Michael writes:
For the past decade my daily driver has been a 2007 F-150, now sold. It’s time for something lighter and smaller to drive around the city in, not having enough need of a truck any longer to warrant keeping one. As an example of the drastic downsizing we were wanting to do, initially we’d ordered an Escape, believing it to be large enough to meet the need.
When that didn’t work out as planned, we revisited the decision and decided to order an Edge instead. The extra couple of inches in every dimension makes for a much more livable vehicle for two large people and a dog, without sacrificing much suburban city maneuverability. Neither of us liked driving the Explorer much, and we don’t need the interior space offered by the Flex. We’ve decided on a fully loaded AWD model with all the latest electronic gadgetry as this will be another decade long ownership experience.
So the problem isn’t so much what vehicle to buy, but what engine, as the Edge is available with three.
- Ecoboost 2.0-liter turbo — rated at 28 mpg highway (the vehicle’s primary use will be highway), so fuel economy is a definite plus. I’m old enough to remember when even V8s had <200 hp, so at least on paper this engine should be plenty. It’s the one we’re initially leaning towards for lowest initial purchase cost and lowest operating costs, while retaining adequate power for freeway driving. It even retains the vehicle’s optional 3,500 pound towing capacity. The disadvantage though is I’m guessing there’s a greater risk of not meeting that wonderfully close to 30 mpg target if I spend most of my time driving it with foot to the floor making full use of the turbo.
- 3.5-liter V6 — rated at 25 mpg highway, this option seems the conservative choice. On paper it doesn’t seem to offer anything over the four-cylinder, while offering worse fuel economy at 25 mpg. For those who absolutely can’t stand the thought of possible issues down the road with a turbo (not me, even with the planned decade ownership time frame) this seems an obvious choice. For me, I think I’d stick with the standard turbo four over needing a six-cylinder. Even a few MPG over a 100k-200k lifetime isn’t a large financial penalty over that time.
- Sport 2.7 Turbo Ecoboost — because budget isn’t an issue, this opens up the possibility of stepping up to the Sport model. The price jump to go to the sport over a loaded Titanium isn’t large, and you gain quite the engine to go with the unique trimmings. At 24 mpg, you get V6 fuel economy certainly, but I’m guessing with this powerful an engine you’d be able to drive it with a light foot (which I do have generally anyways) & keeping out of the turbo should net some nice mileage numbers.
So what say you? Modern four-cylinder economy with a turbo? Old school V6? Or the best of both worlds? With today’s engines it seems the old standby of buying the largest engine available in a given car isn’t necessarily the right answer. Or does that still hold true? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Mike, it’s hard to dispute your logic behind getting the Edge. Ford’s done a nice job putting a quality model in each of the CUV/SUV segments (with the exception of the Expedition…and the Explorer…okay, the Flex and the Edge are nice). Luckily, I’ve had some experience with each of these motors, so I feel qualified to offer you some advice on this subject.
I have the 3.5-liter V6 in my own Flex, and it’s been a bulletproof engine. What it offers over the turbo four is reliability and zero turbo lag. Even in the Flex, which is about 500 pounds heavier than the Edge, the power has always felt more than sufficient, and I’ve never felt like it had insufficient power. The turbo four also greatly prefers 93 octane over 87, which negates your fuel economy advantage. If I were choosing just between the turbo four and the V6, I’d pick the sixer. No, the fuel economy isn’t great (I average about 21 mpg combined in the Flex), but it’s a proven motor that should last you as long as you own the car.
However, you’re not limited to those choices, and I think that you wrote to me asking for permission to go for the Sport model. Permission granted.
As you mentioned, the engine isn’t the only reason to step up to the Sport. I think you’ll find that the Sport model suspension is a vast improvement over the standard Edge suspension, and I personally find the styling of the Sport to be more visually pleasing, as well. The only negative that a practical person such as yourself might find with the Sport are the gigantic, ridiculous rims — 20-inchers is standard, and many of the Sports you’ll actually see in the wild are fitted with 21s and summer-only tires.
Since you’re wanting actual functionality from your Edge, I’d recommend that you go with the Sport on 20s. Yeah, it’s thirstier, and yeah, it likes 93 octane, too, but how can you say no to 350 lb-ft of torque? Go get the Edge that you actually want. Is it too late for me to trademark #neversettle?
