Test Drive: 2009 Ford Edge
It's not often you can afford to buy the car favored by James Bond.
Although 007's ride in the latest movie 'Quantum of Solace'? is pimped a bit more than the Ford Edge you might find at a local dealer, the off-the-lot crossover has a lot to boast about.
Just one look at the 22-inch polished wheels and sleeker, sportier look that clearly eschews the 'mom taxi'? moniker - although it has plenty of room and extras to shuffle kids and their gear - and you know it's as much about style as it is rugged terrain.
2009 Ford Edge Appearance
The three-bar chromed grille, raked windshield, fast-sloping back window with high-mount spoiler, quad-beam headlamps - well, let's just say driver-age kids will likely take a second look at this offering.
Still want more oomph? The Sport model has an eight-piece, factory-installed body kit that includes what Ford calls a 'unique'? front air dam (complete with integrated fog lamps and a lower grille insert),
side skirts, lower door caps and a rear skirt. As an added fashion statement, those features are all finished in the car's body color on the Sport model instead of the darker finish on other models. Colors with such sassy names as 'Redfire'? keep the trend look going. This model has knock out looks.
But we all know that beauty isn't all about outward appearances.
2009 Ford Edge Performance
Candidly, the car wasn't a super performer during test drives. Braking took a bit of extra effort and acceleration was a wee bit sluggish, which was daunting at highway speeds. I own a Ford suv so those negatives were a bit of a surprise. The Edge's bulky curb weight - just over 4000 pounds - may be to blame for some of the sluggishness. In fairness, they weren't deal breakers, but they did cause me to rethink my driving style while in this model.
The Edge is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 265 horsepower, which boasts 17-mpg city/24 mpg highway ratings for front-wheel drive and 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway for all-wheel drive.
The six-speed transmission will allow the engine to burst with energy when needed. Plus the car feels solid whether on pavement or more rugged terrain - something many of its competitors can't claim.
Ford credits that sturdiness - at least in the AWD model - to an intelligent system that monitors and predicts traction, assigning torque to whichever wheels are most in need. This model also has plenty of safety features including Ford's AdvanceTrac with RSC, which helps prevents rollovers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named this model a Top Safety Pick and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave it a front and side driver five-star crash test rating.
And there's plenty of fun inside this crossover, too.
2009 Ford Edge Interior
Gadget lovers will enjoy the large center console with a removable divider and tray that allows you to organize both vertically and horizontally. Laptops, MP3 players, books, receipts - it's got the space for whatever you need to safely stash and quickly retrieve. A nifty feature is that it's also designed to keep cords for those devices separate.
Plus, there are plenty of power points, which is really what it's all about for techno nuts like me.
Both front and rear seating is comfortable and there's plenty of headroom, which you just can't take for granted anymore from some automakers. The heated front seats offer plenty of adjustment options and the back seats offer plenty of support without feeling unduly stiff. I like grab handles and they are standard on the Edge.
The rear seats and the front passenger seat fold down fairly easily. Ford noted the crossover is roomy enough to transport items as long as 8 feet. I didn't test that load capacity, but noted the 60/40 split in the rear seats offered a lot of extra space in a crossover that already boasts a sizeable cargo area.
Inside, passengers will find that the 2009 model has a soft ambient lighting system. That should take care of the fumbling that I had to do in the evenings when driving the 2008 model.
But one of the best things about the Edge's interior is the quiet. Ford notes that testing has proven that this car's interior is quieter than that of the Lexus LX 350. I don't know if that's true, but I do know the car blocks out virtually all outside road noise offering a truly peaceful ride.
For those who like options, the Edge offers a Vista Roof, which is a large 27.3 inches by 29.4 inches, and many extras such as smoked headlamp and tail lamp lenses and seat fabric options. Plus there are a host of extra options - everything from an audiophile sound system with nine speakers to dual electronic climate control and fold-flat six-way power passenger seat.
In closing, the Ford Edge is a roomy crossover with plenty of extras that even super spies could love.