Diesel engines are smooth and refined but not fast, while handling errs on the side of comfort
Ford makes it clear that the Edge is targeted at premium buyers, and the driving experience reflects that. It goes about its business in a relaxed and refined manner, but there’s little of the involvement you would find in a BMW X3.
The Edge is one of the largest mainstream SUVs on the market, and you really feel that on tight country lanes or in town. With a width of nearly 2.2-metres it’s difficult to thread through traffic, and visibility isn’t great either.
Zetec and Titanium models get a more comfort-biased suspension setup than Sport models, which receive firmer springs, bigger wheels and an adaptive steering system. The ride on the former is impressively smooth and soft around town, absorbing potholes and ruts with ease.
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Sport brings a noticeably firmer ‘edge’ to the ride around town as the 20-inch alloys pick up bigger imperfections, but it’s no worse than an S-Line Audi Q5. The Edge is also competent enough off-road thanks to the four-wheel drive system and decent ground clearance.
The downside to the Edge’s chassis is found in the bends. Models without sports suspension can pitch and wallow when you up the pace, and the remote, elastic feel to the steering means you never really get the impression you’re part of the driving experience. A number of rivals are better in this regard – and even the Sport model doesn’t feel particularly sporty.
Sport versions get a variable ratio steering system that reduces the amount of steering input needed at slow speeds and when parking, but then is supposed to make the Ford Edge more stable at high speeds. It does aid low speed manoeuvres to an extent, but even in the weightier Sport mode it feels much the same as the standard rack at higher speed. It’s an option on lesser models, and not one we’d bother with. Body control is improved a bit thanks to the stiffer springs, but it’s a long way from offering the sharpness of a Mazda CX-5 or BMW X3.
Ford has added its Active Noise Control system from the Mondeo Vignale to the Edge. It uses sound waves to cancel out the frequency of road noise and diesel clatter, and seems to work well. It’s standard across the range, too.
Engines
The Edge has been on sale in the US for over a year now, and over there you can choose from a range of four and six-cylinder petrol engines. Ford has decided that none of those engines are appropriate to launch in Europe with, however.
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For now the brand’s familiar 2.0-litre diesel engine is all we have – although expect the 2.0-litre turbo petrol ‘Ecoboost’ unit to launch in 2017. The diesels are the same that you’ll find in the Mondeo and the S-Max and Galaxy people carriers.
The entry-level 2.0, single-turbo diesel in the Edge gets 178bhp and 400Nm of torque. Ordinarily that should be plenty, but the Edge is a big, heavy car (all versions are over 1.9 tonnes) so it needs to be.
Performance is more adequate than urgent. 0-62mph is dispatched in 9.9 seconds, which is nearly a second slower than a Kia Sorento. It takes a while to build up speed, and overtaking means dropping down a few gears on the rather long-throw manual gearbox. For cruising and family use it’s reasonable, but keen drivers should look elsewhere.
The 207bhp twin-turbo 2.0-litre unit isn’t much quicker on paper, managing the 0-62mph sprint in 9.4 seconds. It feels a bit more punchy in gear, but progress is hampered by the slightly lethargic six-speed automatic gearbox. BMW or Audi’s dual-clutch systems are much more responsive, and it all adds up to performance that never really matches the ‘Sport’ tag. Still, the payoff is a decent level of refinement and smooth changes when you’re not in the mood.