Bark M. is a nice man. He likes answering your questions. Send them to him at barkm302@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter and Instagram.
“because budget isn’t an issue.”
MKX “Select” (18-inch wheels!) with the 3.7L V6.
Because this man sounds really quite practical, and will spend lots of time behind the wheel, I think the Sport is a no-no. Huge wheels mean a rough ride, and they cost an arm and a leg to replace.
MKX as Ajla mentions above (if not any money issue) is a good suggestion.
All (or most ) reviews cite a nice ride even with the 21’s.
In my experience a new car with nice new shocks, springs, bushes and even rubber can ride pretty well on even the biggest wheels.
By the time you’ve beaten the hell out of it for a couple of years over potholes and you’re down to 3mm of tread left, over-sized wheels will crash, bang and hop over imperfections.
Anyone who buys new does so on brand new tyres. I am always shocked at how much better my car drives with fresh rubber.
Therefore 21s may be fine off the showroom floor, but what about in 2 yrs time?
Without driving any of these….
I’d skip sport. You going mostly highway? You want comfort.
As to the motor… 100% the V6. Just a smoother, more pleasant experience and add the potential reliability issues on the turbo or the possible middling mpg on the turbo and to me it’s a no brainer. V6 is a better motor, and more reliable.
Agreed. Nice smooth quiet V6 for highway cruising. I’d drive all 3 engines before deciding, but my money’s on the 6.
Where do you think rollover accidents happen? High speeds on expressways when things pile up and quick avoidance maneuvers are needed. That buttoned down suspension gives a lot of confidence at 80mph that isn’t there in a lesser model that may float some.
Listen to Corey and ajla. MKX with 18s, or 19s if you must have the 2.7TT.
I believe is the same platform and mechanicals as the Flex. I know that
older Flex models have had transfer case problems. Has Ford fixed this
problem? I’d sure find out before buying one.
It is not the same platform but it uses the same PTU. Ford has made it better over the years by upgrading seals and changing some of the design, but I still don’t believe it’s a “fill for life” component. Change the gear oil every time you change the fluid in the transmission.
no, Edge is CD4.2 so it’s an embiggened CD4 (Fusion/Mondeo.)
I didn’t know that. You seem to be correct.
I take it, then, that CD4.3 is the Chinese-market Taurus, the Continental, the stretched-length Edge (for the Chinese market), and the eventual CD4-based Explorer replacement?
CD4.1 = Fusion/Mondeo/MKZ
CD4.2 = Edge/Galaxy/S-Max/MKX
CD4.3 = Continental/New Taurus though these are officially “D” segment by interior volume.
Explorer will not be on CD-4.
As a Ford/Lincoln salesman, I’ll say this- 2.7L. It is flawless in the Edge/MKX. Now, I will agree with the sentiment that 20″+ wheels are ridiculous. The wheels on the Sport look amazing, but $$ and ride are important considerations.
All that being said, my vote is also for the MKX Select, but with the 2.7L. It may be little more work to find, but they’re out there. I found a 2016 with 101A (Navigation included in that) and AWD for $47,910 MSRP. Of course if you don’t need all of the bells and whistles, you can get AWD in a MKX for under $44k.
Why can’t one downgrade to more reasonably sized wheels? Brakes too big?
The brakes on the Edge don’t allow a wheel smaller than 17″. Heck, I can’t get wheels under 18″ for my MkT.
People! 20″ wheels on a vehicle this size are not unreasonable! Compare a 4300 lb SUV to a compact and it’s the equivilent of 17″ wheels.
The 245/50/20 tires on an Edge sport have more section height (122mm) than the 225/50/17 base tires on a BMW 3 series(112.5mm), which nobody thinks looks good or is too big a rim. The mass of the Edge is about 15% greater, but the section height is 8% greater, so it’s more akin to 18″ wheels on a sport sedan. In other words, just fine if the suspension is well designed. Also, with 18″ wheels on an Edge you will get sloppy all season cheapo tires that won’t grip well and hamstring the vehicle except during snow.
But usually the sidewall is stronger – to account for the higher kerb weight. Plus a wider section (245) gives greater road coverage for hitting potholes. Finally a larger wheel is heavier, giving the suspension more work to do.
