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2007 Ford Edge
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Comments
I had to laugh; after my little rant here about hard plastics, the Highlander's dash and all but a small strip on the door inserts was... hard plastic. Strange, since my '04 Sienna has many more soft touch surfaces, and this was a Highlander Limited. Maybe I need to get over it. Still, Toyota does a good job making the interior feel upscale, an impression I didn't get in the Edge, although I think the darker Edge interiors look a lot better than the beige interior in the one I drove.
As expected, there was no wiggle room on the Highlander Limited's price; $38,000 take it or leave it. That alone would sway me towards the Edge, which can be had fully loaded in the low 30's once you take into account incentives and dealer discounting.
Anyway, the Highlander is an excellent vehicle, and they will sell a pile of them. I'm leaning towards the Edge as it has more personality both in how it looks and how it drives, and seems a bit more compact (at least lengthwise,) although I haven't verified this yet with stats.
Just thought I'd share in case there's others out there thinking about the same vehicles.
i've enjoyed your comments on reviewing all the suv's out there, or cuv's whatever they're calling an suv now.
but I also have to agree with you about the Highlander, lots of people praise Toyota and bash Ford, when for the most part the plastics are probably from the same supplier! :P I do agree that the coloring of the plastics definitely could be upped on the Edge. I did also test drive the Edge, and I found it to be surprisingly comfortable.
How did you feel about the braking distance? I've heard bad things about it, but I test drove it, it stopped as soon as I wanted it to.
One thing I will say, I think Ford has finally had a major wake up call and are letting their designers do their job instead of bean-counters calling the shots. The seats in the Edge have to be, no.. ARE the best seats Ford has EVER had! People have to go sit in this to see what I'm saying!
I actually had a semi panic stop on my test drive of the Edge. I was going at a pretty good clip through some twisty/ hilly backroads, and came up over a hill to see a limo over on the side of the road and blocking most of my lane. It wasn't a near crash or anything, but I got on the brakes hard going downhill and I didn't feel like that the stopping distance was overly long. The vehicle is heavy and you can feel the weight, but the brakes seemed fine to me. There's no doubt the braking distances on the Edge are a bit long compared to much of the competition, but I think people worrying about hurtling into accidents they would normally avoid can rest assured that they'll be fine. My Passat W8 stops a whole lot better than my Sienna minivan, but it's not like I'm always rear ending people whn I drive the Sienna. You just naturally compensate a bit and you're fine (not that I wouldn't like to see Ford shorted that stopiing distance.)
I'm totally with you on the seats; best car seats I've ever been in, bar none. They made the X5 seats seem like a plastic grade school seat in comparison, and even made the good seats in the Highlander seem second rate. Ford is far from perfect but they have really nailed some things on the Edge. I am as big a skeptic/ critic as there is but I am puzzled as to how the automotive media seems to be lukewarm on this car.
I agree that EDGE could have a little more pzzazz on the dashboard,but I must say that the dealer that I do business with (personal friends) thay had one EDGE SEL+ with avery nice wood dash that really dressed the inside and it didi impresses me. This kit was only the dash and 4 covers for the doors where the lock and window switches are..(no not one of those kids that bring 267 pieces and practically you cover evrything including...well never mind..you know what I mean). I was never big on them but this one I really like and probably (unless the wife opposes) install it on the futeure EDGE.
Justa piece of info for 08 the LIMITED AWD will be on short supply or as they say "high risk" since the sync and the roof are hot items in short supply for the time being...so lets get ready to wait a while if that is what you guys want..
I think the Edge is exactly how Ford needs to compete in a lot of ways. Forget about trying to out Toyota Toyota. Match or beat them in quality and make your cars more interesting and less watered down for the masses. The thing is, they'll have to do that for decades for it to truly effect their reputation, but these days they have to do it or they'll die.
Cars need more than just Oil changes to keep them going.
Are Toyota and Honda buys more likely to do Dealer maintenance?
My sister has a Civic and always goes to the dealer 20 miles away despite the fact that my brother-in-law is a marine mechanic.
Mark.
From the article:
"Consumers take better care of their autos if they initially believe the cars are of better quality, according to a study published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences"
An article about the study is at: http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2001/B/200112318.html
I have to disagree with the statement about the "crappy Fords" people not taking care of their vehicles. I have owned several crappy Fords and I'm fairly meticulous about vehicle maintenance. If it weren't for my family's long tradition of Ford vehicles I probably would have abandoned the brand after my first new car, a Mercury Tracer, had a spectacular alternator failure at around 8000 miles which caused the car to go into convulsions and then completely die while driving one day. The dealership that I bought the car from told me that the alternator wasn't covered under warranty (I was young... wouldn't take that BS now) and I had to pay $400 to get a brand new car back on the road. Needless to say, that was the first in a long list of quality issues on that car. My best friend has an '03 Expedition that is complete junk. The day he brought it home new he noticed that the exhaust pipe was mounted incorrectly and had melted away the rear fender area of the vehicle. There was also a large plastic piece of trim at the base of the windshield flapping in the wind because its mounting hole was welded a good 2 inches out of position. That was only the beginning. The car is always in the shop and rattles like it's 15 years old. Oh yeah, and the transmission is dying too.
