Six Month Review

[Burgundy17]

These are my owner impressions after six months and 5000 miles in front wheel drive 3.5L V6 normally aspirated North American engine with NO start stop and it comes with a six speed transmission. I wanted a powerful, safe, comfortable, reliable vehicle. I got all three. It does not feel as quick around town as the 2.0 but I never feel a lack of power. You can not go fast anyway in town. Out on the highway above 65 mph there is plenty of power. Passing is no problem. My gas mileage Combined has been 20 as forecast by the EPA but that is to be expected. It has top of the line crash test ratings which is very reassuring. I do have the blind spot/ cross traffic alert option which I HIGHLY recommend. The back corners are huge blind spots and really hard to see around. The drive is VERY quiet and smooth. Well done Ford.

 

When I first got it I thought the seats were hard and the bolsters uncomfortable. That impression has changed to now I think it is one of the most comfortable cars I have had. In my opinion the heated seats are a large reason for this transformation. I think over time the heat has softened the foam to mold to my body shape. I have also found the right position for my seat. It took FOREVER to find the right seat back angle, seat height, front seat edge tilt, and distance to the pedals. Now that I found it, it's perfect! The lumbar hits me in just the right place and I feel I could drive for hours. My only regret is I don't have the titanium with seat memory in case somebody else messes with the settings. So if you just got your car and are uncomfortable don't despair. Give it time and keep adjusting it for the perfect fit.

 

My dark colored Edge shows more dirt more quickly then the light colored car I came from. At first I was unhappy but i got use to it.

I still love the Burgundy color. I just wash it more. I have a sealant on it and I use automatic car washes. Hand washing takes too much time. I only use the automatic when it really needs it or I need to wash road salt off the under carriage. Life is too short to obsess about appearance.

 

In regard to options I love the Sync 3. It works perfectly. I like the display and colors. It is very logical and natural looking. The navi works perfectly. Sure the maps need to be updated but all makers with in dash navi need this. The update will come. So far the lack of it has not been a problem. I don't use Apple Carplay or Android Auto apps on Sync. The Apple or Android is then in charge of your phone instead of Sync. I don't like that. I like how Sync will read your text messages to you while you are driving. I have Ford Pass on my phone but so far I have not used it for anything. The heated steering wheel which I love on my fingers can only be turned on via the Sync 3 screen. That is the only change I would make. I would give it an external hard button like the heated seats have. The standard Ford audio in the SEL sounds fine to me. I do not miss having the Sony in the Titanium. I don't use Spotify or Pandora in the Sync 3 so I can't speak to that but you can load them on.

 

I have the panoramic roof. It really makes the vehicle seem more bright, less closed in. I usually don't open the roof to outside air because I think its too noisy when driving. I do open it if I am parked and the day is hot. I do have the option where you wave your foot under the rear bumper and the tailgate automatically opens. So far I have used that option a grand total of once. Also once I inadvertently moved my foot under it while loading groceries in the back and the tailgate came down on me. Not cool. For me that is an option I would skip next time. It is not worth it to me.

 

Like I said the drive is very quiet and smooth. The only exception I have found is driving on the interstate where parallel longitudinal grooves have been created on the roadway surface to serve as rain gutters. The Edge has large wide tires. Sometimes it catches the grooves just right so you feel the vehicle being involuntarily shifted to the left or right. It is disconcerting but has not been a control problem so far. The best explanation I have found is tramlining. The Michelin tires on the Edge are excellently rated. I don't think it is a tire problem other then the tires are too wide for the application of grooves in the roadway. No grooves, no problem.

 

As far as reliability goes I have had NO problems. I know it is still early but I expect the vehicle to be very reliable. I picked the 3.5 because it is a time tested solid engine. I am unsure of the reliability of the 2.0 with the turboboost over the long haul with many miles and years. I plan to get around the problem of the internal water pump in the 3.5 by frequent synthetic oil changes every 5000 miles and frequent Motorcraft coolant flushes every 30,000 miles. From my research the transmission in the 3.5 is the same one Ford uses in the Explorer which has been reliable. The transmission in the 2.0 is the same one they put in the Escape and it has had some problems. The six speed transmission is proven. The 9 speed transmission they will put in the 2019 is new. It is unknown how good it will be. Some car makers have had problems with transmissions when there are more then 6 speeds. Time will tell. I did not want a continuously variable transmission. When things go wrong with that you have to replace the whole transmission. You can't fix it.

