The Ford Edge has sharp looks, a roomy cabin with lots of equipment and a massive boot. Alternatives are higher quality with better infotainment, though, and there’s no petrol option
wowscore
6/10
This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
Good interior space
Generous boot space
Standard equipment
What's not so good
Material quality inside
No petrol option
Dated infotainment system
Find out more about the Ford Edge
Is the Ford Edge a good car?
If you want a large SUV that offers great space and lots of standard equipment but won’t blend in with the glut of SUVs on sale today, the Ford Edge makes a strong case for itself.
The Edge has been around in North America since the mid-2000s, but first crossed the Atlantic back in 2016. While it’s eclipsed by huge pick-ups stateside, it’s currently Ford’s largest SUV in the UK, and after a 2018 facelift does battle with upmarket alternatives such as the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC as well as the Mazda CX-5 and Skoda Kodiaq.
You certainly won’t mistake the Ford Edge for any of those SUVs from the outside. It has a brazen US-centric look with a gaping grille made even more distinctive as part of its facelift, while the whole front of the car is an imposing, bluff design that helps accentuate its ride height. At the back its steeply raked pillars and wide boot give it a butch stance.
Inside things are a little more restrained, mainly because the Edge doesn’t have Ford’s latest interior design – like you’ll find in its new Focus. There are large soft touch areas on the dash and doors and plenty of piano black chrome accents dotted around to lift the mood, but ultimately the Edge fails to wow like its German alternatives do. Its switches and air vents, in particular, feel flimsier to use.
Every Ford Edge comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that feels similarly dated. Sure, it gets DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the on-screen graphics look more Nokia 3310 than iPhone X and it isn’t particularly responsive. The standard 12.3-inch digital driver’s display is nice to have, but again, lags behind Audi and BMW’s units visually.
Space is not an issue, though. BFG-like adults will feel comfy in the front seats, while the driver has all the adjustment he or she could possible need at the seat and wheel. Meanwhile another couple of fictional giants can sit behind with generous amounts of knee and head room. Even a third passenger in the back isn’t much of a squeeze, although there’s no seven-seat option. The Edge’s boot, though, is bigger in size than all but a Skoda Kodiaq’s.
Ford is chasing the premium SUV market with its Edge, and in terms of space it has most alternatives licked. But it’s hard to overlook that the usual German trio are better built inside
The Ford Edge comes with a choice of two turbocharged diesel engines, both 2.0-litres in size, but with two power outputs: an entry-level 150hp and a biturbo with 238hp. The 150hp is front-wheel drive, the 238hp is four-wheel drive, but both engines come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The more powerful engine was introduced with the Edge’s 2018 facelift and there’s lots to like. It’s quiet for starters, it works well with the also-new automatic gearbox and there’s plenty of low down pull for towing or overtaking, if no scintillating pace. However, most people will be better off with the 150hp diesel: it’s cheaper to buy, comes with the same great gearbox, uses less fuel and most won’t mind its even more leisurely performance.
Part of the performance problem is just how heavy the Edge is – all models weigh more than two tonnes. As such it’s no sports car in tight corners, where even the ST-Line model with its stiffer sports suspension feels bulky to hustle down a winding country road. That’s not helped by steering that’s vague, nor that sports suspension which is too firm over bumps. It’s best to stick with the Edge’s standard suspension for the best comfort, although even then its German alternatives are all more comfy full stop.
The Ford Edge comes in three distinct forms, the entry-level but well-equipped Titanium trim, the sporty ST-Line or the luxurious Vignale. Only the Titanium comes with the lesser 150hp diesel engine, while the ST-Line and Vignale get the 238hp unit. In all its forms the Edge looks expensive next to a CX-5 or Kodiaq, being priced more in line with the more premium Q5, X3 and GLC, but see what you could save on our Ford Edge deals pages.
And for more in-depth info on the Ford Edge, check out our interior, practicality and driving pages.
How practical is it?
Those who need to carry seven should look elsewhere, but the Ford Edge is extremely spacious for five people and their luggage
The Ford Edge is actually based on the Ford S-Max MPV underneath and there’s no doubt that space is generous, even if you can’t seat seven
Boot (seats up)
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Boot (seats down)
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Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – the Ford Edge only seats five people. This means it’ll accommodate as many passengers as the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC, but isn’t quite as family-friendly as the seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan Allspace.
Very tall adults will feel more than comfortable in the front seats, and the steering wheel and driver’s seat come with plenty of electric adjustment to help you find your perfect seating position.
Space in the back is just as generous. There’s space for a six-foot passenger to sit behind an equally tall driver without worrying about their knees touching the seat in front. And, there’s plenty of space for passengers to tuck their feet under the front seats – even when they’re in their lowest position.
On the odd occasion you’ll need to carry three adults across the rear seats, the Edge’s wide cabin handles it well. The rear floor is almost completely flat and, unlike in some SUVs, the Ford Edge’s central rear seat isn’t any harder than the outer two and there’s a decent amount of shoulder room. And there’s more good news: if you fancy adding the optional panoramic sunroof, rear headroom isn’t compromised.
