Ford Edge vs Subaru Forester XT

[Munchie]

So im having a kid, I love the performance of the Forester XT the turbo is nice. But I also love the way the Ford Edge looks. So what I'm trying to see is what car i should get and if you guys could help me out.

[randyf]

So im having a kid, I love the performance of the Forester XT the turbo is nice. But I also love the way the Ford Edge looks. So what I'm trying to see is what car i should get and if you guys could help me out.

 

I have not owned a Forester but have had & still have a Baja Turbo (wifes) & a new Sport (mine). My wife likes the Baja over the Sport for mainly the handling differences - The sport easily has 500 lbs on the Baja & is more nimble in corners & stopping. I have to agree that the Subaru does handle better, but I have been impressed with how well the Edge does handle given the weight.

 

Looks wise the Edge is a winner hands down - I park it in front of the window where I work & poeple have stopped in the road & backed up to look at it.

 

People do that to the wife's truck only to ask "what the hell is that?"

[debiz]

I have an '11 Edge SEL, we also have an '09 Forester mid-level (not the XT) in the household that belongs to my father-in-law, in my opinion you can't compare the two. The Edge is far and away the better vehicle in terms of comfort, features, mpg, and refinement. I'm sure the XT is a much better offering with the turbo and upgraded features - but this one is noisy, feels tinny, the handling is less than impressive, and the seating position can be better. The Subaru is very quick off the line but has very little top end. Both cars are very stylish but I feel the Edge is the clear winner.

[TerryTwoUtes]

Just my opinion, but one has the perception of a granola eating vegetarian Obama voter car; and the other is a Ford Edge. The Subaru's are popular here in the mountains where I live with the AWD, but my wife's AWD Edge continues to impress me in the snow and ice. It does better than my Expedition, at least until the really deep snow and limited ground clearance of the Edge becomes a plow. I would put the Edge up against any Subaru for bad weather driving. The turbo Subaru engine might be better for performance, but I have real hot rods for peformance. The Edge is for driving to work and getting through the bad weather safely.

[tmuenster]

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Today I test drove these cars in the following order- Ford Edge, OB 3.6, Forester 2.5XT. I have to say, they are all impressive cars. Here are my thoughts on each:

Edge- the interior was nice and the sync system is impressive. The ride was quiet and it had decent acceleration. However, it was not as big on the inside as it looks from the outside.

OB 3.6- Quiet and nice ride. Surprisingly, it rode almost as well as the Edge. The 3.6 did have nice power but I am not sure it was that much better than the 2.5 with the CVT. I think I would take the 2.5 with the better fuel economy. I am surprised by how much I like the Outback. However, the electronics could be better.

2.5XT- I really like the turbo Forester. It is nimble and fun to drive around town. The car did ride OK on the highway but not nearly as nice as the OB or Edge. This is the car I really want to love but I just can’t quite get there yet. I do like it a lot.

 

I think the solution for me is to have my wife get the Outback 2.5 Limited and I am leaning toward the Ford Edge. The Edge is similar to my VW Touareg only with much better technology. The Sync System and myTouch are very impressive. If you have not seen them, then it is worth stopping by a Ford dealer to check it out. Thanks for all your help and I look forward to joining the Subaru Outback family of car owners.

[ThinLine]

Subaru.

[Edgieguy]

I have an '11 Edge SEL, we also have an '09 Forester mid-level (not the XT) in the household that belongs to my father-in-law, in my opinion you can't compare the two. The Edge is far and away the better vehicle in terms of comfort, features, mpg, and refinement. I'm sure the XT is a much better offering with the turbo and upgraded features - but this one is noisy, feels tinny, the handling is less than impressive, and the seating position can be better. The Subaru is very quick off the line but has very little top end. Both cars are very stylish but I feel the Edge is the clear winner.

 

I have to agree with debiz on this one. Plus the two styles vary greatly in my eyes. (Although in my minds eye, Im picturing my Sport VS the Subaru) I think styling wise the Edge is the clear winner, but choose what will ultimately make you happy)

[JOEHIO]

:hyper:

The Edge, in my book. Then again, I rather support the good old USA instead of the "Pearl Harbor

Bombers" !

[sandpiper]

:hyper:

The Edge, in my book. Then again, I rather support the good old USA instead of the "Pearl Harbor

Bombers" !

 

Subaru makes Outbacks in Indiana. Of course, the bottom line goes to Japan. With todays globalism, what pieces of the Edge are made offshore?

[JOEHIO]

True, with all manufacturers, many parts come offshore, and yes, many imports are now manufactured in

the U.S.A., but with foreign cars/trucks/whatever, the profits go oversea's, with American vehicles, the good old U.S.A. benefits !!! As Lee Greenwood said "God Bless The U.S.A." ! :hyper:

[LALarry]

"one has the perception of a granola eating vegetarian Obama voter car; and the other is a Ford Edge". Uh oh!! You mean I just bought a Republican's car???? Well, it's back to the dealer I go! Jeeeez I wish I would have known.. That's hysterical.

