2020 Ford Edge

[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER: Ford says nobody buys cars anymore, except the Mustang. So it isn't going to make cars anymore, except the Mustang. The new focus, no pun intended, is SUVs. Since its introduction 10 years ago, the Ford Edge has been steadily improving. 2019 brings us the most technologically advanced, sophisticated Ford Edge yet, with plenty of options for making it perfectly suited to you. The Edge is Ford's midsized family hauler that it says handles like a car, but is better, because it's an SUV. We're here in Park City, Utah to drive the Ford Edge ST and find out if the performance version is the one you want. Across all the models, I think the Edge is sort of a traditional SUV shape. It doesn't have that puffed-up hatchback look that some crossovers have. It also isn't just a huge, big box like a full-size SUV, sort of right in the middle. It looks nice. It's not exceptional. It isn't gorgeous like, say, the Alfa crossover. The Edge ST has some details that I do think make it look more performance oriented, even from the outside. First of all, it has that ST badge, which is going to be a reoccurring topic of conversation during this review. But it also has some differences in the back. It has a blacked-out, lower rear valence and a different set of tailpipes. It really does look different than the Titanium or the lower trim levels. The Edge offers some customization options in terms of looks, most notably in wheel sizes, which you can get, I think, anywhere from 18 to 21, depending on which model you're buying. Edmunds as a whole wasn't super fond of the Edge when it first came out. We thought it was underpowered and just not super impressive. The big change for 2019 is that there are a lot more engine options. Most particularly, you can get the 2.7-liter turbocharged V6, which has 335 horsepower. And I think it's like 380 pound-feet of torque, which is kind of a lot. I mean, it's like 25 more horsepower than an EcoBoost Mustang. So we're really not suffering from a lack of performance here. And I've just been driving this car in the regular, standard driving mode. And I haven't had any problem passing people here on the freeway. Yesterday, when we were driving in the mountains, I did notice that it was sort of huffing and puffing a little bit, much like myself while climbing up a hill. And I wish that I had a sport button, because if you do turn it into Sport, you get more sound, and you get a different shift programming. It's very noticeable. It's a much faster car if you have it in Sport Mode. And I like the way that it runs in Sport Mode. I don't love the way that it sounds. I think it's all that piped-in sound. The thing I don't understand about it, though, is, why not just have that be the base mode for the ST? You're paying extra money to have the sporty version of the Edge. So why would you ever want it not in Sport Mode, especially because it doesn't change anything about the suspension, which is the main reason, for me, that I would want something not to be in a sport mode, right? Like, some sport modes in cars, they make the suspension stiffer. So it really is more for performance driving, because it's uncomfortable in normal driving. This vehicle takes you out of Sport Mode if you stop and go into park or reverse, and then go back into drive without turning the car off. I don't understand why it does that, because if you already had it in Sport Mode, I'm assuming that you wanted to be driving in Sport Mode. If you're interested in the Ford Edge ST, I'm assuming that you know the ST badge. It's been on the Fiesta. It's been on the Focus. It was big in Europe. And it's always sort of stood for a smaller car with really great handling. And I would say it's good handling for an SUV of this size. I don't know if it's ST handling. I mean, I don't feel like I want to just go flat out around corners in this thing. It definitely still feels like a big vehicle. And I think, if I pushed it hard, it might push back. The suspension is pretty traditional. It hasn't changed a lot in the last few years. And it's fine, you know? It's holding the car up and taking me around turns in a fairly flat manner. It isn't adjustable in any way, though. So there's no modes for different kinds of rides, if you want that. I think it's an interesting choice that Ford put the eight-speed automatic in the Edge ST, because they also have this 10-speed automatic that's what's in the Raptor. And it's really good. And the eight-speed isn't bad, but this engine and car, I think, could have really benefited from having a more performance-oriented transmission. This one, I think, searches a bit. Especially if you have it in Sport Mode, and you're going downhill, it drops gears till you're revving to the moon. And you're like, what are you even doing? Ford wants the ST to be in competition with other performance mid-sized SUVs. In fact, in the press materials, Ford even mentioned some by name, including the Audi Q5 and the Porsche Macan, even the Maserati. I like the ambition. But having been in several of those vehicles, I have to say that Ford is reaching a little bit. The performance isn't quite there in the feel of the car. And the interior is definitely not a match-up with those cars. I mean, there's nothing horrible about sitting in here. But there's nothing spectacular, either. It's very monotone. There's this huge dash that's just completely plain plastic, and it actually reflects quite a lot into the window when you're driving. Console is also very plain and sort of weirdly laid out. Like, why is the screen so small, and then this surround is so big? And why is there all this blank space around these buttons? And why are some of the buttons for temperature control on this side, and some on this side, and some down here? I mean, this is kind of all temperature control. But then the volume is here in the middle. It's not super thoughtful. On the other hand, the console does have a fair amount of storage space. It has a little secret pouch in here that is big enough for a wallet or a cell phone. You couldn't put a bag in there. There's this charging pad here in this console. Only problem with that is, you really don't want to leave your phone there, because it gets hot. In fact, you don't really want to leave anything in there, because it gets hot. Then there's this slot here, so you can actually see the phone, two cup holders. There's another cell phone slot here, which is sort of a clever placement, although the lip of the console hangs over it, makes it a little bit hard to get it in and out. The console itself it's not very long, but you could fit a lot of tall things in it. The 2019 Edge is nicer than the previous model in terms of material. The previous model had a really terrible-feeling steering wheel. I'm not going to say that this is something that I want to take to bed and cuddle. It's not that nice. But it's not bad. The stitching looks good, and it isn't uncomfortable on your hands. Ford is doing a good job with the technology that it's putting into the car. You can get Sync 3. You can use Waze. You can use Apple Maps. You can use Google Maps, Android Auto, all of