One of the worst things about driving is having to deal with the blind spot. Many of us have forgotten to check and because of this we have narrowly escaped an accident. Some automakers have tried to fix this problem by building in sensors to warn you when something was behind or beside you.
Ford 'Edge'
Ford brought in the 2009 Edge to as a way for them to offer more of a variety and more choices for consumers to choose from in the crossover utility market. Ford has obviously given it a sporty look that appeals to the adventurous sides of consumers. Yet, at the same time it can also be used as family vehicle.
As the Ford Edge glids along the George Washington Memorial Parkway you’ll notice that it doesn’t have spinning rims or a booming sound system. The bling in this SUV is the technology. The vehicle runs almost silently. It needs no gas and releases no polluting exhaust like most vehicles.
Ford products were able to score high in Texas with Fords, Land Rovers, Lincolns and Mazdas driving off with best-in-class awards at the 2006 Texas Auto Writers Truck Rodeo. At the top of the charts, Ford took the Truck of Texas award for the F-250 Super Duty 4X4 Crew Cab while Ford was voted the Best Truck Line of Texas.
Ford’s newest model, the 2007 Ford Edge, will mark the second in a new generation of cars from the venerable automaker that can compete in quality with European and Japanese imports. Like the Ford Fusion, the Edge takes build quality up a notch and uses generally nicer cabin materials than previous Fords. The Edge also includes cabin technology, which younger car buyers are coming to expect.
The Ford Edge is marketed as a crossover car, combining the cargo space and visibility of an SUV with the smooth ride and fuel economy of a sedan. It shares a platform with the 2007 Mazda CX-7 evident from the cars’ similar body style and is also the source of Ford’s newfound quality touches.
This quality can be felt in the Edge’s comfortable leather seats, in its hushed cabin, and with its smoothly shifting, six-speed automatic transmission, which seems to always hit the right gear for the driving conditions.
Not fancy, but functionalOur test car was fully loaded with a navigation system; an in-dash, six-CD changer; and a ceiling-mounted DVD player for the rear seats. A touch-screen LCD acts as the interface for these systems and includes function buttons along its sides. The console is not particularly fancy there is no multifunction knob, such as with BMW’s iDrive but it gets the job done.
The LCD is a little small and can get quickly cluttered with the settings screens and their many options. But we still found it easy to select audio sources and navigation functions. The main interface is supplemented by steering wheel buttons that not only control the stereo and cruise control, but also set temperature and fan speed a nice addition.
The navigation system comes integrated in a module with the premium audiophile stereo, which includes a six-CD changer located above the LCD. While the changer reads MP3 discs, we didn’t find the system interface very convenient for selecting music. Instead of presenting a list of available folders, we had to push a forward button to sift through folders one at a time.
The system does display ID3 tags, however, and we like its interface for choosing audio sources, with tabs at the top of the screen marked AM, FM, CD, DVD, SR (for Sirius satellite radio), and Line In.
The stereo includes a digital signal processing screen, with different settings to focus the audio sweet spot on the driver, the rear seats, or the whole car. The system also includes a speed compensation setting, which automatically raises the volume as the car goes faster.
Although not the finest-quality audio we’ve heard, the system does deliver clear, reasonably rich sound. Sound comes through nine speakers: two speakers are located at each door, and a subwoofer can be found in the cargo area.
The six-speed automatic is the best thing about the power train in the Ford Edge. It gives the car a good array of options to get the best revolutions per minute for the car speed. Similar to the Mazda CX-7, the Ford Edge is programmed for efficiency, with upshifts happening at a fairly low engine speed.
Unlike the CX-7, however, the Edge doesn’t have a manual gear selection mode, instead going with a Drive and a Low mode. There is also a button on the side of the shifter which engages a Hill mode.
With a curb weight of 4,282 pounds for the all-wheel-drive Edge, Ford’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine has its work cut out. And it doesn’t always measure up. Even with 265 horsepower, the engine can’t move the car very fast from a stop, and the whine it makes when the pedal is held down is almost scary.
Given the car’s height and weight, it’s not built to carve corners, but handling is nice and tight, and steering responsive. All-wheel drive contributes to the car’s grip on the road, whether for driving in bad weather or negotiating mountain roads. MacPherson struts in front and an independent suspension in back give the Edge a carlike ride, while helping with the handling.
The EPA rates the Edge for 17mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highway, which is reasonable for this size of vehicle. Although our test period wasn’t long enough to publish an observed fuel economy, we don’t expect it to show as much variation as the Mazda CX-7, as the Edge’s V-6 engine should be more consistent than the CX-7’s turbo engine.
Ford brags that safety is not optional on the Edge, and the list of standard safety equipment is lengthy. It starts with full airbag coverage: the driver and front passenger are protected with front and side airbags, while side curtain airbags cover the whole cabin.
Antilock brakes are also standard, as is Ford’s AdvanceTrac stability control, which uses sensors to determine if the car is about to roll over or spin out, applying brakes and reducing engine power to compensate.
Ford’s newest model, the 2007 Ford Edge, will mark the second in a new generation of cars from the venerable automaker that can compete in quality with European and Japanese imports. Like the Ford Fusion, the Edge takes build quality up a notch and uses generally nicer cabin materials than previous Fords. The Edge also includes cabin technology, which younger car buyers are coming to expect.