The Edge presents a small problem for me as a reviewer. If I were to grade it based merely on what it “felt” like to myself, I’d end up giving it a single star (1/5) – my main disappointments being its incredibly small interior and some of its cheap looking – unmistakably Ford - plastics and dials, however, to be fair, I have to look at this car through the eyes of those it was intended for.

The 2007 Ford Edge is a rich looking crossover designed specifically for people who may want a Lexus RX or a Cadillac SRX but, for whatever reason cannot afford to front more than $40,000 for either. Thanks to its trendy styling and bright, sparkling paint, it wouldn't make such a bad choice for your typical Greenwich Village or Soho apartment owner in Manhattan who needs a pleasant mixture of style and utility yet requires a vehicle that is easy to park in the congested streetways.

Make no mistake, the Edge is an important vehicle for Ford – after all the business Ford lost due to astronomical gas prices throughout 2005 and 2006. Though I was not thoroughly impressed with its interior, its exterior grabbed my attention almost immediately. If I was a smaller person with a smaller build, this just might be an excellent choice for me as a school/work vehicle.
It is a beautiful vehicle plagued by size issues.



EXTERIOR vs. THE INTERIOR

I walked into a Ford dealership with my sister and my mother searching for year’s end deals on a new car for my sister who is currently in law school earlier today. Almost immediately, the bright blazing copper metallic paint on the new 2007 Edge captured my attention. I ran over to it like a kid in a candy shop anxious to get into it and low& behold I could barely fit into it.

From the outside, the Edge – to a person who has never seen an Edge before – looks just like a Lexus. This is mostly because the back of the vehicle features a “bubble butt” with an overhanging “visor” of types. The Edge is about 185.7 inches long and excluding mirrors is about 75.8 inches wide. By comparison the Lexus RX is 186 inches long and 72.6 inches wide. It has the same beetle appearance as the RX330 due to the stubby “bubble” appearance. If you want to compare the Edge to another cheaper crossover, look towards the Chevrolet Equinox. The Edge is a better buy, but, the Equinox can be bought as cheaply as $23,000. To other viewers, the new Edge might appear more like the Chrysler Pacifica, however, the Pacifica is not as tall and has a lower ground clearance. I found the Pacifica and the Edge to have very similar tight driver spacing. What the Pacifica does have over the Edge is a lack of an extremely high step-in distance from the ground to the interior. I haven't had to raise my foot that high into an SUV since the Ford Expedition - this might not go over so well with older buyers.

I love the Edge’s exterior. The vehicle is far more stylish than Ford’s Freestyle and looks more elegant than Ford’s Explorer- a glorified truck if I’ve ever seen one. The two colors that will probably be most popular will be the Dark Amethyst which is akin to a deep purple, or the Burning Copper Metallic which seems more fit for this vehicle than it does on the Range Rover Sport. I also saw this vehicle in Black and it looks just as good.

The Interior of the Edge however is a mixed bag. The hard plastic paneling inside the truck gives it that unmistakable “Ford look” which I thought I’d seen the last of during the end of the first generation of Explorers and Expeditions. With the exception of some chrome plated/aluminum metals surrounding the air louvers, the dashboard gauges and the gear shift, the Edge’s interior is as utilitarian as I’ve seen a Ford vehicle in years. The plastics are boring however, they do lend themselves easily to cleaning which to many people is not a bad thing.

No, the Edge is not covered with wood grain, or other luxurious materials like the 2007 Cadillac SRX or the Lexus RX, but, for someone buying on a smaller budget, it works just well enough. I was even shocked at how similar the Edge’s interior centerstack is compared to the Lexus RX330.


THE DEAL BREAKER for me in regards to the Ford Edge is the interior space.
First of all, I am about 6 foot 7 inches tall which is definitely considered above average for a driver. In a Ford Expedition, I have no trouble whatsoever, but I found it to be my own private war trying to squeeze myself into the Ford Edge. Considering my size is above average, I asked the dealer – a 6-foot tall man weighing about 250 – 300 pounds to get into the car so I could see how he fit. He tried to but, he too would require the seat to be as far back as possible with a good amount of backwards seat tilt – thus reducing the amount of space behind him. The second person I “tested” was my sister. A slender 5 foot 10, athletic framed female. She got in and the fit was almost perfect. No struggling in or out which basically leads me to believe that this car was designed for people just like her.

OK...it would be unfair for me to downgrade the car because it was designed for smaller people, however, I was shocked to see that a vehicle with a bubble roof like this did not accommodate taller drivers. I had serious trouble getting into the 2002 Ford Explorer, but interestingly, I fit considerably better in the new 2007 model. I assumed the 2007 Edge would equally fit me but for some reason it does not.

While I was checking out the seating space, I also noticed that the seats for the Edge which are not powered are horrible. They have some type of lever mechanism which must be “ratcheted” in order to make the seats elevate and descend – and they have an ugly handle which must be pulled up to tilt the seat. The manual seat’s seating track is also farther forward than the powered seats so I definitely suggest that if you buy this car, powered seats be your baseline.
The manual models are not even fit to be in an Enterprise Rent-a-car.