The Ford Edge’s wide rear door opening also makes it a doddle to lift in a child seat. Although, you might find it a touch tricky to locate the Isofix anchor points under the seat padding.
You won’t be searching around for places to throw your odds and sods in the Ford Edge. Both front door bins are easily big enough to swallow a large water bottle. The glove box is capable of carrying much more than just a pair of gloves and there’s a cubby at the base of the dashboard in front of the gear selector that’ll handle your phone and some keys.
There are two cup holders on the centre console that’ll hold a couple of frappuccinos firmly in place and behind these, beneath the central armrest, you’ll find yet another large cubby that’ll take a small water bottle plus your phone, wallet and keys.
The rear door bins aren’t quite as large as those in the front, but you’d never call them stingy, and the Edge’s felt-lined front seatback pockets feel sturdy enough to transport heavy books or a laptop. Flip down the rear armrest and you’ll find a further two cup holders.
With 602 litres of boot space, the Ford Edge has around 10% more outright space than a Q5, X3, GLC and CX-5, and is only trumped by the freakishly-big Skoda Kodiaq.
In reality, a family living with the Edge will have absolutely no issues with boot space. The boot’s nice and square, there’s no annoying load lip and a powered boot lid comes as standard. Inside, you’ll fit three large suitcases with ease and a pushchair will go in without any fuss.
If there’s one slight downside, it’s that the Ford Edge doesn’t come with 40:20:40 split folding rear seats, instead, it gets a 60:40 set-up offering less flexible space. Still, with the rear seats folded down there’s no ridge to get in the way when you slide longer items through to the front seats and bicycle will go in no problem. You even get a set of buttons beside the boot lid to flip the seats down automatically in ST-Line and Vignale models.
What's it like to drive?
The Ford Edge comes with good diesel engines and a slick automatic gearbox, but it’d be nice to see a petrol option and it weighs quite a bit more than most alternatives
The Edge isn’t short of power or torque, but it’s no sprinter weighing this much. Two tonnes a lot amongst its SUV peers
Every Ford Edge comes with a diesel engine and an automatic gearbox as standard. The entry-level 150hp 2.0-litre unit in Titanium models certainly isn’t fast – the 0-62mph sprint takes a pretty leisurely 11 seconds – and it isn’t particularly economical, either. You can expect to see around 45mpg in normal driving conditions.
If you fancy something a little faster – or want your Edge with four-wheel drive – pick the more powerful 238hp 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel in higher-spec ST-Line and Vignale models. This engine is impressively quiet and very smooth but it still doesn’t feel particularly fast – accelerating from 0-62mph still takes a pretty relaxed 9.6 seconds. The standard four-wheel-drive system can disengage drive to the rear wheels to help save fuel, but it still loses out in terms of running costs to the less powerful diesel model. You’ll have to make do with around 40mpg in normal driving conditions.
The eight-speed automatic gearbox is the same regardless of which engine you choose. It can be a little jerky changing gear at slow speeds, but it goes about its business smoothly and quietly once you’re cruising along a B road or on the motorway. The Ford Edge comes with some paddles behind the steering wheel if you prefer to choose when to change gear yourself, but the gearbox is pretty slow to respond so you’re better off letting it do its thing instead.
Neither comfort nor handling is the Ford Edge’s strongest suits. Titanium and Vignale models come on standard suspension which manages to soak up smaller ruts and bumps well enough, but does feel less settled over bigger bumps at low speeds in town.
The ST-Line model has stiffer suspension in a bid to make it corner without leaning a great deal, but this also means it feels firmer over all bumps at all speeds. In fact, larger bumps are borderline uncomfortable. The ST-Line model’s large wheels and sportier tyres produce a louder rumbling sound at motorway speeds than you’ll hear in Titanium and Vignale models, too.
If you’re hoping all this makes ST-Line models fun to drive, you’ll be disappointed. Every Ford Edge weighs more than two tonnes and the steering is quite slow and feels disconnected so charging down a country road with lots of tight bends isn’t going to have you smiling. In truth, none of the Edge’s alternatives will have you grinning from ear to ear, but they all provide more confidence when driving through corners quickly.
In town, the Edge’s turning circle is nothing special and its vast size makes it difficult to dart in and out of traffic with confidence. The distant windscreen and huge bonnet make it feel particularly unwieldy too, but at least the standard front and rear parking sensors are on hand to help guide you into tight parking spaces, while Ford’s Active Park Assist option will assess spaces and do the steering for you.
If you’d rather let the car do the work on long motorway journeys it’s possible to add Ford’s Driver’s Assistance pack. This includes a system that’ll brake, accelerate and even steer to keep you between the white lines, as long as you keep your hands on the wheel.
What's it like inside?
The Ford Edge is billed as a premium SUV but the fact is that alternative premium SUVs from Audi, BMW and Mercedes do the job far better inside
