Ford Edge Review

Find out more about the Ford Edge in the latest MOTORS Review

£16,211
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3
Out of 5

Pros

  • Relatively stylish design
  • Tons of interior room
  • Plenty of standard tech

Cons

  • Underwhelming performance
  • Only five seats
  • A little unwieldy around town
Model review

The Edge arrived in 2016 in Europe to top off Ford's SUV offerings in the market, above the mid-sized Ford Kuga and the dinky Ford EcoSport.

Using a similar platform to the brand's Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max vehicles, the Edge is one of the largest vehicles Ford sells in Europe – but unlike its MPV siblings there is no seven-seat option.

Like any crossover SUV, the list of potential rivals is vast, but with upmarket styling and high equipment levels, Ford expects buyers to cross-shop with more premium vehicles like the Jaguar F-Pace, Volvo XC60 and Audi Q5. Vehicles like the Kia Sorento and Nissan X-Trail could be considered rivals too.

The Edge is a very recent arrival to the UK market, although the name has been present in the US market for around a decade and is now in its second generation. UK buyers miss out on the larger petrol engines available in North America, instead getting the option of one of two slightly different diesel units.

Latest model

The current version of the Edge is very much styled with the American market in mind, borrowing design elements from other vehicles exclusive to the US, but the interior bears more than a passing resemblance to our European Fords – the Mondeo and Galaxy in particular. The layout of controls and infotainment is very familiar territory.

It's a rather large vehicle, measuring more than 1.9 metres across and 4.8 metres in length, which may mean careful consideration of your driveway, garage or parking space. You might also expect to find a third row of seats inside a vehicle this size, but the Edge is only a five-seater. This does make for an impressive amount of interior room though.

There's just the two engine options for the Edge, both of which are 2.0-litre diesels. The lower-powered 177bhp version is exclusively paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the higher-output 207bhp biturbo unit can only be specified with a 6-speed 'powershift' automatic. All cars are four-wheel drive.

Trim levels as as per usual for Fords, with an entry-level Zetec car and a higher-specification Titanium model, but with the Edge there is also a Sport grade. The Edge is also subject to Ford's upmarket 'Vignale' treatment, which adds an extra layer of quality in materials and specification.

Value for money

For the sheer amount of car you get for your money alone, the Edge makes a great case for itself when it comes to value for money, but Ford adds to the mix an impressive level of equipment.

The cheapest Edge is the 177hp Zetec model, at £30,650. This is equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, heated front windscreen, keyless start, auto headlights with automatic high beam, and Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system with DAB radio and a nine-speaker sound system.

It also has safety kit like active city stop with pedestrian detection, lane keeping and traffic sign recognition. Impressively, even at this lowest specification, the Edge has an active noise control system to keep the outside world out where it belongs – though be aware that the higher-output, 207hp engine and automatic gearbox combination isn't available at Zetec grade.

The Titanium model will set you back another £3,000, and adds even more useful features like front and rear parking sensors and satellite navigation. Keyless entry, hands free power tailgate and acoustic side glass – which reduces wind noise at speed – are also included with this grade, along with heated front sports seats, chrome roof rails and a different design for the 19-inch alloys.

Sport models start from £36,165 - £2,515 more than Titanium - and focus on sporty black styling, with a different grille and detailing, black roof rails and black 20-inch alloy wheels. Alloy pedals, sports suspension and an upgraded Sony DAB navigation system complete the kit.

The luxury-focussed Vignale adds perforated leather seats, with the driver and passenger seat including 10-way power adjustment, polished 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, daytime running lights and fog lights, chrome exterior detailing and illuminated Vignale scuff plates.

Adaptive cruise control is a £500 extra, a panoramic sunroof can be specified for £800 and heated rear seats are available as a £200 option.

Looks and image

Ford has something of an everyman image in the UK, but then as a brand it does make two of the most popular cars on sale. Even its traditional flagship, the Mondeo, was once used as a term for the ordinary voter. Pitching the Edge as an alternative to premium vehicles is a hard sell.

However, it certainly does look the part, with very distinctive – and very American – styling. It's an incredibly bold, large and rather imposing vehicle, in both the more chrome-heavy trims and the black Sport model. The rear lighting cluster is unlike anything else on the road too and looks great at night.