[ecb]

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Today I test drove these cars in the following order- Ford Edge, OB 3.6, Forester 2.5XT. I have to say, they are all impressive cars. Here are my thoughts on each:

Edge- the interior was nice and the sync system is impressive. The ride was quiet and it had decent acceleration. However, it was not as big on the inside as it looks from the outside.

OB 3.6- Quiet and nice ride. Surprisingly, it rode almost as well as the Edge. The 3.6 did have nice power but I am not sure it was that much better than the 2.5 with the CVT. I think I would take the 2.5 with the better fuel economy. I am surprised by how much I like the Outback. However, the electronics could be better.

2.5XT- I really like the turbo Forester. It is nimble and fun to drive around town. The car did ride OK on the highway but not nearly as nice as the OB or Edge. This is the car I really want to love but I just can’t quite get there yet. I do like it a lot.

 

I think the solution for me is to have my wife get the Outback 2.5 Limited and I am leaning toward the Ford Edge. The Edge is similar to my VW Touareg only with much better technology. The Sync System and myTouch are very impressive. If you have not seen them, then it is worth stopping by a Ford dealer to check it out. Thanks for all your help and I look forward to joining the Subaru Outback family of car owners.

 

When the MyTouch system is working, it's the best car infotainment system hands down. However, I've had my 2011 EDGE Limited for about 1 month. The MyTouch system has been sluggish and flakey from day 1, but I was still very impressed by it. It seemed like the updated done my Ford/Microsoft had stabilized the MyTouch system. In the last week, the MyTouch system has crashed and rebooted twice. While I'm pleased that I didn't have to pull a fuse to reboot the system, the fact that the system has crashed multiple times in a single week is very disconcerting to me.

 

I'm willing to deal with the flakiness and lag while the software is optimized, but if I keep getting multiple crashes per week, I'll take the financial hit and trade in the Edge.

 

So, be aware that the MyTouch system, while very, very cool, is also very, very buggy. Don't just rely upon professional website/magazine reviews (none of which mentioned just how unstable the MyTouch software is), make sure you check this forum so you can get a true feel of the current state of MyTouch. Unfortunately, I didn't stumble upon this site until after I purchased my Edge. Had I read the posts regarding the MyTouch issues, I may have still purchased the Edge, but it would have definitely given me pause.

 

I will say that, outside of the MyTouch issues, the Edge is a great crossover SUV. However, the biggest factor that pushed me towards the Edge was the MyTouch system, so I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm pretty disappointed with my purchase.

 

Good luck in your choice !

[JOEHIO]

"one has the perception of a granola eating vegetarian Obama voter car; and the other is a Ford Edge". Uh oh!! You mean I just bought a Republican's car???? Well, it's back to the dealer I go! Jeeeez I wish I would have known.. That's hysterical.

:happy feet: Glad you bought what you did :hyper: happy motoring !

I've owned mostly FMC products , all have been great !

Edited March 5, 2011 by JOEHIO

[Cyberdave]

Just my opinion, but one has the perception of a granola eating vegetarian Obama voter car; and the other is a Ford Edge. The Subaru's are popular here in the mountains where I live with the AWD, but my wife's AWD Edge continues to impress me in the snow and ice. It does better than my Expedition, at least until the really deep snow and limited ground clearance of the Edge becomes a plow. I would put the Edge up against any Subaru for bad weather driving. The turbo Subaru engine might be better for performance, but I have real hot rods for peformance. The Edge is for driving to work and getting through the bad weather safely.

 

I registered to this forum just so I could respond to this!! (No I'm just kidding I have a real question about the Edge which I'm posting in a different topic area.) I live in Utah and just about every other car you see is a Subaru. Considering 90% of Utah folks are some kind of conservative, the math is that most of those people are not Obama voters - but they might be granola eating veggies!!!

 

I haven't done extensive research on the AWD capabilities of the various vehicles but I see a version of this video released every year or two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIrVPu0RN4

which appears to say the Subaru implementation of the AWD system is best. Since this is just a test, someone driving in any vehicle in snow may not notice a difference of course if they can get through just fine!

I have a 2007 Forester and if I didn't hate it so much for a variety of reasons I would get another one - so my observation is that it's good for two things - it's AWD and reliability!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

 

I have a 2007 Forester and if I didn't hate it so much for a variety of reasons I would get another one - so my observation is that it's good for two things - it's AWD and reliability!

 

You mean, no car is perfect??? Heaven forbid! I do love their Eco manufacturing ads tho.

[Cyberdave]

 

You mean, no car is perfect??? Heaven forbid! I do love their Eco manufacturing ads tho.

 

LOL! Yea the Edge (2011+) would be perfect for me if it weren't for the friggin' MyFord Touch problems!

