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Ford Edge Crossover: Not on the Edge?


We know that Ford is counting on its new Edge crossover to help lift it out of its doldrums. But when I watched Autoline Detroit today, Motor Trend's Frank Markus had a few unkind words to say about the Edge. At first glance, things look good for Ford's newest baby: the Edge is smack dab in the middle of a hot segment, it's got the right styling, and Ford has taken extreme measures to make sure that quality is up to snuff (including the hiring of Toyota personnel). However, Markus recently took a drive in the Edge and offered these observations: the Edge is heavy (over two tons) almost as heavy as the Explorer and yet only offers seating for five. The six speed automatic does not offer manual gear selection and the stability control is "incredibly aggressive."

It's true that Markus is coming from a sporting perspective and that many buyers will not notice the limited transmission gear selection and "mind your manners" stability control. Will the curb weight issue impact buyer's decision? Few people look directly at weight in this segment but they do look at performance and economy. Markus admitted that the 3.5L V-6 hauled the Edge around okay, so then the question becomes does the six speed auto give the Edge decent economy numbers? As for the five seater conundrum, we know that the platform can produce a seven seater, ala the Mazda CX-9, so the Edge could spawn a larger model. Given that many of the Edge's competitors offer the option of seating seven, this requirement should already have been factored into Ford's product planning and I'll make the assumption that they have something in the works (other than the Freestyle, that is).

As for the rest of Autoline Detroit, the main guest was GM's head of design Ed Welburn. Unfortunately, Welburn didn't let fly with any nuggets of new information. I really don't like interview segments like this because although everyone comes out smelling like a rose, we're really no better off for the time invested in watching the program. It's my belief that if you go on a specialty program like this, you've got to make the assumption that your audience is reasonably savvy and deserves to hear something new.