2013 Ford Edge Sport... is it really that sporty?

On first impressions I really like the looks of the Ford Edge.  Actually I always have...  Ford got the proportions right the first time.  The vehicle looks like it was designed to minimize all the extras that are sometimes put on vehicles to make them look cooler.  But this latest freshening of the Ford Edge has something about it which reminds me of well... I'll spit it out, a goatee.

Not the cleanest of the Edge front ends

When I look at the front end of the 2013 Edge Sport it almost looks like Ford decided to make the chin longer and then add some louvers to the bottom of the front air intake and voila to me it looks like it has a goatee.  Does this make it look better?  In my opinion no.  It almost takes away from the clean design of the Edge that the lesser models have.  But what it does do is make the Edge Sport look more impressive and I guess that is what you want when you buy a sport model.

Great instrument cluster with changeable properties

Ford has done other things to the sport model which distinguish it from a non sport model.  The single largest thing literally is  that they put a different V6 motor in it.  The sport model has a 3.7 litre V6 in it much like the V6 mustang does and it makes 305hp and 280 lb/ft of torque.  This moves the Edge from 0-100 km/h in 8.53 seconds.  That's quick but it's not spectacular considering on my recent test of a 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan I got 0-100 km/h times of 8.67 seconds.  That will make a lot of Edge Sport owner mad when they take off from that green light only to see the Toyota minivan next to them still there not left in the dust like they expected.  Granted I will give the Edge the advantage in that it's pushing an all wheel drive system where the Toyota is just putting its power through a front wheel drive system.



The very clean design of the centre console

Interior wise the Ford Edge Sport is supremely done.

Another example of interior quality

 Every gap is tight and all the materials really look like they are of top quality.  It may not look as good when put next to an Audi but on its own I have to say the interior is very sharp.  All controls come easily to hand, function well and are quite intuitive.

But...

Everyone loves the word but... There were two key controls which I didn't like.
First the turn stalk.  It's a new design where the stalk does not stay in the down or up position when turning, its electronic.  But in order to get it to function at a light to tell everyone I'm turning left you have to push it down so hard that the first time I used it I thought I was going to snap the lever off.  That initial experience made me gun shy and I didn't want to break the turn stalk.  So I would push the lever down and it would remain on for 3 flashes then it would click off.  I would continue to do this until I finally made it through the light.  When I had some time I pulled over and played with the lever and realized that it did function but had to be pulled on very hard to get it to engage.  Two days into the test I was finally getting used to the turn lever but I still didn't like it.  It really drove down my perception of the quality, it just made me wonder why Ford would put something like this into a $50,000 vehicle.

My other but...  The stalk on the other side of the wheel for the windshield wipers.  It made no intuitive sense when I first used it.  All the images which described its function were hidden.  It wasn't until the 4th day of my test with the Edge Sport that I finally figured out that you had to rotate the stalk further to get it to go on.  I really thought that it functioned 100% as a rain sensing system.  I really felt like a dunce when I found out that there were more functions to the stalk but on further reflection I just think it is poor design.  If I have trouble figuring it out so will most people.

The giant slow sunroof

Let me get to my last annoyance out about this vehicle.  It has to do with auto switches.  In a $50,000 vehicle you would think that every window would have auto up and down features.  In the Edge Sport it only has it for the drivers window.  Just put it in Ford you have the technology, you can build it.  The other auto switch which drove me nuts...  The one for the huge glass sunroof.  You have to pull the switch very quickly if you don't, well it won't perform its auto function.  At first I didn't think once again it had an auto switch but through perseverance on my part I figured it out while I was stopped at the side of the road.  So you pull the switch quickly and the roof closes 90% of the way and stops at a safety stop.  From there you have to hold to switch to close the roof the rest of the way.  Annoying from my perspective because who is going to stick some body part out through the roof where there is only 6" of space left.  No one will; and if they do then getting their fingers squeezed will teach them a lesson in not being stupid.  Now we come to the part which made me roll my eyes and want to bang my head on the steering wheel.  The sunshade had the exact same function as the sunroof.  Quickly pull  the switch and the shade closes 90% of the way then you have to hold the switch down to close the shade fully.  No one is going to get their fingers, head or other body part crushed by a sunshade!  Just let me pull the button and be done with the closing already!  I think opening and closing a hard top convertible would be faster.  After a few uses I just left the roof closed it was too slow a process for my liking.

Massive 265/40 WR22 tires

Steering feel is excellent.  The large tires provide so much road input that I think you could run over a pebble and tell under which tire it went.  But that input does come at a price.  After putting the vehicle through its paces on some mountainous roads with lots of road cracks I did get a little tired of the constant stimulation from the suspension. I even found myself identifying what type of imperfection I had gone over from the feel.  I could tell cracks from pebbles, from sand... (Ok I'm exaggerating here but it was pretty close).  Drive the vehicle more calmly and the input is more manageable so it can be a comfortable highway vehicle.

Braking?  Outstanding is all I can say.  I think the new setup for the Edge Sport is something Ford has learned from their time upgrading the Mustang.  I was very impressed, enough said.

Would I take it off road?  Never...  I mean it never.  This model is set up for highways and city streets.  Take it off road and you can assure yourself one of the monster 22" wheels will get punctured.

Seats are very comfortable and highly adjustable.  They do get hot in the summer but on my longer trips I found them to be very firm and supportive.  When you plunge very aggressively into the corners the seats have less grip and support than would be ideal and the chassis can easily outclass the seats.  Carving corners I had my left food pushing hard on the dead pedal area, but I still drifted around on the hard leather seat.

Combined with the handling the engine and transmission are very sweet indeed.  Ford's 3.7l V6 is very smooth.  When it reached its redline and shifted it felt like the engine was not even close to its limits.  It honestly feels like it could go another 1000 to 2000 rpm higher and not even flinch.  I have to say this V6 feels smoother than Toyota's 3.5l V6.  I think that is pretty high praise for Ford's work with this engine.  Transmission wise it is also flawless.  This transmission always picked the right gear, never shifted hard and was always instantly ready for a downshift from the paddle shifters on the wheel which I have to say were very well weighed and balanced.

At $50,000 it's quite pricey, yes it drives great, has great handling and has very comfortable seats but if I buy a CUV I want to be able to drive off road in it.  I wouldn't want to do that in the Ford Edge Sport. It's purposely built for road use.  I would probably pick the limited model or even the SEL model, the have tires that would be better suited for gravel roads.
 I would miss three things in each of the lower models though...  I would miss the superb 3.7l V6 engine and 6 speed auto that's in the Edge Sport, the great handling and the impressive brakes! Ok maybe that's 4 things...  But the engine and transmission in my mind are one.

What about the question of it being that sporty?  I have to say that Ford nailed the Sport part of this Edge.  It will go toe to toe with every other sport CUV out there. It might not be as fast but in the handling and braking departments it's very capable.


Competitors: Acura MDX, Lexus RX350 and Audi A5