Space and practicality

If there's one thing the Edge has in spades, it's space. It's a very long and wide car, and while it lacks sixth and seventh seats and thus loses out on practicality for larger families, the five seats it has are rather roomy. Even headroom isn't affected by the optional panoramic sunroof.

The lack of additional seats grants the Edge a huge boot space, with 602 litres growing to 1,847 litres when you drop the rear seats. It's a supreme family vehicle – and the power tailgate option on higher specification models is an added boon.

It holds a five star safety rating from EuroNCAP, scoring particularly well in the Safety Assist category, thanks to the high level of standard driver aids, and Adult Occupant category.

Video review

Engines

There are only two engines on offer with the Edge, and both are 2.0-litre diesels.

The lower-powered option is a 177hp unit. This can only be specified with a six-speed manual gearbox and is the only engine available if you opt for the entry Zetec model. 60mph will come up in just under 10 seconds, while the top speed is 124mph. CO2 emissions of 149g/km (equivalent to 48.7mpg) just slot it into the 150g/km VED bracket, with a first year payment of £200.

The other option is a 207hp biturbo version. This is exclusively an automatic vehicle, with a six-speed 'powershift' auto. The extra power drops the 60mph sprint by half a second to 9.2s, while the top speed increases by 7mph to 131mph. CO2 emissions also rise, and although it's by just 3g/km it's enough to increase the first year payment to £500 thanks to the higher VED band.

Whichever option you pick, you'll be able to tow up to 2.2 tonnes with your Edge.

Running costs

The Edge is a pretty heavy car with permanent four-wheel drive, but even so the 47.9-48.7mpg average combined fuel economy isn't bad (expect nearer to high 30s in the real world), and there's little significant difference between the two engine options. In fact the only major difference between the two is the first-year VED you'll pay – an extra £300 for the 207hp car.

The commonality of parts across Ford models means that most faults and repairs aren't pricey to fix, and the service plan is as reasonable as it is with any other Ford. Insurance sits between group 25 and group 29 too.

It's anticipated that the Edge's resale value should be amongst the strongest of any Ford, so along with being relatively inexpensive to run it won't lose a lot of money just to own it either.

Rivals

The price and size of the Edge, plus Ford's intent to pitch it as a rival for premium cars, sees it up against a number of rivals.

The Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60 are all key rivals, along with more upmarket vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz GLC, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Jaguar F-Pace – although many of those have seven seat options that the Ford lacks.

Other alternatives include the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan X-Trail, all of which have a similar combination of size, price and equipment.

Depreciation warning

It's still early days with the Edge's presence in the UK market, but forecasts have it as one of strongest current Fords when it comes to residual value. Ford's figures suggest 52% retained value after three years, which is one of the best in the sector too.

Trims explained

The Edge has four different trim levels, including Ford's specialist 'Vignale' treatment

Zetec

The Zetec has Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system, active noise control, automatic headlights with automatic high beam control, privacy glass and safety aids like active city stop, lane keeping assist and traffic sign recognition. It can only be specified with the 177hp diesel engine and six-speed manual gearbox.

Prices start from £30,650

Titanium

Titanium adds parking sensors front and rear, a handsfree power tailgate, heated front sports seats and acoustic glass to reduce wind noise. There's also a different design of the 19-inch alloy wheels, along with satellite navigation.

Prices start from £33,650

Sport

Sport grade changes some of the exterior styling with black highlights, and adds sports suspension, 20-inch alloys (in black), adaptive steering and upgrades the navigation to a Sony system.

Prices start from £36,165

Vignale

The top specification Vignale trim adds luxury perforated leather, with 10-way adjustable power front seats, polished 20-inch alloys and adaptive LED headlights, with LED daytime running lights and fog lights.

Prices start from £38,915

Summary

  1. Automatic only available on lower-power engine
  2. No seven seat option
  3. Prices start at £30,650
  4. Available as upmarket 'Vignale'
  5. Standard four-wheel drive
  6. Sound cancelling technology on all models
  7. DAB as standard
  8. Hands free power tailgate available on higher grades
  9. Active city braking is standard
  10. Five star EuroNCAP rating