 

So far I am very pleased with the vehicle. Like I said earlier it is powerful, safe, comfortable, and reliable. I would recommend it to anybody. If the gas mileage is very important to you get the 2.0. I was concerned that whatever savings I did have would be eaten up by replacing a turbo down the line.

 

 

 

 

[Burgundy17]

I forgot to add I choose the Front Wheel Drive because I did not want all the problems with the PTU on the Four Wheel or All Wheel Drive. Again I was looking for a reliable vehicle. So far I have not regretted only having Front Wheel Drive. Only once did the front wheels slip pulling away from a stop sign on a snow covered road. That is okay. I look on that as a signal to slow down. All Wheel Drive does not stop any better then Front Wheel Drive on snow. Only slowing down during snowy conditions helps that. I also wanted to avoid the automatic engine shutdown feature upon stopping (aka start stop). I don't think it saves that much gas. I think it would be annoying to always push the button to disable it upon starting. Finally it just adds complexity. It is one more feature to break down and cause problems. I am happy without the AWD and without Start Stop.

[Further North]

Good review, thanks.

[Boattown Skipper]

Good review, thanks.

I second that sentiment.

 

I have considered FWD for the very reason that you state. There is a lot to be said for simply slowing down in bad weather conditions.

 

I also appreciate you comments on the 3.5 and the related transmission. There is a lot of value to dealing with time tested reliability IMO.

[tk2fast]

I am thinking of purchasing a 2019 Edge but from everything I've read, the Start/Stop feature is extremely annoying. As it is now standard on the Edge and there is no way to turn it permanently off, would just not be acceptable. So Between NO paddle sifters (select shift) and the stupid Start/Stop issue, I am starting to look elsewhere. Driving should be a pleasurably experience and why would Ford not alloy one to permanently turn this awful feature off.

[akirby]

The stupid start/stop is perfectly fine if you give yourself a little time to actually try it and get used to it. Seems most people have made up their mind that they hate it without even trying it for more than a few minutes. I have it on my F150 and I actually like it. It can be turned off with Forscan.

 

As for selectshift, I'm still not sure that functionality is going away entirely - we'll have to wait and see how the new 8 speed works.

[tk2fast]

Thanks Akirby, As long as it's possible to permanently turn it off makes me feel better. I do agree that I should try it first, but as long as I have an "out" if I don't like it is great.

[enigma-2]

We had it on a rental in Seattle last year. After a few minutes I never noticed it. Try a test drive, doubt you would find it objectionable.

[TheWizard]

I've heard that even though the air conditioning continues to run with the engine stopped, it runs at a reduced level (lower fan speed, etc.). This varies among different versions and I've never driven a Ford with the ASS system but a Mercedes loaner I drove got noticeably warmer inside during long stop lights with the engine off. Something to consider if you live in a warm climate.

[akirby]

This is true but it hasn't been an issue this summer for me in 90 degree plus Atlanta heat and humidity. It will restart the engine after a short period if necessary to keep the cabin cool.

[tk2fast]

I live in Arizona and can encounter 118 degree temps in the summer. Ugh.

[TheWizard]

But it's a dry heat.

[tamugrad2013]

I don't know? Having Auto Start/Stop on three loaners for a total of about a month and a half in the past two years I can say it depends on the vehicle. In the two escapes it felt really rough, but on the F-150 it seemed smoother. I would assume the weight helps with less vibration entering the cabin upon starting and stopping. The AC also seemed to work better in the F-150 than with the Escapes. I would say try before you buy on a long city route.

Edited August 3, 2018 by tamugrad2013

[akirby]

It will vary engine by engine. I understand the small diesels in Europe are really bad. On the F150 3.5EB it's very smooth.

[tamugrad2013]

It will vary engine by engine. I understand the small diesels in Europe are really bad. On the F150 3.5EB it's very smooth.

 

The F-150 loaner I had had the 5.0 V8 and it was smooth as well. The 1.5 L Ecoboost in the Escape not so much.

[todd92]

If reliability was your primary concern, why the 3.5L with it's known water pump failure issue?

[enigma-2]

But it's a dry heat.

Oh it's dry all right. The locals start whining if the humidity hits 4%. ?

 

But anything over 108° and you will burn your fingers trying to open the car door. Man its hot. Used my shirt to open the door, leaned in and started the car. Finally able to get in after 20 minutes of ac running.