Drove an Edge today

[KCEdgeDealer]

Our regional manager here in Kansas City brought a pre-production demo SEL AWD in Copper with Black leather out to the dealership and I had a chance to drive and ride in the Edge.

 

I have been a long time Mazda and Mitsu buyer and at one time my wife and I were considering the Murano as our next vehicle when our RX-8 is paid off next year. I have never considered buying Ford products even though I have sold them for over 10 years now. This time they have my full attention.

 

I WILL BE BUYING AN EDGE!!!!

 

Ford got everything right.

 

This vehicle is gorgeous from every angle. The rear seat room is unbelievable for the size of vehicle. Front legroom is unreal. I would almost compare the rear seat room to the Fivehundred in terms of comfort. The reclining rear seats are ingenious. Front seats are supportive but the cushioning is soft enough that if you get too relaxed you may fall asleep...it's that comfortable. All of the controls are in the right place and the instrumentation is very classy. There were no cheesy dummy buttons on this loaded model, but everything just looked like you were getting what you paid for. No hard plastics, no cheap fabrics. There didn't appear to be any corners that were cut to save a penny here or a nickel there.

 

To my surprise for the first time Ford actually is delivering cars that have a muscular stance with wheels that fill the car up on all four corners creating an athletic stance. I saw an Edge in March at the Kansas City Auto Show and it was tough to really get a feel for the way it looked when it was up on the turntable. In the past Ford has shown vehicles with a great stance when they are still in concept form, but when they hit the lot the wheel and tire combination that made the car have an aggressive stance seem to be lost in translation when they reach production form.

 

The Vista roof is one of the coolest features we've had on a vehicle. I invited several customers to come out and see the vehicle in person and they all commented on the Vista roof and how great of an idea it was. The one touch rear seat release was nice to see as well. It was surprising that it is electrically activated by a button rather than pulling a lever. The lack of a 3rd seat truly means NOTHING to me or my wife because we don't have a need for it. We have been looking at the Murano and FX35 and neither have a 3rd seat and they both sell very well. If I had a child this vehicle would still work well because it has plenty of room across the back seat so even with a child seat you would still have room for an additional passenger. 3 across would be a stretch, but if I do travel with anyone it wouldn't be with more than 2 extra people.

 

The new V-6 is very smooth and powerful in the midrange, but it does seem to lack a little power in the lower end of the revs. The 6 speed keeps it in the sweet spot of the powerband but it wouldn't hurt to see a CVT in the future as an optional tranny. It won't disappoint under acceleration once it's moving, but it does lag a little off the line.

 

This vehicle is very well rounded and Ford has finally delivered. I know they are a little late to enter the CUV market, but they have taken the extra time to make this vehicle right and it will be well worth the wait. I haven't been this pumped about a new vehicle intro in the 10 years I have been with our Ford dealership.

 

GREAT JOB FORD AND GREAT JOB OAKVILLE ON TURNING OUT A PERFECT VEHICLE!

[robertlane]

It's interesting to note how well customers recated to the vista roof. I think it's a faboulous idea and am glad that Ford is offering it. This option is certainly a departure from the Ford of the past.

 

The copper colour seems to be the flagship colour for the Edge, but as I've been looking at the different colours, they all seem to fit the Edge nicely.

 

I think two row of seats is fine to for this size of a vehicle. Pretty soon, magazines will start demanding a fourth row of seats for the Expy and Suburban and three rows for everything else! If you need a lot of seating, GET AN ECONOLINE.

[svtenthusiast]

Thanks for the great review. Can't wait until we get our first on the lot. Looking forward to seeing people's impressions once they get out on the street!

[porciniman]

"3 across would be a stretch"

 

You say three across would be a stretch....but how would you compare the rear seat room to the Ford 500.?

 

I sometimes have to put 3 in the back seat of my 500.

 

How smooth is the ride on a bumpy road??

VB

[audiomidiman]

Thanks for the reply. I'm almost thinking I wished that I ordered the Vista Roof and deleted the rear sensor, 18" rims and the tow package. However, with an 18 month child I think the roof would be closed MOST if not ALL of the time.

 

Next time.

 

Bill

[KCEdgeDealer]

You say three across would be a stretch....but how would you compare the rear seat room to the Ford 500.?

 

I sometimes have to put 3 in the back seat of my 500.

 

How smooth is the ride on a bumpy road??

VB

 

When I was referring to the rear seat room being similar to the 500 I should have said legroom specificly. Sorry about that.

 

As far as comfort on pumby roads, it would be similar to the 500. Tire noise is there, but it's a thump rather than a clunk when you hit chuckholes or washboard intersections. Here in Kansas City we have the 2nd worst roads in the country so I can tell you that it was thoroughly sampled on my test drives.

 

I will also say that Ford should SERIOUSLY consider HID headlights as standard equipment on the high end SEL pakcage and optional on the SEL base package. People like these things. I PREFER them and I hope they are available when I order mine. I URGE you to include them Ford. Nissan has them available on all models. The Murano is direct competition for the Edge and we need to be equals in available options.

 

I would also ditch the "chrome clad" wheels. They are SERIOUSLY cheesey. There's nothing more frustrating than paying top dollar for a vehicle and getting plastic caps on your wheels. The painted 18" wheel does look hot.