2007 Ford Edge SEL AWD Test Drive

It’s no secret that Ford has been in a bit of a slump lately. Well that may be putting it lightly. In 2006 Ford had its worst year ever, losing $12.7 billion, $2.8 billion being direct operational cost losses.Ford has cut tens of thousands of jobs, shut down factories and changed management all to slow the downfall. Even with the introduction of several brand new vehicles and the redesign of several others, Fords woes continue. With revenues down and the automaker’s big earners, the Explorer and Expedition, seeing sales crashes, an all-new SUV is needed to spark interest.

Enter the Edge: a fresh modern design within Ford’s aging SUV lineup. It looks like a futuristic Focus that’s been jacked up on steroids, almost ready to go to war on the Dakar; although it’s far too pretty to be a desert rat, and doesn’t give off a rugged 4×4 vibe. The Edge’s front grille is a shield of three massive chrome slats stretching horizontally between each exotically shaped headlight. More chrome can be found lower in the intricately shaped bumpers, surrounding the fog lights. Tucked under huge arches sits a set of massive chromed multi-spoke wheels, 18 inches round and wrapped with 245/60 Goodyears.The whole vehicle seems shiny and pretty, that is until I took a closer look. Hmmm… the body lines are off. Several trim pieces don’t line up, don’t intersect properly or are poorly mounted. That’s disappointing. If anyone ever thinks that the automakers give the best of the litter to the press, this is proof that it just ain’t so. Of course, I’ve seen Toyotas with similar problems, and other domestics and imports, but it still seems odd in this day and age of robotic stamping and production processes.

Inside, the Edge has one of the best looking interiors I’ve ever seen in a Ford, despite similar fit and finish problems as seen on the exterior. Seats are covered in black leather with cream white stitching, while the rest of the interior is covered with an attractive texturedmatte black plastic. It all looks great and I was quite impressed up until I touched the door panel. The materials used for the dash and doors are a little too entry-level for an SUV that climbs over the $40K price point when all the goodies are added on. They felt thin and brittle with a hollow sound, but then again the Edge interior is far cry nicer than the Escape that when loaded to the nth degree is actually (let’s all collectively shake our heads together in disbelief) only a few thousand less than the larger, more power and much more sophisticated Edge. No doubt you can get an Escape for a bigger discount than an Edge, although Ford dealers will be eager to sell either one, so who’s to say. Getting back to that fit and finish problem, the headliner in the Edge felt feeble surroundingthe moon roofs, although having the cloth wrap up and over the opening looks nicer than the thick rubber edging that some of its rivals use. What’s worse in a vehicle with only 1,243 miles on the odo, mind you, was that the headliner was already pulling away from around the rear door trim. All it took was a little tuck under the rubber trim to fix it, but really, the factory would be a much better place to do this than my editor’s garage.

While the seats were comfortable, the steering wheel only felt comfortable when holding it at a 10 and 2 grip and didn’t lend itself well to changing positions when cornering. Silver backgrounds on the dash and center console help to break up the all-black interior, although the stereo and climate controls are oversized and have not changed much from all the other Ford vehicles. The highlight of the Edge has to be the dual moonroofs. A massive glass canopy sits above the front seats that can open up completely or, on dismal days, hide away under a powerretractable shade. Rear passengers are treated to their own moonroof that is not as big as the front, although it all works to make most of the ceiling appear to be made of glass. During night drives, this created a very romantic atmosphere.

In the rear, cargo space is an abundant 32.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats. With those back seats folded down the space doubles to 69.6 cubic feet. Getting the rear seats to fold down is an easy proposition too. With the push of a button, either side of the 60/40 split folding seatback automatically folds down. It’s oh so simple and can be done while carrying luggage in one hand. The tailgate, on the other hand, isn’t so simple to operate. There is no release button on the remote keyfob and no optional power functionality.The handle is also positioned high on the door, and being a large, heavy liftgate design it’s really difficult to hoist up. Once up, however, it sits well out of the head smashing zone.

On the road, the Edge has a relatively soft, comfortable ride, albeit with a somewhat top heavy feel. On the highway the vehicle feels unresponsive while cornering at higher speeds, although it seems to go where you point it all the same. Recent construction on one of my favourite highways has turned it from a tight, twisty two-lane road to a curving four-lane freeway. On a regular highway with easy curves the Edge would be no problem, although the medium curves had my concentration piqued.

Entering a corner, all 4,419 lbs of SUV shifts to the outside of the corner. The outside suspension sits down and the outside tires begin to roll over, giving an unsettling feeling inside the cabin. Understeer is the problem when pushing it hard, althoughunder heavy trail-braking the Edge’s rear end will come around fairly easily. For a vehicle that has AWD, the front and rear feel disconnected, and weight transfer is very effective in the way the Edge handles itself on the road.

Come the straight-aways and the big 3.5L V6 pulls the SUV very well, as passing speeds can be reached in a respectable time. The engine is full of torque down low, yet reaches its true potential in the higher revs were noise levels in the cabin become a bit intrusive. The Edge’s weight keeps the acceleration to a respectable level, but I could definitely feel the girth. This also doesn’t do any favors for fuel economy.

This SUV’s substantial weight is also what hurts its braking score. Its brake pedal is quite soft, and when during emergency stops the pedal travels very far, and the brakes fade a bit too quickly. Even dragging the brakes while sitting in traffic seems to offer no resistance.

The only gearbox offered in the Edge is a six-speed automatic, which is about as good as it gets in this class. Just the same it didn’t inspire me to drive hard, but rather when I did push it I found that the gearbox had an annoying tendency to miss shifts. With a slight lift off the throttle after holding flat, the transmission would become confused on its way up to the next gear, and would rest in idle for too long. When at a more relaxed pace the transmission worked correctly, and shifts were quick. Just the same, the lags were frustrating and the lack of any hands-on manual-mode left me at the whim of Ford’s gearbox. In a nutshell, a comfortable cruiser, but not really a driver’s SUV.

And that pretty well sums it up. While the Edge offers a fresh look to the Ford SUV family, futuristic lines and geometry shared with the Fusion, and its straight-line performance is not too shabby, it’s not going to pull X5 and ML buyers away from their premium rides. Of course, it doesn’t need to do that, does it? Rather, it’s up against Nissan’s Murano and Toyota’s Highlander, and Hyundai’s brilliant new Santa Fe. That’s a tough crowd, but its daring good looks and fully featured cabin match its relatively thrifty window sticker well, which should result in decent sales. Still, sometimes the build quality issues and overall brand image gave me the feeling that Ford merely put a fresh coat of paint over an old problem. Maybe that’s a tad harsh, but in reality the blue-oval boys need to be noticeably better than the Japanese right now, not almost as good. Hyundai understands this, and is coming to market with a North American-made SUV that’s beating the Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans of the world at their own game. GM looks to be doing similarly, with its new Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. Somehow, Ford has to find a way to do the same. The Edge is a very good start, but it still comes up short in a few areas that, if remedied, would make this one of the best in the midsize crossover class. Hopefully they’ll meet the challenge, and we’ll all be impressed in the near future.