Ford Edge is one of my favorite rental upgrades. Most of the ones in Boston seem to be fully loaded AWD versions and they are a pleasure to drive – but then I look at the sticker price in the real world and go, “ugh.”
Someone planning to keep a new vehicle for a long time needs to get the right one regardless of up front cost. Ten or more years is too long to live with a mistake.
My choice would also be the V6. I have read too many comments about disappointing fuel economy with EcoBoost engines. If the 2.0 turbo is powerful enough, the 2.7 turbo is unnecessary.
“powerful enough” misses the point of the Sport version. I thought this was an enthusiast website?
I would also go for the Sport with the 2.7TT, although the MKX almost seems to be a better deal.
“[The 2.0-liter EcoBoost] even retains the vehicle’s optional 3,500 pound towing capacity.”
People are always fearful of buying a car with the smaller engine that turns out to be very winded when any significant amount of weight is towed, but we’ve gotten to the point where, especially with unibody vehicles, tow ratings are more of a chassis limit and less to do with the powertrain. It’s why you may see the same tow rating across varied powertrain options on a given car. That’s a good thing, in my mind, because it means that any one of those engine-transmission combinations will do a good job of towing.
Note that there isn’t a tow-rating at all on the Sport version of the Edge, and I suspect it’s just because Ford doesn’t offer an OEM Class II trailer on that trim (probably for aesthetics and take-rates, not because the car is physically incapable of towing that much. If there were an OEM towing option, it’d probably have the same 3500-lb rating.
To me it seems the guy is buying the wrong vehicle straight up.
He’s coming from a pickup, then lets consider another pickup.
A new Ridgeline. I think he’ll miss certain aspects of his pickup and the Ridgeline is a smaller vehicle than the F-150.
Or, better still another option is a Chev or GMC midsize pickup, of course in 4×4. This would enhance his downtime by allowing him to go fishing, camping, driving to and on the beach. If he has kids it will introduce them to the great outdoors in ways the Edge just can’t.
Oh, do these people really exist? Being confused over what engine to buy is quite inane.
You’re on the edge, brother. Keep the comments constructive.
I used to think that in order to experience the vehicle the way the engineers truly intended you had to get the largest displacement/highest horsepower version available.
But sometimes the largest available engine simply overwhelms the chassis all things considered.
I’m fortunate that I’ve never been in a situation where fuel economy is particularly important.
I’d wager that the real world highway fuel economy (with the cruise engaged most of the time) wouldn’t be all that different between the three engines available.
Agree. But even at official mpg numbers, when you sit down and do the math, compared to things like depreciation, the fuel is relatively less important. The problem is, people don’t see the depreciation on their credit card statement each month, so they forget about it. Over 15K miles a year, it’s about $700 difference a year, max, for the more powerful engine. Meanwhile, their Edge depreciates about $8500 the first year. The only way to save a substantial sum is to buy a used one. They have fwd Edge sports for sale here at $32,000. New ones (awd only) are $45,000. 12K miles on em. $14/week in fuel is not going to make my $40,000 choice for me.
Bark,
On the edge?
I’m not far from the truth. I am a person who has gone pickup > SUV > pickup > SUV > pickup. Once you have been used to a pickup you tend to want to keep one and you find a SUV wanting.
Hence, the mid way vehicle, the Ridgeline, which I might add has a decent engine. The Colorado is a tongue in cheek comment ….. to a degree. It delivers a great amount of torque in diesel form.
As for what engine. Like I stated how hard is it? Really.
Did you notice that none of the options he said he was considering was a pickup??? Maybe he found that a Pickup isn’t the best for his situation hence why he is considering a SUV.
Classic BAFO. Everyone has to think like him or else they’re a dumb heretic who’s completely in the wrong.
Oh and Australia exists, guys…
I probably shouldn’t stick my neck out like this, but I have to say I agree with Mr. BAFO. Not necessarily with the content of his opinion, but the tone of it. I don’t think he was ‘on the edge’ at all. He simply offered a contrary opinion and I don’t find it non-constructive at all. Just noting that if Michael had a truck before he may miss a truck later.
The bit about people waffling on engines is a bit of snark, but hardly negative.
