2012 Ford Edge
2012 Ford Edge Review
We drive Ford's EcoBoosted Edge.
Web2Carz Contributing Writer
Published: August 10th, 2012
In the mid-size crossover game, "competent and satisfying" might prove to be more appealing to buyers than "edgy and exciting." Well, this may be a spoiler, but after spending a week in the Ford Edge, we found it fit the former description more often than not. Read on for details about how we came to that conclusion--and if you don't think we used "edgy" intentionally in a review about the Ford Edge, then you obviously don't know us.
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Features & Prices
The Edge is Ford's bread-and-butter five-seat crossover and it's one of three mid-size SUVs in the Ford family. Those who want seven-passenger seating will be choosing between the Explorer, which looks like a traditional SUV but switched over to crossover construction for the 2011 model year, or the boxy, wagon-like Flex.
Positioned to fight against the Chevrolet Equinox (or its sibling, the GMC Terrain), the Edge came to us with a base price of $31,060. Standard features included hill-start assist, a rear spoiler (body color), dual exhaust tips, spotter mirrors, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, a reverse-sensing system, AM/FM/CD/MP3, Ford's Sync voice-recognition system, satellite radio, a capless fuel-filler, and dual-zone climate control.
Options included Equipment Group 205A ($2,510, includes MyFordTouch multimedia suite, a leather comfort package, rearview camera, ambient lighting) and the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine ($995), the Vision Package (blind-spot monitoring, $485), and the voice-activated navigation system ($795). With the $825 destination fee, the as-tested total came to $36,670. -
On The Road
The 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost (240 horsepower, 270 lb-ft of torque) provided acceleration best described as "decent." It got out of its own way, but we still felt the weight of every one of the Edge's 3,998 lbs. One would think that the Edge would be more sprightly off the line, given that it clocks in just under two tons (on the lighter side for a mid-size crossover), but it feels heavy.
The light steering makes the Edge feel nimbler than it probably is, and the Edge feels fairly sure-footed and confident in its maneuvers. It's not particularly fun to pilot, but it never gets nervous about where it's going.
The ride is composed, with some soft-roader feeling but not enough to detract from the experience. You're signing up for a comfortable cruiser with this one, but not luxo-barge comfortable. Call it a competent compromise. -
Exterior
The Edge's rounded exterior belies the name, but we like it, even if it's on the bad side of bland. It looks smaller than it is from outside the cockpit.
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Interior
MyFordTouch once again drove us batty. We had problems getting our phone to stay synced to the Bluetooth, and sometimes the phone wouldn't hang up via the steering-wheel button when a call ended. Our iPod also was slow to load to Sync and occasionally didn't work at all, leading us to wonder about bugs in the system. We like the idea behind MyFordTouch and find the five-way steering wheel controllers and customizable gauge cluster intuitive, but the bugs need to be fixed to make the system truly worth it.
We liked the interior materials and found cargo space to be plentiful, and the heated seats work extremely quickly. -
Safety & Fuel Economy
The Edge with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost is rated at 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. The usual set of airbags is standard, along with traction control and an anti-skid system. Our tester had standard hill-start assist, standard spotter mirrors, and a standard reverse-sensing system to go along with the optional rearview camera and blind-spot monitoring system.
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Final Thoughts
OK, so we spoiled it above. It's the Internet, and there are spoilers everywhere. That said, the Edge really is competent and satisfying--it's hard to see a buyer regretting their decision (well, pending on how well MyFordTouch works for them). It doesn't excite, it doesn't stir the soul, and it's not as "edgy" as the name implies. Then again, the same is true of most of the competition. Mid-size crossover buyers are generally looking to blend in pleasantly, and the Edge fits that role nicely.
Besides, buyers who want more "edge" can always give it a hot-rod style flame paint job.
• For more information such as specs, prices, and photos of the 2012 Ford Edge, click here: 2012 Ford Edge.