There he stands now, the Ford Edge. An expansive wagon of 4,81 meters in length and at prices from 42.900 euros. For the money there is a 132 kW / 180 PS strong diesel engine that is approved according to the 5,8 l / 100 km standard. For the more powerful version (154 kW / 210 PS), an 7.200 Euro surcharge applies - the consumption is the same. There is no more choice (yet), all the wheels are driven, and prospective customers with petrol in their blood have to import a US model. Keyword USA. The Edge has been available there for many years. And anyway - Ford off-road vehicles are not a new topic, even the great Explorer has been around in Germany.
But the Edge is more beautiful, more stylish, somehow not a real off-road vehicle with its flat roof. Therefore, there is no reduction or mechanical locks. Overall vehicle development chief Matthias Tonn explains that the manufacturer even contemplates a front-wheel drive variant. Only embarrassing if you get stuck in the snow with an SUV.
Ford speaks of a premium SUV. At least the outer look is convincing right away. The large all-rounder makes a valuable, solid impression, seems a bit exclusive - it may be due to the coupé-like silhouette. The jagged headlights exude a touch of futurism, and the grill, colored black depending on the model line, turns the effect into a sporty one. On the other hand, the big Ford is not that emotional. Not that it is poorly made, but there is a matter-of-factness in the choice of materials - gray plastic surfaces dominate. Perhaps the more luxurious Vignale versions have to do it with an increase in the amount of cowhide used. For this purpose, the control elements are presented in a similarly tidy manner as in the models Galaxy and Mondeo, and the navigation system is impressive. Above all, the electronics pilot works quickly and precisely. The large touchscreen reacts sensitively to input commands - so in addition to navigation control, general zapping through the menus is really fun. The infotainment range of the instrument cluster with a mix of fixed scales and TFT surface is continued: This means that the arrows for the route guidance can be seen without taking your eyes off the road.
Speaking of the street. At the push of a button, the two-liter diesel comes to life, sometimes tugging the axles with single and sometimes double charging. That means: under non-slip conditions, it initially only tugs on the front axle. As soon as a bit of slip occurs, the multi-plate clutch in the center differential also distributes the torque to the rear wheels. Works so quickly in practice that there are no drive influences. This also applies to the 210 horse edition. It is wilder on paper than in reality. The strong Edge is by no means a slow car, but also not a striker. With a subtle emphasis, the engine, which sounds only weakly thanks to obviously lush insulation, sets the 4 × 4 in motion and mimics the sovereign glider. The 180 HP variant only makes it slightly more phlegmatic (9,9 to 9,4 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h), but does not appear quite as distinguished by the manual transmission. The shift lever engages precisely, but every engagement briefly shakes the passenger compartment. Some fine tuning could help here.
If only the basic machine were available with an automatic system. Swam over it. The Edge bounces outstandingly and lies well on the road. It has an almost unshakable straight line and effortlessly winds up the route, even at high speed if necessary. This Ford is the best touring car of the brand currently in the program. One, by the way, to whom active and passive safety are just as common as practical use - after all, more than 1.800 liters of luggage can be invited. The engineers have also packed everything imaginable in technology into the Edge - from the autonomous braking system and the parking meter to the radar control. In addition, there are belt airbags in the rear - a feature that is otherwise only available in the classy Mercedes S-Class. And of course, nightly streets are illuminated as required with adaptive LED headlights. For an additional 2.750 euro, even air-conditioned armchairs can be moved into the interior. It will be interesting to see which clientele the Edge will poach. Because while it makes a good BMW X5 competitor in terms of dimensions, the engine range fits more into the middle class. Ultimately, it too is based on the same platform as Galaxy and Mondeo. And they belong to the middle class, albeit with a slight excess length.