[Zerosum]

 

LOL! Yea the Edge (2011+) would be perfect for me if it weren't for the friggin' MyFord Touch problems!

 

Well, get the SE trim level with that doesn't come with MFT. I'm considering getting a used Edge myself. I'd like to get an '11 with the current engine and braking system, but my price limits dictates that it would almost have be an SE. Which is fine with me, when I look at the MyFord Touch system, all I can think is "Wow, this will be fun when it a) breaks, or b ) is obsolete in 5 or 6 years." I'm a tech savvy guy, but for my car, just give me old fashioned buttons and knobs. I don't need 'infotainment' while I'm driving!

 

Also, I own an '08 Forester, non-turbo. It's my wife's car. It's a great car for short trips and city driving. Good ground clearance. GREAT driver visability. Lots of low-end power, not much top-end power. Handles great. Little things bug me, like the paint is really soft and easly damaged, and the floor carpeting is cheap beyond words. But it's a solid little car. Easy to work on, too.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Zerosum

[goatee]

Just for the record. The Forester is assembled in Japan and the Edge is assembled in Canada. I have an Edge, decided to keep it closer to home.

[Cyberdave]

Zerosum I did look into the SE trim level. In fact I found that the SEL level can also be found without MFT. I also found out that Sync and MFT are two separate things although from reading about it on the internet and people complaining in general they interchange the terms to mean the same thing it sounds like. Even the SE and SEL trim levels will come with Sync but they don't come with MFT which is on the higher end Limited and Sport. I ended up getting a used 2013 SEL AWD which only has Sync. It's awesome!

 

Back to the topic on hand more or less, the 2007 and 2008 Forester is essentially the same car. The things that bug me about it are the damn noise from road and wind and because Subaru doesn't use sound dampening materials and the car has cheap materials in general. The fuel pump makes an insane high pitched whine (which may have been fixed on some 2008 Foresters) which drives me crazy. The rear seat has no leg room! On the plus side as I said one of the best AWD systems and it's reliable. The Edge to me is the anti-Forester. It's SO quiet, made of nice materials, has enough leg room and room in general! I don't think I will ever buy a Subaru again.

[wlepse]

I used to own a modified Legacy GT...loved that thing. Made my commute more enjoyable and was fun in the snow. Ended up trading it in for the Edge because the car started acting funny after a CEL. Turns out there were known problems with banjo bolt fiters and cracked oil pick ups. Doesn't affect everyone but if I were looking at another I would be doing some research. Oh and this was my baby so OCI was 5k on full syn. Back seat on the LGT was great for car seats but can't imagine the Forrester would be ok.

 

Don't let the materials fool you though...they have come a long way (still have a ways to go) but the materials hold up well. The LGT with 125k looked like new. And while many think they have a tinny feel...look at the crash results...they usually are among the top performers.

[Zerosum]

I will agree that the 2nd generation Forester is not the quietest ride, but I ride a motorcycle, so wind and road noise don't bother me! And yeah, the rear seat leg room is pretty minimal. We have two kids in car seats, and until recently the youngest kid was rear-facing, which drove the front seat so far forward that I couldn't sit in it. With the car seats facing front, it's adequate, but just barely.

My plan is to buy an Edge which will be my car and the "long range family-hauler", while the Forester will be my wife's car and the "short range, AWD car." Don't really see the need for AWD in both cars, not when I live in MD and see 1 good snow storm every 3 years! It's good to know that the SEL can be had without MFT. It's pretty to look at, but I've read too many bad things about it.

[Cyberdave]

My plan is to buy an Edge which will be my car and the "long range family-hauler", while the Forester will be my wife's car and the "short range, AWD car." Don't really see the need for AWD in both cars, not when I live in MD and see 1 good snow storm every 3 years! It's good to know that the SEL can be had without MFT. It's pretty to look at, but I've read too many bad things about it.

 

That's funny! That's exactly what we are doing! My wife gets the Subaru and I get the Edge but it's also the family and travel car. I would have been fine with FWD but it just worked out this way. Generally speaking if a car i own has AWD I don't bother with snow tires but if it's FWD I do. I'll see how the Edge does with the current tires once we get into that.

[Cyberdave]

Here are two photos with the Edge and Forester side by side.

 

 

[Zerosum]

Hey Cyberdave,NICE! Isn't it funny how the Edge isn't any longer than the Forester? It's way wider and taller, but seems about the same length. I still haven't pulled the trigger, but I'm shopping for an SEL w/o MFT. The remaining '13s are now 'leftovers' and are priced accordingly. I just looked at a brand new '13 SEL w/o MFT for $25K, which is what I'm seeing USED '11s sell for. I'm likely going to use that as leverage toward buying a gently-used '11.

Edited December 20, 2013 by Zerosum

[carsick30]

For fair comparison Forester should be up against Escape. Edge is in Tribeca class. Having owned all of these, Edge is better on comfort and features, but Subaru takes performance.