Maybe the Ford Edge will be familiar to you, and maybe it won't.
Those in the US have been able to buy the Edge for the better part of a decade now,
but for us here in Europe and the UK it's the latest Yank tank to cross the water as
part of the one ford plan - the same sales strategy that gave us the mustang.
Essentially, the edge is fords first stab at the premium SUV/crossover market for a
few years, and it aims to rival cars like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.
Slotting above the Kuga, the edge will be the biggest SUV ford sells here in Britain
despite the fact it's actually one of the smaller models in the us.
However, it's also currently fords biggest seller in the us, something which the company
will be keen to repeat here
Is it competitive enough to truly rival more established and arguably more desirable European
offerings?
We're here in sunny Scotland to find out, so let's jump inside and take a closer look.
Make no mistake about it, the edge is a massive, massive thing.
It's wider than a Range Rover and almost as tall, meaning that it dwarfs virtually even
other car on the British roadways.
The upswing of its supersize dimensions is that it has a remarkably spacious interior
with tonnes of room for driver and passenger, plus a well-designed cabin layout that's almost
identical to the S-MAX with which the edge shares its underpinnings.
Standard equipment is fairly generous with things like an eight-inch sync 2 touchscreen
infotainment system and a reversing camera, while higher trims like this Sport model will
add things like sat-nav, parking sensors and a panoramic roof.
But here's the rub.
A lot of the things buyers will deem essentially are only available as part of more expensive
packages and can become pricey quickly.
For example, led lights will cost you more than a grand while you'll have to fork out
£2,000 for the lux pack if you just want leather seats.
Round the back the edge's large size means that there's lots of room, with more space
than even the Audi Q5 and room for four to sit in maximum comfort.
Buyers who want seven seats will be out of luck though, and it's something of a shame
that the edge doesn't come with even part-time seven seats like the Nissan X-trail.
Cargo space is extremely generous with 602 litres with the rear seats up and the luggage
cover on.
Seats down the boot is a massive 1,847 litres in all, beating the x3 and q5 by around 300
litres.
So how is it to drive?
Well it's worth pointing out at the very start that the edge is designed primarily as a cruiser,
engineered for the gargantuan freeways of the is rather than the erratic b-roads of
Britain.
Although in the us the edge is available with a big v6, here in Europe the only option is
two versions of the same 2.0-litre diesel: a 178bhp version and a more powerful, twin
turbocharged 208bhp version.
We’ve got the 178bhp version with a six-speed manual gearbox, which is reasonably torquey
but the Edge’s 2.6-tonne weight significantly hampers performance.
At 9.9 seconds it's a second slower to 62mph than the less powerful 2.0-litre Kia Sportage,
and overtaking can take a bit of forward planning.
It's on long, smooth journeys that the edge really shine with a comfortable suspension
that gobbled up potholes and with perhaps the exception of the Mondeo and the Vignale
range - to which an edge vignale will be added soon - it's probably the most refined car
in Ford’s current line-up.
Unfortunately, the same laid-back demeanour means that as soon as you push it, things
start to get a bit difficult.
At close to five metres long, nearly two tall and two wide, as soon as you show the car
even a mild corner you can really feel it's heft.
It rolls and it leans, the steerings a bit numb and elasticy and even the sport model
which gets a slightly stiffer suspension setup suffers from the same blubbery handling.
Make no mistake, the edge sport is no jaguar f-pace and at all times the car prioritises
comfort over driver engagement.
The basic Ford Edge is priced from £29,995, which means that bone stock it undercuts premium
rivals like the x3 and q5 by quite a bit, but most buyers are expected to go for either
the titanium or sport models, which are priced from £32,245 and £34,500 respectively.
Although the car does its job well and is decently equipped, by the time you've species
the model you want with all the optional extras it can quickly lose its competitive, err,
edge over its competition.
Is it as good as the premium German cars which it aims to rival?
Well it's hard to argue that it is, but it's bold looks, large dimensions and refinement
will still appeal to many, particularly current ford owners who like the car they drive but
who might want to upsize in the near future.
As well as that, the ford is just a bit different to all the other SUVs out there right now.
It's big, it's brassy and its completely unapologetic in It's Uncle Sam-spec size and demeanour.
Provided you pick your options carefully and do t expect too much from it dynamically,
the Ford Edge makes for a capable, refined and comfortable family SUV.
But do you think the edge has a patch on the likes of BMW or Audi?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and don't forget to subscribe
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