Very first sentence: “…not having enough need of a truck any longer to warrant keeping one…”
No the obvious answer is a 2017 Volt.
Good size for this family.
Good cargo capacity in the hatch.
Electric mode performance kicks butt.
Full exploitation of Chevy interest to get these out the door and federal tax incentives make it cheap. I’m paying $230 a month in Maryland on my 36 month, 15,000 Mille per year lease. And I paid nothing on delivery.
I’ve driven the MKX 3.7, Edge 3.5, and Edge 2.0. The 3.7 and 3.5 was hunting gears in hilly terrain to find the right power at 3,000 ft elevation. I found the boosted torque curve of the 2.0 more desirable and consistent than the NA motors. My recommendation to you is go boosted on 2.0 or 3.7.
Personally, I like the smoother riding wheels and better mileage of the 2.0. I don’t like a bone-jarring ride.
If you want the bigger 2.7TT look at the lincoln version as well as edge. Whichever one may give you the dynamic suspension is my vote. I love the adjustable suspension in my 2015 navigator. My Wife has a bad back and comfort mode plus those cushy seats makes her car rides tolerable.
good luck!
“the power has always felt more than sufficient, and I’ve never felt like it had insufficient power.”
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of Redundancy Department’s opinions.
Ha! that’s what happens when you’re writing in the middle of an OEM press conference.
must have been an exciting press conference.
I was going to say, Bark, poorly worded as it was, I agree with your assertion of the 3.5L. When I drive my parent’s 2012 Taurus, it does not feel lacking for any power. Is it fast? No, neither is Avalon or Impala or a V-6 300. If you want “fast”, they do make the SHO (and twin-turbo options in the crossovers too), but the 3.5L gets the job done more than adequately.
I read a Car & Driver (I think it was) review of the 2010, they said it was underpowered. I just don’t see how one could feel that when putting the car in context. Yes, if all you’ve driven recently are Boss Mustangs and Camaro SS’s and SRT Chargers, I guess the base Taurus would feel slow by comparison.
When driving the Taurus through the mountain passes, it never once felt slow or anything of the sort. Maintaining a constant speed didn’t produce any “hunting” from the transaxle, abrupt shifts or any other undesirable behavior. I guess ymmv.
We’re just spoiled. I remember when the base engine in the Chrysler minivans had 84 horsepower. Calling a sedan with 260+ hp “underpowered” is just searching for something to complain about.
The Avalon and Impala are notably faster than the 3.5 Taurus in all acceleration metrics C&D uses. It’s a porky car. A 4-cylinder automatic Mazda6 provides identical acceleration.
A very heavy and large car with very limited interior room, rather poor fuel economy, and poor visibility on top of that. The Taurus just needs to go away.
Taurus apologist here. Unless you drive it for a long stretch, you don’t understand it. If I need to put some serious mileage down, I prefer to do that in a Taurus. It is far more comfortable than the Fusion or any Chevrolet. It’s not fast, nor does it pretend to be. It’s a vehicle that can drive all day long down the Gulf coast or across WA without feeling like I’ve been beat up from a day of driving, AND my kids wont whine in the back seat either.
Are the brakes any different across the trim lines? I would bet the dealer would be willing to swap the 20s for something off a different trim.
There are two different front brakes for the Edge. If you have 18s, you get the bigger brakes.
I’m going to stick my neck out for the 2.0. The turbo lag is no worse than the lag with any automatic waiting for it to downshift a gear or two. The low-end torque makes wafting around more effortless. Bonus it doesn’t drop off as much as altitude rises.
So avoid the 3.5.
2.7TT sounds pretty sweet, other than massive wheels.
3.7 in the MKX isn’t a bad idea – more of the comfort stuff. Power/torque is about 10% higher than the Edge, but so is kerb weight (just under), so wouldn’t expect a significant difference over the edge (which confirms the real-world experience of a previous poster).
I’ve been impressed by the new edge. Disliked the old one, remember thinking “wait, how big is this on the outside for this tiny interior?”, but they seem to have fixed that with the new one.
Two issues I’ve found. The seats were bad for my back (that might just be me), and the hood fluttered at highway speed on a few that I drove (and didn’t on others).
