onboard storage, you can't use them as wallpaper for the display. It just gives you the option to display the images in a completely separate mode - rather useless if you ask me. Personally I don't care because I like the stock muted background but my wife wants to use photos for the background as she did in the Edge.

 

However, many of the "tech" items that are similar to those in the Edge simply work better. The blind spot warning system (equivalent to the BLIS system in the Ford) has a much more noticeable light in the mirror, does not activate until 20mph, warns both of vehicles in the blind spot as well as vehicles approaching at a high closure rate, and adds audible warnings if you use your turn signal to indicate moving into the lane where a vehicle is in the blind spot or approaching rapidly. I had grown so used to the Ford BLIS light being on almost all the time in traffic that I initially thought the Kia system wasn't working... that 20mph limiit is just one of the little things that shows some thought was put into the design.

 

The navigation system warns about distraction every time you start up even if you aren't using it although you don't have to respond as the prompt goes away once you start driving. What can you do about corporate lawyers?

 

The seats are much more comfortable than in the Edge. You feel like you're sitting in them rather than on them. But the Edge has the advantage on second row leg room. We don't often use those seats but I can see that tall passengers might be very cramped back there.

 

Still, for the type of use we want to get from the vehicle, we both feel it was a good choice. Comfortable, fairly economical and lots of storage space were the things we wanted and the Kia seems to deliver.

[xK317Hx]

"But the Edge has the advantage on second row leg room. We don't often use those seats but I can see that tall passengers might be very cramped back there."

 

I have yet to sit in a similar to Edge vehicle that accomplishes both back seat leg room and storage room like the Edge. I think most have to go up to a 3 row to do it.

 

Thanks for the input on the Kia. We were actually looking at one and the Hyundai Santa fe recently. But I may hold out to test drive a 2015 sport.