The first generation Ford Edge, launched in 2006, was offered in four trim levels. Its top-drawer Sport included an AM/FM stereo with six-disc in-dash CD/MP3 player and SYNC in-car connectivity system. Ford announced earlier this year that second generation Edge will get a mid-cycle facelift, featuring fresh interior colour combinations, a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen surround-sound system, SYNC 3 and a range of camera- and sensor-based driver assistance technologies. Continuing QUBE/just-auto's review of interior design and technology trends, we take a closer look inside the ST-Line to see what else gives this facelifted model the Edge.
Ford SUV sales were up 24 per cent last year, driven by strong demand for EcoSport, Kuga and Edge. The carmaker sold 230,600 SUVs in 2017, approaching 1 in 5 of every new Ford vehicle sold in Europe. More than 26,000 second generation Edge SUVs have now been sold to customers across Europe since its launch in 2016, including 16,000 in 2017. Rivals to the Edge include the likes of the VW Touareg, Volvo XC60 and Hyundai Santa Fe.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The recently added Ford Edge ST-Line – and the one that we took out and about this week – heads up the carmaker's SUV family in Europe. There is no denying that this sharply edged full-size SUV with chrome-lined front grille has an imposing road presence and attracts attention.
Its bulky exterior gives it plenty of room on the inside, too. The cavernous cabin provides more than enough room to seat five tall adults without any complaints. The light and airy space is further helped by the panoramic glass roof although this does slightly reduce the amount of headroom in the back. The rear seats can be folded flat in a jiffy by pushing a lever on either side (marketed as EasyFold). Wave your foot under the rear bumper and the powered boot lid and tuneful melody are activated.
Trim levels offered on the Edge are the Vignale, Titanium, Trend and sportier ST-Line, replacing the previously named Sport trim. The Edge features Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system, enabling drivers to control connected smartphones, audio, sat-nav and climate using voice commands and an eight-inch colour touchscreen. Everything is laid out in a logical manner with minimal time spent fiddling with touchscreen buttons and dials to fathom it all out.
Audio-wise, the Edge features a B&O PLAY sound system that has been specially tuned for the model. This means that a ten-channel digital sound processor is used to control and equalise each speaker, ensuring an even sound distribution throughout the cabin.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataDirectly ahead of the driver sits a reconfigurable 3D digital instrument cluster that allows personalisation of the layout of the speedometer, rev-counter and vehicle information displays. Other creature comforts include heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. During a week in which Britain enjoyed its highest temperatures this year – soaring to a sweltering 32 degrees C in some parts of the country – the cooled perforated leather seats and dual-zone climate control in the ST-Line made it a comfortable place to spend time behind the wheel. And so it should be for GBP45,000, including a few options.
A redesigned centre console features a new rotary gearshift dial for the eight-speed automatic transmission that liberates space and allows easier access to the wireless charging pad, nestled in the front console – another useful feature. An electronic parking brake button in place of a conventional parking brake lever also helps maximise space and houses adjustable cup holders and a deep storage box with enough space for books, toys and electronic tablets. An even larger swing-bin glovebox sits under the dashboard and further storage is available in the instrument panel top. We also appreciated the ambient interior lighting, illuminated scuff plates and 220 volt three-pin UK domestic power socket found in the centre console.
All the above helps to enhance the vehicle's classy, sporty interior feel. With that in mind, we caught up with Sonja Vandenberk, Colour & Materials Chief Designer at Ford Europe while at the Geneva motor show earlier this year to discuss interior design and technology trends. While seated in an Edge ST-Line gently rotating on a turntable, we asked when a new buyer jumps into a Ford ST-Line, how should you like them to feel? She said: "We are very dedicated about how we want people in the ST-Line to feel … creating a 'cocooning feel' without distracting the driver too much. So it is really about giving customers that sporty feel while at the same time offering a comfortable drive."
Acoustic sidelites
Since the first vehicle appeared in Europe with PVB acoustic windscreen – the Renault Clio II – the number of vehicles being fitted with acoustic glazing is gradually increasing. Acoustic side windows, however, are less prevalent. As demand for laminated sidelites increases, this could, in turn, result in more vehicle makers incorporating acoustic side windows. The Edge incorporates acoustic side windows, helping to deflect wind and road noise from entering the cabin. The Edge – along with other Ford models – features Active Noise Control that uses sound waves to cancel out the frequency of road noise and diesel clatter.
Heated windscreen
In the 1980s, some automakers discovered the benefit of laminated glass as a way of introducing new functionalities in glass. It started with antennae: a fine metal wire was embedded in the PVB by use of a heated needle before final lamination and provided radio reception through the windscreen. Shortly thereafter came the defrosting system in the rear window by use of heating wires. A system similar to the antennae was used to embed tiny tungsten wires in the PVB, allowing the vehicle maker to offer an aesthetic solution for defrosting the rear window. Mercedes-Benz was the first user of this technology which has eventually migrated to windscreen. Ford is currently the main user and the Edge is amongst its models that has one, known as 'Quickclear'.
