Most of the attention Ford is picking up during the press preview days at NYIAS 2015 centers on the new 2016 Ford Focus RS and, of course, the halo car GT the automaker unveiled in Detroit earlier this year. But, there’s a new performance vehicle in Ford’s lineup already for 2015, and I got a chance to drive it through the Valley of the Sun recently before heading to New York.
New for this year, the Edge Sport adds a higher performance and trim option to the Edge model for a price of about $38,400 — $10K more than the base Edge. For that money, you get a 2.7 liter V6, offering 315 horsepower and an MPG rating of 18/27.
Inside the cabin, you get SYNC with MyFord Touch, Rearview Camera, Dual Zone Temperature Controls, power everything, leather-wrapped and adjustable steering wheel and (most importantly9 for driving enthusiasts) specially tuned sports suspension for tighter and (obviously) sportier feel.
Related: NYIAS 2015: Subaru Legacy Road Review
The external, smoothed styling — with its additional bling on the wheels and exhaust — is well in keeping with the current trend in small SUVs and crossovers like the Edge. Automakers are making these vehicles wider and lower — hedging their bets smack between car and SUV in an attempt to make lure buyers from both classes, while making less intimidating vehicles with greater cargo and people carrying capability.
The outward appearance offers the only real quibble with the Edge Sport as I can name better looking crossovers. This one still looks a little bulbous — a bit like a stubby bug riding high on expensive wheels. But, it’s no hatchback, and that bulk is needed to get you and your swag from A to B.
The interior styling from like of Anthony Prozzi and his design teams is well in keeping with Ford’s current design language — serving up a nice mix of dark master colors and metallic flash.
That sport tuning I mentioned comes to the fore once you settle in behind the wheel. With Ford specializing in squeezing maximum power out of the smallest possible engine, the Edge Sport has ample power getting in and out traffic or pushing ahead on the open highway. More surprisingly, for a vehicle its size, the tuning offers some quickness away from stoplight congestion.
The tuning brings comforting balance, and the Edge Sport never feels like it’s riding too high or threatening roll instability. For a ride its size, it also does a nice job minimizing understeer or oversteer. For the money, it seems to fulfill that crossover assignment of serving as both urban transport and a long haul option.
At north of $30K, the Edge Sport is not the most affordable crossover option. It sets near the top of Ford’s trim list for the vehicle, so it’s for the crossover or small SUV buyer who wants a little more life out of his or her urban transport. It requires a driving enthusiast committed to the joy of transportation more so than the economy of it. If you fit that category, it’s good news that the Edge landed in the Ford model line.
