Ford Edge 2016 Review

Ford Edge 2.0 TDCi Sport
United Kingdom launch
London, England

Set to replace Ford's Australian-made Territory after it's retired in October, the chunky new Edge is one of the Blue Oval’s most appealing looking SUVs of recent times. The only problem is it's so far only built in right-hand drive form with five seats and a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, as tested here. That leaves it wanting in the performance department, but at least the PowerShift automatic transmission delivers a smooth ride on the move. With generous room for five inside, the Edge wins on the practical side, but it'll need another two seats if it's to replace Ford's locally-made Territory.

Just what exactly is the Ford Edge? While Ford Australia doesn't want to talk about it yet, our sources confirm it's the replacement for the homegrown Territory, which ceases production forever in less than five months. We reckon it will even adopt the Territory name for Australia, where Toyota owns the Edge name.

Beyond that there are many unknowns. Will a seven-seat version be forthcoming from the RHD factory in Canada? Will a RHD version of the seven-seater made in China come here? Will Ford Oz even bother with a seven-seat version to rival the Toyota Kluger, Holden Captiva and Hyundai Santa Fe? Or will it leave the Ranger-based Everest to tempt seven-seat buyers? Will it come with a six-cylinder engine?

In Europe, the Edge sits above the Kuga as Ford's flagship SUV and, although its bigger dimensions don't offer a greater number of seats, it does give its five occupants a fair amount of space. Under that chunky SUV body is the same platform as the current Mondeo's, albeit with a slightly wider track and Ford’s latest Intelligent All-Wheel Drive transmission.

That’s right, the Edge will only be available with all-wheel drive, but it does technically spend most of its time driving just the front wheels in a bid to save fuel.

But it is the Edge’s styling that'll grab customers' attention first. In a world of increasingly homogenised styling, especially in this segment of the market, the bold look of Ford’s new SUV is very welcome. There is a whiff of Americana about it – the Edge has already seen a year of sales Stateside -- but it is more handsome than brash.

The Sport version tested here features 20-inch alloy wheels (versus 19-inch on the mid-range Titanium grade), a darker finish on the front grille and a sportier looking body kit consisting of side skirts and bumpers.

It’s worth pointing out that the latter will have a bit of a negative impact on the Edge’s off-road ability. Not that you'll be tackling any deeply rutted creeks or sand dunes in the Outback in it, but it’s got enough in its all-wheel drive transmission to cope with anything you’re likely to come across on a mini weekend adventure.

In fact, that Intelligent All-Wheel Drive transmission doesn’t just help when things get a little soft under the wheels; it can also help consume less fuel than other permanent all-wheel drive set-ups. Indeed, at less than 6.0L/100km, fuel-efficiency is much better than both the six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines in the outgoing Territory.

The AWD system uses data from 25 different sensors to determine how torque delivery should be adjusted to the front or rear axles and does so in less than 20 milliseconds. The result is an imperceptible experience that gives you plenty of traction when you need it, but seamlessly slips back into just front-wheel drive when you’re cruising on the highway.

Under the short, stubby bonnet of our test car lurked the more powerful of the two versions of the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine available in Europe. In this more potent version of the two it offers up 154kW and a useful 450Nm of torque.

It won’t win any traffic-light drag races with the 0-100km/h dash taking 9.4 seconds, and it can make a fair racket in getting up to speed under heavy load too. This despite the fact that Ford is equipping the Edge with special acoustic glass and Active Noise Control, which works much like your noise-cancelling headphones in attempting to cancel out unwanted sounds entering the cabin.

We say attempting as it doesn’t seem to make any noticeable impact on dulling the diesel engine rattle, which, when pushed that bit harder, sounds a tad harsh and can feel laboured in dragging along the 1949kg Edge.

If you just stick to slower urban driving and don’t lean on the engine too hard the Edge delivers a smooth ride and lets the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission slip between gears nicely. There are some steering wheel-mounted paddles should you want to take shifting into your own hands and there’s little in the way of lag when you do.

Carry some speed through a series of bends and the Edge will demonstrate some body roll but the suspension holds up well and it sticks to its line well through corners. The electrically assisted power steering, like that in many of the current crop of Ford cars, doesn’t deliver vast amounts of feedback through the wheel. You can place it accurately in a bend, just don’t expect much more than some mild vibration in return.

The interior makes up for the minor shortcomings on the dynamic and refinement fronts by offering ample space for five. Head and leg room in the rear won’t give any cause for complaint, even from the tallest of passengers. True, the panoramic glass sunroof option does eat into headroom a bit, but even with it fitted there’s plenty of room for the most elaborate of quiffs.

Space in the boot isn’t bad either, with 602 litres up to the luggage cover or 800 if you fill it up to the roof. Drop the rear seats and this grows to a decent 1847 litres.

Up front it’s a more minimal looking affair than that seen on previous generations of Ford cars, with many of the main controls accommodated in the SYNC2 colour touch-screen infotainment system. This can also show the reversing and front-facing cameras, the latter of which includes a wide-angle function that’s useful when pulling out of tighter traffic junctions.

Ford sees the Edge appealing to buyers in the upper end of the SUV market and reckons it can compete not only with its Japanese and Korean rivals but also nip at the heels of some more premium European brands.

It might be a stretch for it to stave off the appeal of more refined offerings from the likes of Land Rover, but the new Ford Edge has plenty of charm of its own that at least makes up for the just-above-average drive – another area in which it may not live up to the Territory.

Now all we can do is wait until mid-year for Ford Australia to reveal the local specs of its Territory successor.

2016 Ford Edge Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: TBC
On sale: TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 154kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic, AWD
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 152g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

Also consider:
>> Holden Captiva AWD (from $36,490)
>> Hyundai Santa Fe (from $38,490)
>> Toyota Kluger (from $42,190)