I just took delivery of a 2013 Edge SEL AWD 3.5V6 with Sync, MyFord Touch and rear view camera (Canadian 201A option) but no sunroof and no navigation and standard 18” wheels. I don’t like sunroofs, the pushbutton start didn’t appeal and I have navigation on my phone for the rare time it’s useful so why pay more? So far I am very pleased. Comments on this forum were so useful to my decision and choices that I feel I owe it to future buyers to do some kind of review.
Delivery – My order was unique so it was a Factory order. The dealer said 6-8 weeks and it came in 5 1/2 weeks. I live about 100 miles from the plant in Oakville. I got the VIN number at about 3 weeks and a promised delivery date which they met exactly. (Good dealer experience by the way).
Engine - less power than the 2006 Chrysler 300C V8 hemi I traded but still plenty. Quiet, smooth, responsive.
Transmission – you notice the 6 speeds – if you go up a moderate hill at medium speeds (say 70km/h), it drops down to 5th. Not a problem – but “different”. In town, it may not even get into 6th (overdrive). Sport mode means you have to pay attention since although it will drop down if the revs get low (say below 1000) or changes up if you get close to redline, it’s easy to forget and you over-rev without intending to. But easy to use and good if you really want a specific gear. In the Chrysler, I needed to choose a specific gear in very slow traffic to stop hard shifts but the Edge does not need this. It’s always smooth. Others have commented about a reluctance to shift down when travelling slowly. It feels like the transmission wants to save you gas by being reluctant to kick down. This only happens very occasionally and is rarely a problem – just “different”. Just press harder and it does do the shift you want.
Steering – noticeably heavier than (say) a Buick at parking speeds but this may because this has the best steering at highway speeds I’ve driven in many years. No centre slack, no hint of a pull to one side – no criticism at all. Not quite BMW but close.
Brakes – sensitive but not excessively so. Progressive and not mushy. Work better than the Chrysler. Pedal spacing is OK/normal – not like the terrible 2013 Escape.
Ride - short of a heavy Cadillac or similar, this is one of the best riding vehicles I’ve driven. Passengers comment on how good it is.
Handling – I have not pushed it around corners yet –seemed OK on a few ramps.
Cabin Noise – No wind noise at all, even at a highway speeds of 120km/h (~70mph) – very little engine noise. But there is some road noise at highway speeds – no doubt tire dependent. It came with Michelin all seasons. No worse than many other cars and better than most.
Visibility – Front visibility is excellent – especially compared to the 300C. The mirrors with the blind spot extra mirrors work well although a little confusing. Back visibility is OK – but you need the camera for reversing although the proximity beepers work well too.
Room – easy to get in and out of. I’m tall and I bump my head getting in and out of Toyotas and most Japanese cars. No problem here (nor on my wife’s 2010 Escape). Lots of head room. Easy to adjust for good steering wheel and seat positions. Room in the back seat is better than average (I have the front seat fully back) but not limousine standard. OK for big guys over 6 feet. Luggage space behind the back seat was about the same as the trunk on a large car. I don’t need or want 3 rows so this arrangement works best for me.
Controls – first, in my Edge at least, there are regular buttons for most things you normally need . Either on the dash or the steering wheel. You only really need the Touch screen for set up or unusual things. (One exception is the heated seats which are only available via the touch screen.) So whether the screen responds with first touch or not, is not really important. I won’t go into full detail since it would take pages. I have not had it crash or reboot. I like techy stuff – it’s one reason I chose the Edge – so to me it’s a plus. Synchronising my phone was easy but it took several tries to get my contact list into Sync. Also, my phone’s play list does not display in a list. The only control I have is “next” or previous. Playing songs from the USB port is also awkward. It would probably be OK on a long trip – plug it in and have a long list to listen to. Overall there is still some work to do. But that’s comparing it to a PC or smartphone. Compared to other cars it’s way better – and a good reason to buy Ford.
Voice works although you don’t need to use it – so far I’ve only used it to test it! Sync “services” are not available in Canada.
The turn lever does not work like they usually do. You move it one notch to get 3 flashes or two notches to get a signal that keeps flashing until you have completed the turn. Easy to use but quite different to normal. I think it’s a step forward but it takes a little getting used to.
The dash is also configurable and consists of two small screens on either side of the speedo. A good amount of info is provided although it’s missing specific tire pressures. Once you figure the screens out, they are easy to change. Without navigation, there is not much on the screen on the right. Whichever way you set them up, they are more useful than the old style dash. If you set it for the all wheel drive display, it probably works well but it only changes while you are driving and that’s just when you can’t keep staring at it to see what’s happening. More a novelty than anything. Overall better than a static dash though.
Climate control works the same as most do with the addition of “my temp”. You can set your “default” setting and one touch (including a real button on the dash) sets it there. Easy to change to a different setting too.
Misc. – my Garage is not very big. I measured length, width and height – no problem. But the antenna was too high. Going into the garage is OK but coming out, the antenna would catch on the door opening motor box (it’s lip caught the antenna tip) and the cord for emergency opening tangled with the antenna. I tried replacing the antenna with a stubby but the FM radio reception dropped from being better than average to being much worse than average. So I kept the original and tweaked the door opener. I moved it up a couple of inches, shaved the lip of the motor box so the antenna wouldn’t catch as I came out and shortened the ”emergency opening” wire.
I don’t have the fancy SONY radio but the standard Ford radio works well. The radio has an equalizer for bass, middle, treble, fade and balance. There are 12 AM/FM presets available plus AST (automatic presets) plus Sirius plus CD plus USB plus phone. That’s one reason you need the touch screen – to manage all these. You can also set how sensitive the radio volume is to speed!
Overall – I am happy. No problems at all (yet!). Not a sports car so not exciting like the 300C V8 was. But good to drive; good to ride in; good to “play with”; good to look at (it’s Black) and noticeably better on gas than the 300C – maybe 30% better. Did you know that in 2012, Fords rating on initial quality at JD Power came in ahead of Buick, Acura, Honda and Hyundai. Only Toyota and some luxury brands did better. (See my blog post here) I'm hoping that this average works for me too.
A photo is attached.