Advanced driver assistance systems
The Edge incorporates a suite of driver-assist features including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking and something Ford called Evasive Steering Assist. Designed to operate at city and motorway speeds, it uses radar and a camera to detect slower-moving and stationary vehicles ahead and provides steering support to enable drivers to manoeuvre around a vehicle if a collision is imminent.
Ford is aiming to have an SAE Level 4 autonomous car in commercial operation by 2021 and wants to have 'high volume' (over 100,000 units a year) to maximise the business opportunity via ride-hailing or ride-sharing. Ford sees a major opportunity to exploit 'transportation as a service' in urban areas during the 2020s and by 2030 it forecasts that AVs will account for 20 percent of all vehicle sales.
The interior of some cars certainly feel more like a living room and that will increase when Level 5 fully autonomous cars come along. So we asked Sonja Vandenberk for her thoughts on the ways in which the autonomous car could change the look and feel of a Ford cabin? Smiling while rubbing her hands, she said: "Ah, this is going to be heaven! So we are now at stage 2 or 3 autonomous levels. The car we are sitting in [Edge ST-Line] can do pretty much everything but it still needs you, as a driver, to remain alert and take control when required. But in a fully autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel, the interior can be anything. From a designer's point of view, where my passion is interior design, then it's a blank canvas. It could be an office, a shop, anything. So the most important areas are going to be how we make these decisions and how we actually understand how this car will be used. Who are we going to offer it to? Who is going to buy it? Will it be just one person or one owner? Or is it going to be a different kind of ownership model? Based on that, we will have a tool to help us make these decisions. Otherwise, we can imagine a whole bunch of designers just having an amazing time drawing all these interiors!"
Other useful ADAS technologies on the Edge that help to park in towns and built-up areas include Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Steering, Active Park Assist with Perpendicular Parking (automatically steers you into a parking slot while you operate the pedals), Side Parking Aid and Park Out Assist that helps drivers pull out of parking spaces.
Ford's cross traffic alert with blind spot monitoring system uses radar to alert the presence of cross-path traffic while in reverse, and, in forward gears, warn when a vehicle enters the blind spot. The traffic alert with blind spot monitor is a radar-based blind spot detection system with the additional capability to help drivers reverse out of a parking space with confidence even when there is traffic approaching from the sides.
Some of the above technologies require cameras. Ford has come up with a way to keep salt, snow, ice and dirt off of the front and rearview cameras. By using tiny washer jets for the cameras, a fine mist is sprayed onto the lens, dissolving dirt, ice and snow. The washer operates when the front or rear windshield washer system is activated and uses the same fluid. The feature is designed to provide greater peace of mind for drivers and was developed with Bowles Fluidics, based in Columbia, Maryland. The system was launched with the F-150 and front view camera washing is also available on the Edge. The application for Edge takes the innovation a step further, with a telescoping feature on the front washer that was adapted for North American customers from a headlamp washing feature commonly found in Europe.
Active front steering
Active Front Steering (AFS) was developed and launched by BMW in 2003 and is fitted to a number of models, including the 3 and 5 Series. AFS varies the steering transmission ratio electronically in direct relation to the style and speed of driving and road conditions. Under normal road conditions at low and medium speeds, the steering becomes more direct, requiring less steering effort of the driver, increasing the car's agility in city traffic or when parking. At high speeds, the steering becomes less direct offering improved directional stability. When cornering at high speeds, or when undertaking sudden movements, the steering stiffens up by monitoring increases in the yaw rate.
Way back in September 2015 – during the IAA show in Frankfurt – Ford revealed that its second generation Edge will feature adaptive steering, making it easier for drivers to manoeuvre a vehicle at low speeds while making the vehicle more fun to drive and agile at high speeds. The system – created in collaboration with engineers from TKAG, a German automotive supplier – uses a precision-controlled actuator placed inside the steering wheel, and requires no change to a vehicle's traditional steering system. The actuator – an electric motor and gearing system – can essentially add to or subtract from a driver's steering inputs. The result is a better driving experience at all speeds, regardless of vehicle size or class. The ST-Line offers active steering if you are prepared fork out an extra GBP475.
On balance, the interior of the Ford Edge is spacious and well thought through with lots of kit to justify the price. Although it lacks a third row of seats, the luggage space is provided in a practical square shape. Plenty of cup-holders, cubby holes and a range of power sockets dotted around are welcome. The car's fuel economy lived up to expectations, too. Fully loaded up with passengers and the sat-nav set for the coast, the 2.0-litre diesel engine delivered enough oomph when needed. While the headlined combined fuel economy is 47.9 mpg, our spin covering motorways, country roads and crawling town traffic came close to that average. For these reasons alone, this SUV has the Edge over its rivals.
