Two decades ago when the sport utility vehicle was really taking off as a segment in the in the American market, the Ford Explorer was the hottest ticket in town and they were selling as fast as Ford could churn them out. Despite the name, there really wasn’t anything particularly sporty about these truck-based wagons and there was no pretense to actual high-performance or even decent handling. As the 1990s turned into the 21st century, the market shifted from old-school SUVs to car-based crossovers and even sports car stalwarts like Porsche got into the action. Somehow, in 2015 we’re now in a place where despite its high-riding stance, many CUVs can be considered serious performance machines including the all-new 2015 Ford Edge Sport.
Like the original Edge that debuted almost nine years ago, this one shares its basic bones with the midsize Fusion sedan. However, while those incarnations of the Edge and Fusion had their roots in a Mazda platform, Ford’s trans-Pacific relationship ended several years back and the new iterations have been developed in-house by a combined team of engineers from Dearborn and Cologne, Germany. Since its debut in 2012, the current Fusion has generally been considered to have some of the best driving dynamics in the midsize segment, making it a good place to start for the sport edition of the new Edge.
Visually, the original Edge always stood out from the segment with its bold chrome three-bar grille and its broad-shouldered stance. This chunky, linebacker look was particularly accentuated on the Sport with its 22-inch alloy wheels. The three-bar grille has been discarded as Ford’s corporate face in favor of the hexagonal look that debuted on the Fusion. While that Aston Martin-inspired shape has now permeated Ford’s car lineup, the Edge has a different interpretation that is more of a stretched hexagon with two horizontal bars.
Click here to compare specs of the 2014 and 2015 Edge Sport
In combination with the sculpted flanks and up-to-date lighting, the overall appearance of the Edge is now significantly more sophisticated and grown-up. The proportions of the new Edge have changed as a result of the the nearly four-inches of extra length while the width has been cut by 1.7-inches and the roof is 1.6-inches taller. Non-sport versions of the Edge ride on alloy wheels available in 18, 19 or 20-inch diameter sizes. The Sport gets standard 20-inch rolling stock but my tester had the optional 21-inch Y-spoke wheels wrapped in Pirelli 265/40ZR21 P-Zeros. That’s some serious rubber to be putting on any vehicle, but Ford has set the Edge up to make sure it’s not just a poseur, but the driver can actually take advantage of it.
Inside, the same upgraded materials and finish that Ford has applied to its other recent redesigns are present in the Edge. The dash flows cleanly into the center stack and down into the console. The leather trimmed seats have suede inserts and the fronts have both heating and cooling for those hot summer days. The driver’s seat gets 10-way power adjustment and three-position memory. The old Edge didn’t make the best use of its girth when it came to providing passenger room so despite the slimmer profile of the new model, shoulder room has increased in both rows of seats. With the extra height and length, the Edge easily accommodates five adults now while cargo space is also up by 4.5 cubic feet. My test unit also had the full-length panoramic glass moon-roof which provided a view of the sky even when it was hot enough to justify cranking up the A/C instead opening the roof panel.
The only real weakness I found in the interior is the MyFord Touch infotainment system. While it has been improved over the years, the interface still has small touch targets and it wasn’t as responsive as it should be. Tapping a button would trigger some very slow screen refreshes. When the 2016 models start production this fall, MyFord Touch will be replaced with SYNC 3 which should dramatically improve all aspects of the system. One positive aspect of MFT and SYNC is that it does reconnect with paired phones much more quickly than many other infotainment systems when the car is started and hopefully that will be retained in the new system.
Propulsion for the Edge Sport is provided by Ford’s newest EcoBoost engine, the 2.7-liter twin-turbo “Nano” V6 that debuted last fall in the F-150. In the more constricted transverse-mounted package of the Edge, this engine still produces an impressive 315-horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque and like other EcoBoost powerplants, that torque comes on quickly and remains active throughout the operating range. Car and Driver clocked the Edge Sport 0-60 mph acceleration at 5.6-seconds and this one never left me waiting for thrust. The 2.7 also sounds good, nothing like the scream of the new GT350 but it has a note when you step on it that says it’s ready to run. When not accelerating hard or just cruising on the highway, the Edge is very quiet even with those very wide tires.
Tractive force is sent through Ford’s current six-speed automatic transaxle and distributed to all four wheels as driver demand and available traction permit. One of the advantages of Ford’s integral-link independent suspension from the Fusion is its ability to let the wheels move in response to road contours while keeping everything else stable. While the larger, heavier Edge and its big wheels and tires isn’t as supple as the Fusion, it’s far more comfortable than anything with this size of rolling stock has any right to be.
One of the more interesting technical features of the new Edge is the adaptive steering. BMW debuted its active steering system more than a decade ago with a system that dynamically changed the steering ratio on the fly through a complex mechanism acting on the steering rack. The system that debuts on the Edge is all built right into the steering wheel hub using a servo motor and planetary gearset to vary the angle between the wheel and column. The advantage is that at higher speeds the ratio can be reduced for better stability on the highway while at lower speeds a higher ratio improves maneuverability. The system works seamlessly and has the desired effect.
Another tech feature that makes life easier in parking lots is the active park assist. Previous iterations of this system available since 2010 have only supported parallel parking. The new generation system available on the Edge and the refreshed 2016 Explorer adds perpendicular parking just like the system used by Chrysler on the 200. As you approach an area where you want to park, just press the park assist button to the left of the shifter (once for parallel, a second press for perpendicular) and then follow the directions on the central screen. As you slowly move forward, the side-looking ultrasonic sensors will measure the available spaces. When it finds a space that can accommodate the Edge, the system will tell you stop and shift to reverse. From that point, you just ease off the brake pedal so the vehicle can move and then it takes care of the steering. When it’s all done, it tells you to shift to park. The system worked flawlessly every time. Other advanced driver assist features available on the Edge are adaptive cruise control, lane keeping system, blindspot monitor and a camera mounted in the grille that can look sideways as you pull out of parking spots or other tight spaces where you might not be able to see other cars coming.
The EPA rates the Edge Sport at 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. In my week with the Edge, I averaged about 19 mpg but cruising at highway speeds the gauge indicated mid-to-upper 20s. That’s better than what I achieved last fall with the smaller Lincoln MKC with the less powerful 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder. The front-wheel-drive 2.0-liter EcoBoost Edge starts at $28,100 but the Sport will set you back a minimum of $10,000 more. As equipped for this evaluation with all-wheel-drive, the vista roof, bigger wheels and driver-assist features, the Edge Sport stickers at $47,000. It’s not inexpensive by any means but it’s attractive, fast, surprisingly nimble and roomy enough for five. The Edge Sport isn’t going to compete with a Porsche Cayenne GTS or BMW X6M, but it also only costs half as much or less. If you live in northern climes and you opt for the 21-inch wheels, you’ll also want to budget for a set of proper winter tires and extra wheels so you can swap out in the spring and fall while driving a truly sporting utility vehicle year-round.
Click here for full specifications of the 2015 Ford Edge