The seating is not all-bad however. Both the rear and front seats can be tilted forwards or reclined. The rear passenger for example may tilt the front seat forward in order to use it as a foot rest during long trips.
A second advantage of this is that longer objects - such as scores from Home Depot - may be placed through the trunk, towards the front of the car on the passenger side when more space is required. The rear seats may be folded flat – either manually or with optional power fold – allowing up to 69.6 cubic feet of storage space behind the front seats.

ON THE ROAD

The Ford Edge comes equipped with Ford’s new Duratec 35 3.5 Liter V6 engine.
The engine is designed to output 265 HP and 250 lb. – ft of torque which would allow you to tow 3500 pounds if necessary - mated with a 6 speed automatic transmission allowing for better fuel economy.

Now, this is actually not the first time I’ve encountered this engine. My retired NYPD uncle bought a Lincoln MKZ as a retirement car and was enamored to let me test it out to see if I coveted it. No, I didn’t.
For the Lincoln MKZ, I found acceleration to be less than “thrilling” and now that this engine was in this vehicle, the Edge, which weighs considerably more I felt that it just wasn’t up to the challenge – for either vehicle. What is sad however, is that my uncle loves to race other drivers (cop mentality) and he just doesn’t seem to realize that a Chrysler 300C or an SRT-8 would destroy him on the road for about the same dollar amount he paid for his "upscale" MKZ.

I let my sister test drive the Edge first while I rode shotgun, and then the dealer allowed me to drive it solo while my Sister and mother talked “numbers”. While I appreciate the Edge’s light steering feel – allowing it to be pointed easily, I found the car to be a bit slow while accelerating. It takes around 8 seconds to hit 60 mph. The car seems to ride best on open roads with decent paving, such as the highway or expressway but for close-quarters driving with other cars around, I recommend Ford tighten the brakes a little bit more as it felt a little tough to stop when coming from 50 mph.

Edge sits closer to the ground than the Explorer does but, you can still expect some roll feelings when rounding tight corners on the highway.

It was while riding as a passenger that I realized however, that with every glance, the Edge seems to get smaller and smaller. Ford claims that the Edge seats "5 passengers". The Edge truly seats 4 Adult passengers plus one child (in the second row center).
The seat space is so small in the center 2nd-row couch that the back of this seat is actually designed to be an armrest to be shared by the flanking adults.
The center console takes away all foot space for this "5th passenger". This seat is only fit for a small child or a carseat. As for the two rear seats, I see them as only fit for small adults or children due to the lack of leg space when the front seats are set back.
I envision an optimal layout of a husband, a wife and a baby in a childseat – but no more. Any needs greater than that require either a Freestyle or preferably a Ford Explorer.

To be fair, there are alot of "smaller people" out there who don't approach 5 foot 10 and are not wide bodied like your average girthy American fast food patron. People like this will pile into the Edge - with space to spare- Loving it.

PRICING

There are options available such as an in dash Navigation radio, which I absolutely suggest you get – despite the $2000 price tag. There is also an optional roof mounted DVD player system which cannot be purchased if you choose to purchase the car with Ford’s Vista Roof - a double wide – 2 panel panoramic view moonroof which opens above both the 1st and 2nd rows just like the Cadillac SRX – dominating over 39% of the total roof area. The vista roof comes with dual power sunshades to cover both portions which keeps the cabin cool in the summer and protects occupants from UV radiation.

The edge comes in 3 flavors: The SE, The SEL and the SEL PLUS.

The SE is the base model of the car – available in 2WD or AWD - which misses out on 18” Chrome Rimz, Dual zone air conditioning, the Navigation system and most of the other luxury items, like the Vista Roof. Most likely this is the version which you’ll see the most of in car rentals.

The SE and SEL are typically available at prices above $27,000 in either 2WD or AWD variants. The SEL Plus features most of the luxury elements available from the dealer as well as an air filter for the HVAC, leather trimmed power seating and the optional Vista Roof.

A fully loaded Edge, (Vista Roof, DVD entertainment, Navigation, power seats) such as the one I tested will cost about $30,000 before taxes. The way I see it, if you can afford to buy it with these options, that is the way you should buy it. The Year end deals are ending now but new packages are expected to be available on Wednesday according to my dealer.


OVERALL

While the Edge to me is too small, for obvious reasons, I am basing my grade of the car on how much my sister liked it. I live in the city, where good parking spaces are at a minimum. Compact cars and smaller SUV’s such as the Cadillac SRX and the Lexus RX are far more appreciated by Manhattan’s dwellers than parking space hogs like my 222 inch Escalade EXT.

The SE AWD Edge is a bit cheaper than the Chrysler Pacifica AWD base model and is also about $9000 less than the Lincoln MKX, which I will review next. For $30,000 you can have a fully loaded Edge rather than spending $40,000 on an AWD RX350.
The Edge is also a close comparison to the Chevy Equinox. However, similarly equipped, the Equinox is a few hundred dollars more expensive, not as powerful as the Edge with its (185HP 3.4L V6) and the interior is not as nice.

I’d have to say that for a student, a budget driver or a smaller bodied person who wants a larger car for utility needs, the Edge is a very attractive offer. You don’t have to pay the higher costs to purchase and maintain a Ford Explorer yet, you are getting similar utility. This is a great vehicle and I am certain Ford is going to do very well selling it as the Edge definately fills a niche for an economical SUV.