Crossover as they should be

The Ford Edge is a nice crossover - probably the epitome of the segment. The driver sits nice and high, but it definitely has a car-like ride. It is sporty looking, with a large chrome grille, and optional BIG chrome 18" or 20" wheels. It also gets good fuel mileage, a big selling point as fuel price seems to be a big concern going forward.

It is a large vehicle. We were replacing a Ford Escape, and this is a larger vehicle. It is several inches wider, and most of this translates into interior space. It is also longer than the escape, and most of this space went into the passenger compartment.

The interior accoutrements are well done, and nicely equipped, though there is a lot of plastic. In this price range, it is not surprising, and the overall fit & finish is nice, but some people have a problem with this, so it is notable. The center cargo area in the front seats is HUGE, which is nice for storing things like radar detectors, GPS units, even purses and notebook computers could fit. It's BIG.

Interior passenger space is very good - Front seat driver and passenger have a reasonable amount of leg room, but this vehicle really shines with the shoulder and hip room. This is a wide vehicle, and that results in great passenger compartment room, for both first and second row occupants. Head room is similarly large.

What seems to be missing is a large cargo compartment. Now, it isn't exactly small in cargo capacity, it just isn't as large as the exterior dimensions seem to indicate it will be. Ford apparently decided the space would favor passengers rather than cargo. In fact, as compared to other Ford models, it has notably less cargo room than the Explorer (with 2nd row seats up, and with the Explorer's 3rd row down) and slightly more room (mostly due to width) than the Escape. This would not necessarily be a problem for everyone, but for our use (as a family and long trip vehicle) we needed a larger cargo area. The rear seats fold, but are not completely flat.

All seats are very nice, comfortably wide and supportive. Leather is nice quality. The driver's seated position makes him / her feel in control, and provides a fairly high seating position, similar to midsize SUVs. The sunroof is large, and an available "vista roof" gives sunroof to the second row. Second row bench seats are also comfortable, and provide plenty of room for passengers, and even our daughter's rear-facing child seat fit nicely.

The only available engine, a 3.5L V-6 is adequate, with plenty of power and torque. It has a nice growl when pushed, but is extremely quiet at cruising. It is rated at 24 MPG highway, which is significantly better than most similarly-sized SUVs. It is available in front wheel drive or AWD. The Front Wheel drive version felt peppy and well connected to the road, I'm not sure how AWD could improve on it.

The suspension is set up to have a car-like ride (similar to mini vans in this regard), and Ford delivered on that. It makes the vehicle feel small and nimble (even though it is quite large).