Chatham, Mass. – Slotted between the three-row Explorer and compact Escape, the refreshed Ford Edge hits the sweet spot in the expanding cross-over (CUV) segment.
Revised for 2019, the Edge Titanium we spent time in fits five adults and their gear with ease in the quiet, leather-trimmed cabin. Extensive changes inside and out, as well as additional driver-assist and safety systems mark the latest Edge, the first of which was introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model.
Amongst the new features in this second-generation, mid-cycle refresh are an eight-speed automatic transmission with rotary-shift dial on the redesigned center console; LED front lighting; front fascia, hood and wider grille marking the new face of Ford SUVs; liftgate design; and FordPass Connect with Wi-Fi hotspot.
The Titanium’s standard two-liter EcoBoost engine’s 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque provides solid performance both around town and on the highway. Fuel economy during our driving, a mixture of highway and suburban, resulted in mid-20s, while the Environmental Protection Agency rates it at 21 city/28 highway/23 combined. An auto stop-start system which shuts down the engine when you come to a complete stop takes a bit of getting used to including a slight hesitation when you press the accelerator to move, but does add to the fuel efficiency of the Edge.
Driver assist and safety systems
Ford claims the Edge comes with the most standard driver-assist systems in the segment. We cannot confirm this claim, but needless to say the Titanium Elite version with optional Equipment Group 301A has a comprehensive array, including:
- Lane Keeping assist
- Pre-collision assist with automatic-emergency braking (AEB)
- Rear-view camera with washer
- Front-view camera (which works at slow, parking speeds) with washer
- Reverse sensing system
- Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert
- Post-collision braking – automatically applies brake pressure when a collision event is detected
- Evasive steering assist: assists drivers in steering around stopped or slower vehicles in order to avoid a possible collision
- Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centering which allows the vehicle to maintain a comfortable driving distance and helps reduce stress during longer drives as well as traffic situations
- Front and rear parking sensors with increasing alert volume to warn as you get closer to an object
Also, part of the 301A option package is Ford’s enhanced-active-park assist. Ford pioneered the self-parking vehicle and the latest version can find a parking spot – unfortunately one must be available, it cannot create a spot – and then navigate parallel as well as perpendicular parking by automatically steering the vehicle into the space. The driver simply works the gear selector, accelerator and brakes; the car dos the rest. And the 2019 Edge can even steer its way out of a tight parallel spot!
The list is far from complete when it comes to driver assist/safety systems; more details can be found by clicking on this sentence.
Everyday in the Edge
Living with the comprehensively equipped Ford Edge Titanium was easy. The intelligent-access with keyless ignition senses when you get close to the CUV and can open any of the four doors by touching the inside of the handles; locking is just as simple – just touch the raised lines on the top of each handle. In addition, Ford’s legacy numeric keypad on the door can allow entry by entering your code.
Three drivers can store their preferences for the position of the 10-way power driver’s seat – which, like the front-passenger seat, has heat and ventilation – as well as that of the power tilt/telescoping steering wheel for instant recall. In addition, the seat moves back and the wheel up – and in reverse – to make getting in and out easier for the driver.
Using things like the high beams and windshield wipers can be left up to the Edge’s automatic systems should the driver desire – and these systems work.
Fords have a long reputation of building quiet vehicles which continues in this mid-size SUV. Enhancing the welcoming cabin environment is the Sync 3 in-vehicle communications system which works wirelessly with mobile devices like smartphones – including standard Apple Car Play and Android Auto – and is controlled by an eight-inch color touch screen.
Those smartphones can be charged through USB ports front and rear, as well – if capable – wirelessly in the bin at the front of the center console. That console has a HUGE two-tiered storage bin under its armrest, one of the numerous cubbies, nooks and crannies for driver and passenger to store the detritus we all seem to carry and need.
This is a vehicle for everyday living. The Wi-Fi hotspot can keep the kids’ tablets connected to the Net while mom and dad listen to anything from classical to Jimmy Buffet to BBC world news on the SiriusXM satellite system. Bang & Olufsen engineered the audio system in our test vehicle and the sound was wonderful, regardless of the source – AM/FM/MP3/SiriusXM/smartphone streaming or CD. Ford provides one relatively minor, but wonderful feature: a mute button on the multi-function, heated steering wheel, to allow instant silence when an annoying commercial plays on the radio.
Bottom line(s)
The 2019 Ford Edge has a lot to offer. Granted the review model was about as comprehensively equipped a vehicle as can be found, but even the base SE has a long list of driver assist and safety features. This year Ford has added the first high performance Edge – actually the auto maker’s first SUV to receive the Ford Performance treatment. The versions range from the SE’s base price of $29,995 to the base Titanium at $42,355. The all-wheel drive Titanium we drove had a base price of $40,545 and an as tested MSRP of $46,820 (plus, like all versions, a $995 shipping fee).
The price is not inconsequential, but you get a lot for the money. If you are in the market for a mid-size SUV and do not need three rows of seats, the Ford Edge should be on your shopping list.
