2007 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year Award: Testing
Great Blue-Oval hope but edged out by competition
By Todd Lassa
The Edge made our first-round cut based on significance alone. It was expected to go far toward helping save Ford. It looks right; it's not a stunning beauty, but a clean, nonretro design that could hit middle America's buttons.
After driving it, we're not optimistic about Ford's future. Hyundai's Santa Fe easily bests it for refinement and interior quality. The Edge comes only with two rows of seats while the Santa Fe offers three rows, as does future competition from Saturn and Chevy Lambda-based crossovers. The Ford's rear-seat cushion is hard and low, providing headroom at the expense of comfort.
Test stats tell part of the sad story. The Edge is supposed to be a new-age crossover, with carlike performance and handling and SUV-like utility and versatility. With its optional Panoramic Vista Roof, it's just 113 pounds shy of a five-seat V-6 Explorer 4x4's curb weight. Expected highway fuel economy is just two mpg better than a Chevy Suburban with a variable displacement V-8, and its slalom, skidpad, and figure-eight numbers are worse than the GMC Yukon Denali's. The on-road driving experience is no day at the beach, either. The new 3.5-liter V-6 is thrashy under full throttle, falling short of the power and refinement standards of Nissan's VQ35 or GM's DOHC 3.6. The six-speed automatic's shift programming has to hunt for the right gear, and you can't do it yourself, as the shifter has only two forward positions. If you try to corner with just a bit of elan, the Roll Stability Control annoyingly kicks in, grinding the Edge to a halt mid-turn.
The car is comfortable on freeways, but too mushy and vague anywhere else. "Only the handling is retro," tech director Frank Markus concludes.
Styling and the lure of the new may move a few of these in its first few months, but sad to say, the Edge doesn't have what it takes to help solve Ford's problems.
| 2007 Ford Edge |
| Base price range | $25,500-$28,000 (est) |
| Price as tested | $31,000 (est, SEL AWD) |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, FWD or AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV |
| Engine | 3.5L/265-hp*/250-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (f/r dist) | 4502 lb (58/42%) |
| Wheelbase | 111.2 in |
| Length x width x height | 185.7 x 75.8 x 67.2 in |
| Max cargo capacity | 69.6 cu ft |
| Max towing capacity | 3500 lb |
| 0-60 mph | 8.0 sec |
| Quarter mile | 16.2 sec @ 85.8 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 142 ft |
| Lateral acceleration | 0.72 g (avg) |
| 600-foot slalom | 55.7 mph (avg) |
| MT figure eight | 29.3 sec @ 0.55 g (avg) |
| EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 18/23 mpg (est) |
| Bet You Didn't Know | Shares its six-speed auto with new Saturn; developed with GM, Ford tuned and manufactures it separately. |
| Sum up | The Last thing Ford needs is a crossover with The dynamics of an Explorer. |
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