biscuit Posted February 16, 2007 Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 I went for a test drive in an Edge yesterday. I'm shopping for an SUV so I've been test driving nearly everything in the segment. My notes on the Edge: Good... -- Interior styling, especially in black leather with NAV was very nice. Ford did a good job on the materials, liked the contrasting stitching, shape of the seats and headrests, comfortable and stylish. -- Exterior styling is visually interesting, stands out in a sea of typical SUV's. The Edge and the Murano are on a short list of vehicles that "look" like they could be design concepts being driven on the street. -- Rear seat room is spacious and comfortable, and the rear cargo area has a fairly low floor and plenty of space. Not so good... -- The trim around the center instrument console was some kind of patterned metallic finish, faux carbon fiber? It looked similar to a finish I've seen in a Chrysler 300. Being that it is in such a prominent location I'd have to say there is room for improvement there. Maybe something like the black wood trim found in Explorers? Maybe the brushed aluminum look from a BMW? Not a deal breaker. -- The stock wheels didn't impress me with their styling. Multi-spokes looked a little soft for something called the "Edge." I'd prefer to see something like an aggressive 5 spoke design found on a Lexus RX350. Not a deal breaker, but wheels are important for the image of the car. Interestingly, the dealership had aftermarket wheels on 2 of the 3 Edge vehicles on display. Deal breakers... -- Engine noise. Honestly, after driving a dozen or more competing SUV's, the Edge was underpowered and sounded really cheap and unrefined when accelerating briskly. It's lacking sound deadening, almost like the exhaust manifolds are too thin. It's not as big of a problem when cruising slowly, but when I get on it I don't want my $35,000 vehicle to sound like a 1990 Escort. -- Lack of 3rd row seating. It's true. The ability to carry more people is always nice to have. It helps justify owning a vehicle this big. Even if the seats are fairly small and stow away. Ford missed the boat on this one, nearly all of the competition has 3rd row seating or is rolling it out this year. X5, MDX, Highlander, etc. -- Dealer network. Unfortunately my service/warranty experience with Ford dealerships has been sub-par. The experience is simply not as refined as the competition. I see too many carryover "attitudes" from the disaster Ford (and most American car companies) had during the 80's and 90's. The time is NOW for Ford to step up with first class service, go over the top with warranty and benefits. Loaner cars, longer warranty. Acura, BMW and Lexus have 4yr/50,000 mile warranies. The cheaper brands are as high as 5yr/100,000. With Ford still at 3yr/36,000 they are at a disadvantage, and their track record for reliability is not so good, making it an even bigger issue. So there it is. Not trying to slam Ford, just honest feedback (from a Ford owner) based on shopping the competition. I'm sure people will be happy with their Edge, it's a good vehicle and a decent value based on the street price. But "good" is just "average" in a very competitive segment, which means there are better choices that give you more refinement, more performance, better resale value, more for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnkirk52 Posted February 16, 2007 Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Sounds like you are comparing the Edge to vehicles that are not in its class. If you wanted 3rd row seating why were you even driving the Edge? Ford has other vehicles with 3rd row. To each his own, but for the $$$ the Edge is the best in it's class. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biscuit Posted February 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 I'm comparing everything from Mazda CX-7 up to BMW X5, so the Edge fits into my search. I could be swayed into a 5 passenger vehicle, but having the 3rd row would definitely make it more appealing to me. I also drove the Freestyle SEL Limited 4WD in the same visit to the Ford dealership. Sounds like you are comparing the Edge to vehicles that are not in its class. If you wanted 3rd row seating why were you even driving the Edge? Ford has other vehicles with 3rd row. To each his own, but for the $$$ the Edge is the best in it's class. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrod Posted February 17, 2007 Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 I'm comparing everything from Mazda CX-7 up to BMW X5, so the Edge fits into my search. I could be swayed into a 5 passenger vehicle, but having the 3rd row would definitely make it more appealing to me. I also drove the Freestyle SEL Limited 4WD in the same visit to the Ford dealership. What did you think of the Freestyle? If you think it was a little sluggish, the 2008 Taurus X (new name for Freestyle) will be out soon with a bigger engine. Also, in my opinion, it looks a hell of a lot better now too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biscuit Posted February 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 The Freestyle was OK. My local newspaper has ads for the SEL selling for around $21,000, so I wanted to check it out. I personally like the styling and size. But it felt a little too much like a station wagon to me and the rear storage area was smaller than most SUV's. It was kind of heavy feeling and not as quick as the Edge. I would probably prefer a 6 speed tranny over the CVT transmission. Seems like a bad time to buy a Freestyle with all of the upcoming changes. I would certainly take a big hit on resale. I'll check out what they do with the Taurus X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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