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Ford Edge 2007 - Crossover without prejudice
Author: <ADMINNICENAME>03.11.2006
Rugged, fearless and a smidge bloodthirsty, the mythical late ’90s SUV owner spent as much time hunting bear as he did loading up 64-packs of toilet paper. But now there are kinder, gentler crossovers like the 2007 Ford Edge, a five-passenger sport-utility built for buyers who’d never back over a roll of Charmin, much less commit ursicide.
“Our core target customer is active and enjoys the energy of the city and the opportunity of the outdoors,” says Jeri Ward, Ford Edge marketing manager.
In other words, city slickers who TiVo Animal Planet. And with its healthy new V6, well-sorted chassis and comfortable cabin, the Edge will fit right into that lifestyle when it goes on sale this month.
Finally, a V6 with guts
What it lacks in cubic footage, the 2007 Ford Edge makes up for in horsepower. Instead of the tired Duratec V6 used in countless other Fords, this SUV has an all-new 3.5-liter V6 rated at 265 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 250 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. Fitted with variable intake valve timing, the 3.5-liter doesn’t blow you away with its low-end response, but once it revs up a bit, the Edge feels pretty quick.
The six-speed automatic works well with the V6, delivering smooth upshifts and well-timed downshifts. Unfortunately, as with other Ford automatics, you don’t get full manual gear access, just “D,” “O/D off” and “L.”
Ford will sell the Edge in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. At a highway cruise, the AWD model functions as a front-driver to maximize fuel economy, but in the event of wheel slippage, nearly 100 percent of engine torque can be rerouted to the rear wheels. Additionally, under full throttle, 50-60 percent of the power is automatically diverted to the rear in anticipation of spin.
Ford says the Edge will accelerate to 60 mph in “under 8 seconds” with either drivetrain configuration, which makes it one of the quicker sport-utes in its class. The Murano, for example, takes 8.2 seconds to reach 60, while a Hyundai Santa Fe needs 9.4 seconds.
Gas mileage is only average for a midsize crossover SUV, with a 18 city/25 highway rating for the front-drive Edge and a 17/24 rating for the AWD. At least you can fill up with plain 87 octane.
Comfy interior, average quality
Although you won’t find many of the CX-9’s artistic touches, Ford nailed the basics with the Edge’s interior. Real-world legroom is abundant in both the front and rear, and the seats offer plenty of cushioning. The steering wheel offers a huge range of telescoping adjustment, allowing just about anyone to find a comfortable driving position.
Ford claims the 60/40 rear seats offer the largest recline angle in the class and this, along with its adjustable console vents and the possibility of getting a dual-screen entertainment system (that allows one kid to watch a movie while the other plays Xbox 360), should make the Edge an excellent road-trip car. Storage space is adequate for a family of four, and the cargo bay’s low lift-over height makes it easy to slide in larger stuff.
Materials quality is hit or miss. Attractive graining on the plastics makes a good first impression, but the cohesion kind of falls apart as you move down the doors and dash. Our tester’s white-stitched black leather upholstery looked sharp, but there was more vinyl than animal hide in the backseat.
Ergonomics are average. Sideways numerals on the speedometer and tachometer add visual interest but are a bit distracting to read. Controls are well organized, and even with the optional touchscreen navigation system, there’s nothing complicated to figure out. However, the center stack and steering-wheel-mounted controls are a sea of flat, like-sized buttons.
More pictures:
March 27th, 2007 at 12:56 am
What Online Consumers Say About The Ford Edge…
What do people have to say about the new Ford Edge? Here are some which have been posted at Yahoo! Autos.
James From Los Angeles says:
“Took the Edge out for a ride and ‘wow wow wowÂ’. And all at a price for less than the imports. Now that is val…