that stuff. Hooks right in, it's easy to use, it's pretty easy to figure out. I wish that they made it look more technologically advanced, and also more performance-y, especially here in the ST. The Edge could use some of the style that the Mustang has in its recent iterations. The base-level Edge starts out in the high $20,000 range, which is really a pretty good deal. I mean, this is a big vehicle. It's comfortable. It's easy to drive. It has a reliable engine and a ton of cargo space. By the time you hit the ST, you're looking at high 40s, even the 50s. And there's a lot of other stuff in that range that gives you a better interior and more power. When you're shopping for a midsize SUV, you have a very important choice to make, because you could get a seven- or eight-passenger three-row midsize SUV. Or, in about the same price range and about the same size exterior, you could get a five-passenger midsize SUV that has more cargo space. So that's a decision that you have to make, whether you're planning on carrying more people or more stuff. Manufacturers seem to assume that if you want a three-row, you don't want a whole lot of sportiness, or you're not that interested in a gorgeous exterior, because you're going to be carrying around a soccer team all day long. A lot of times, if what you want is just a bigger car, you're going to be looking at the five-passenger midsize SUV. And that is what the Edge is. Because of how many cars are in the midsize segment, you could find a ton of models and say that they compete with the Edge. You might be looking at the Audi Q5, which is a similar passenger space, slightly smaller, and a little bit-- I don't know. What's the word? Posher. Another vehicle that's in the same segment but does a radically different thing would be the Jeep Grand Cherokee-- again, a comfortable vehicle, carries about the same amount of people, less cargo space, but more activity based. This car, even though it is all-wheel drive, is not really an off-roader. One place that the Ford Edge really shines is in cargo space. There is a ton of room back there, more than anything else in the segment. There's 73 cubic feet of cargo space if you put all the seats down. And they go down really easy with the touch of a button. And it's almost 40 cubic feet with them up. So you could take people on a trip and still have room for all the gear. Overall, the Edge is a pleasant driving experience. It's comfortable. It handles in a very predictable manner. And you feel pretty safe. I do have a pretty serious complaint, though, and that is the visibility. These long, stretched-out, and very wide front pillars-- I mean, a huge blind spot, not just on the driver side, but even on the passenger side. These kind of blind spots bother you not just on a twisty road where you can't see what's coming next, but just driving around a parking lot. Like, you're in the Trader Joe's trying to make a turn, and there could be somebody with a shopping cart right there. You won't even see them. While I don't love the Edge's interior overall, it does have some nice options. And this big, giant panoramic glass roof is one of them. It's very pretty. My only complaint about it would be that the shade for it is really slow and really loud. [WHIRRING] [SIGHS] You can't even sleep while it's going up because it's so loud. A benefit to not having a third row in a big SUV is, you have so much room back here. This is great. This is a really nice back seat. Plenty of space under the seat in front of you, so you can put your little feet under there without hitting a bunch of weird stuff. And also, it's really nice, and light, and airy in here. So if you imagine your kids sitting back here, they've got a view. They've got sunshine. They can see what's happening in the world around them. I mean, it's great. A lot of times, the backseat is kind of a punishment. And this is a nice place to be. This is a road trip for sure. The actual seats in the back are very comfortable on the sides. The center could use a little bit of work. It's plenty soft enough. But the way that the little fold-down armrest sticks into the lower back is not very comfortable. So I wouldn't want to sit here. I would say it's really more of a four-passenger with an emergency five option. Ooh, cup holders. The 2019 Edge does have some bragging rights. Ford has really done a good job of looking at contemporary safety technology, figuring out which things people are going to want, and making those standard in the car at all of the various trim levels. For example, things like backup cameras, lane monitoring, lane keep assist-- it's all just part of Ford's 360 Safety Suite. You get it no matter which trim level you buy, which is awesome. Before, it was like, well, you'll have to spend a lot of money to keep your family safe. And now, it's just part of every trim. If you want even more safety, you could add some stuff on. And while I've been on camera numerous times saying, I don't think you really need all this stuff, I'm going to admit that lane centering is really cool. So lane centering is different from lane keep assist. What lane keep assist does is, if you start to cross over a line, it brings you back. What lane centering does is, it looks far ahead, and it sees the lines, and it makes very slight adjustments to keep you between those lines. It's really cool. It's not quite autonomous driving. But it's one step below it. And when you use it with adaptive cruise control, which is also an option, then it can kind of monitor the traffic in front of you, slow the car down if the traffic in front of you is slowing down, and keep you in the lanes. And it'll really do it around turns. I mean, we tested it yesterday on some fairly curvy highways. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that it doesn't slow the car down based on the severity of the turn. So if you're trying to use it at 80 miles an hour on a very curvy road, it doesn't know that you shouldn't go into that turn at 80 miles an hour. You really do need to still be paying attention. You need to use the brakes. You need to be there to save it. Mileage for all these midsize SUVs is in the 20 to 25 range. And stepping up to the ST drops you to about 21 combined, compared to 25 if you just have the front-wheel drive base model 2 liter. After two days in the Ford Edge, I have two answers to two different questions. One is, is the Ford Edge a good option as a family vehicle? Yeah, for sure. It's comfortable. It's easy to drive. And it has a ton of cargo space-- I mean, a lot. The other question was, does the Ford Edge ST deserve that ST badge? And that one, mm, maybe not this year. Everything I like about the Ford Edge is available in the lower models or in the Titanium. And the ST just doesn't quite commit to that true performance lifestyle. It should be just a little bit faster, sound a little bit better, have a little more that stands out from just the regular Ford Edge, and it doesn't. So if you really want a Sports UV, there are better options. But you should look at the Edge as a family hauler. If you like videos like this, please subscribe. And make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. [MUSIC PLAYING]