I want to congratulate the B&B on their forbearance in avoiding the usual HELLCAT, LSXFTW, Coyote and other such suggestions this time around! Meanwhile, let me add to the tally for the V6.
Oh, yeah. HELLCAT OR BUST.
Apart from I disagree with that statement.
My favourite thing to yell is “Cross Country ALL THE THINGS” and then we get the S60 Cross Country, cancelled after selling 34 cars in the UK. Doesn’t really seem fitting here.
Other than – wait for the Volvo V90 Cross Country. Buy that.
From my experiences test driving Edges this past year, the 2.0 was really nice surprise.
I think all Fords seem to have trouble with MPGs. The six still sucks. It should at least be doing better at Hwy.
The Edge and MKX suck with the 2.7s.
I do not think I would buy the 2.0. however, unless I was allowed to test it under load and up hills.
Seems Ford had better get better trns in these besides the 6. These cars are just to damn heavy for this transmission to get good mpgs.
Yeah, even the hybrid Fords don’t get amazing milage.
GMs seem to accelerate faster, weigh more and still eek out slightly better milage.
From what I’ve noticed, GM seems to tune its powertrains similarly to Toyota. And Ford tunes their powertrains a lot like Honda but Hondas usually over perform in milage.
That premium fuel requirement really messes things up at current gas prices. At 50-60-70 cents more per gallon and regular at $2 you’re effectively losing at least a quarter of your mileage when counting in dollars per mile.
You are absolutely right. The difference here in Ohio is 70 cents. So I can drive to work in the car with premium fuel in it and better mpg, or the truck with regular and worse. Costs me the same.
I have the 2.7 in my truck. Works well in a pickup, never feels over-strained. I towed about 7400lb once, you can feel the weight for sure but not too bad.
For an Edge, I don’t think it’s worth being forced to get the 20″ wheels and black leather, unless you will tow a lot or drive at high altitudes, etc.
I don’t think a medium sized SUV is really suited for hot rodding or work where you’d notice the power difference.
I vote for the NA V6.
As an owner of a 2013 Edge Limited, I’ll give you my perspective. When I was shopping, I originally wanted a Sport model… but there were options I wanted that were not available on the Sport, so I went for the Limited. I drove both. I found the power differential between the 3.5L & 3.7L unnoticeable. Regarding ride quality, I find that the ride on the factory 20s is excellent… firm, but extremely comfortable. I was just concerned about tire replacement costs for the 22s on the Sport model. Mileage has been a disappointment for me. In-town, I average about 13-14 mpg. Now, a LOT of that has to do with my commute. It’s only 3.5 miles, but it is all up and down hills, in the mountains north of L.A. Interesting that my ’16 Ram 2500 crew cab 4×4 6.4L gets about the same mileage in-town. On the highway, the best I’ve ever done in the Edge was 26 mpg (24 mpg avg).
I’ve found that the 3.5L in the Edge feels a little “sluggish”… for a couple of reasons. First, the Edge is HEAVY… it takes some torque to get all that mass moving… which the 3.5L doesn’t exactly have an abundance of. Second would be the transmission programming & gearing. Now, I came out of a ’04 Saturn Vue… which had the fabulous Honda-sourced 3.5L V6. That was a much lighter vehicle, but was extremely quick, felt light-on-its-feet, and would get 28 mpg all day long with the cruise set on 80. Yes, the interior was cheap & platicky… and the NVH was terrible… but it was one of the best vehicles I’ve ever had.
The Edge has been a mixed-bag for me… very comfortable & very quiet… trouble-free… but there are some things I don’t like about it. Rearward visibility is poor. Grab handles on the door panels are too far forward, with no secondary grip farther back. In tight quarters, you’ll really test your forearms trying to open the door without banging into a car parked close by. My other gripe is just personal preference. My Edge is loaded… almost every bell & whistle… most of which I find to be more of a distraction than an assistance… The adaptive cruise has a knack of picking up the car in the next lane (when going around a curve on the freeway) & slams on the brakes… unnerving at times. This is all minor stuff… overall, I’ve been happy with it. I’ve never understood all the complaining over the MyFordTouch system. I’ve been extremely impressed with its capabilities. Yes, it’s a little under-processored & laggy at times, but I’ve never had any issues with it. In the end, it’s your decision… go with your gut.