Ford has been on a bit of a roll of late in creating appealing cars, such as the Fusion, Focus, and Mustang. The redesigned Edge five-seat crossover shows a dynamic polish and upscale cabin that befits a prestige-branded model. Deserving of a "Most Improved" trophy, the Edge brings newfound handling agility, interior refinement, and overall premium feel to the nameplate, turning it into a competitive midsized SUV.
The secret lies in the platform the Edge shares with the Ford Fusion sedan, another model that punches above its weight class. The Fusion's chassis delivers sublime cornering feel, and it carries over to the Edge.
It may seem a diametrically opposed pairing, but the new Edge combines the crisp handling feel of an Audi Q5 with the refined ride quality of a Lexus RX. For those unfamiliar with suspension engineering, understand that this is a near-impossible task.
But Ford has succeeded to great effect, gracing the Edge with athletic, responsive handling. Fitted with a better electric steering system than most peers, the Edge feels taut and sporty at speed, with the steering becoming light and easy to operate when parking or maneuvering the urban jungle. Yet on the open road, the suspension delivers ride comfort that is just the right side of feeling isolated.
The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine in our test car delivers linear acceleration without the infamous initial "turbo lag" hesitation. By the stopwatch, this powertrain is a bit slower than its rivals, but by the seat of the pants, response and smoothness is on par with a V6. Unfortunately, the turbo engine drinks like a man lost in the desert, at 21 mpg overall in our tests. That's also on par with several faster V6-powered rivals.
A traditional 3.5-liter V6 is available, but its rough character and ravenous appetite for gasoline makes it the least desirable of the options. A twin-turbo 2.7-liter brings some serious hustle to the Edge, although it can only be had with the Sport trimline. An unobtrusive six-speed transmission is paired with all three engines.
Inside, the Edge's styling is austere and formal, with soft-touch surfaces and clever conveniences. The broad hood, deep dashboard, and thick, steeply raked windshield pillars give the Edge some unusual, larger-than-life proportions from behind the wheel. Shorter drivers struggled to get the right seat settings to reach the pedals, and large drivers felt restricted by the seat bolsters. Thick roof pillars challenge rearward visibility -- meaning you'll want the optional blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert systems.
The Edge has bright, easy-to-read gauges. But the switchgear for the climate controls is tightly packed and mounted inconveniently low. The next-gen Sync 3 infotainment system replaces the frustrating MyFord Touch system for 2016. With big on-screen buttons and a streamlined touch-screen interface, it delivers big improvements in ease-of-use and system response speed.
The generous second-row space offers abundant leg, knee, and head room, and the seats give good support. The power liftgate whirrs open to expose generous cargo space, with a flat load floor. Roomy quarters, front to back, provide family-sized accommodations.
If you want surface-level glitz, this business-like SUV loses out to more showy rivals like the Nissan Murano. But if you want a rewarding driving experience from a crossover, here Ford has the edge.