Anyway, I don't mean to start a war with anecdotal good and bad Ford experiences, but I think Ford did a lot to earn their somewhat tarnished quality rep, even though I don't think they deserve all of it. Either way, the only way out is to build very high quality vehicles for a very long time, and make sure people know about it. Ford's new vehicles like the Edge are all scoring very well in quality studies, so it looks like they are on the right track.
OTOH, I know 2 friends who have had issues with Fords, and Ford bought back their cars and gave them brand new ones, no money changed hands. Pretty good response if you ask me. Others though, have had to sue to get action. They're all over the place.
GM is far more consistent - they tend to build pretty good cars for years, followed by pretty bad cars for years, and then repeat the cycle. It's much easier to know when to buy a GM car than a Ford.
And Chrysler is worse than Ford.
But the Edge is a great design, and seems to be well put together. I hope it works for them. They're growing on me.
Are you like "Toyotas are not suppose to break, this must be my fault?
Mark.
Gosh, what an interesting suggestion for a discussion topic over in the Toyota section!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I loved that I could have the front seat all the back, and still have many inches of room to my knees.
Mark
The areas I had problems were;
Seats - While comfortable, they are quite a bit shorter than my very comfy seats in a 2000 Windstar. Probably several inches shorter.
Gauges - Secondly, I couldn't see the top of the gauges. Someone mentioned that the wheel both moves up and down and in and out. I only adjusted it up or down not knowing about the other option. I am not sure it would have helped. But, I ride with the seat back most of the way is not all the way, but like the wheel pretty flat down. To see the gauges, I had to go into School bus mode. Maybe the electric seats I would get would allow the seat to drop far enough to see.
Glare - I drove a tan interior demo and the glare/reflection was pretty bad. it was a bright day and it was hard to see through the brightest part of the glare. I may have to go against my usual preference for tan interiors and go for black. I am sure that would help. I don't like the idea of having to use poloroids to see comfortably out of the windshield.
Brakes - I am assuming the brakes, whatever their issues, will have been improved on the 08 which is what I intend to order.
Plastics - The hard plastics are a disappointment, but seems to be endemic to a lot of cars in this price range and less. Again, as comparison, my Windstar is all soft touch. The whole dash is soft. I will miss that look and feel.
Interior chrome - I wish the chrome on the Limited could be substituted with wood. I am wary of trying the aftermarket kits.
Exterior chrome wheels - I really do not like the chrome plastic wheels. My Windstar has polished aluminum wheels. They just look classier to me. The chrome wheels look like bling wanna be. I have noticed that much less expensive cars have polished chrome wheels. That should be an option here.
I do have quite a few issues with the car. However, the Murano is ugly, the Highlander is boring, including the new one, I don't want to buy a Hyundai/Kia, the pilot is a truck, the Rav4 is too small and I don't like the open on the left rear hatch, the CRV is not bad, but underpowered and a little small. I like the Mazda CX-7, but I don't want to have to use Premium gas. The CX-9 is too big, as are the GM Arcadia triplets That is why, despite not having perfection with the Edge, I don't have any alternates that I really like, other than going more expensive. I have always liked the FX-35/45. But, I don't want to spend that much. Same with the MDX. The RDX is cool, but a little cramped, and again, I don't want to use premium or pay the price. Fagetabout paying for an X5 or 3, Mercedes, etc.
I think the Edge looks good, I love the moonroofs, I really like how much room there is for knees in the back seat. Better than anything in it's size range. again, love the euro style solid ride, without being harsh.
I thought I would just buy front wheel drive. I live in NYC area. We really don't get that much snow and I have never had a problem with all the front wheel drive cars I have had. It will make the car a little lighter and simpler. That said, I am tempted because the AWD will make the car handle better, and provide a smidge of safety, even in the wet. Hard to know whether that is worth the extra $1,500 or so.
The weight doesn't bother me. I know the car is safe and that is one of the reasons why it is heavy. I like the feel of some heft around me. Again, commuting and driving around NYC, I don't mind having some mass, for which there is no substitute, around me.
So that are my thoughts right now. I love my Windstar, just getting long in the tooth. I would consider, since I have no image issues, a new minivan. However, because I drive around new york city, smaller is better. I am just not willing to go too small, coming from a minivan.
Of course they are almost always in negative equity but hate is always an ally for the sales guy.
Since Nitro is just a warmed over Liberty i was wondering if they are as bad.
As for the Edge. I really think that the glare is subjective. Some people it bothers more than others. It is definately there though and if you are outside pulling into a garage, you basically cannot see a thing. The glare washes out the darker interior you are pulling into. This happened to me at a car wash and I couldn't see how far up I was pulling.
Mark
Incidently, the chrome clad wheels are more durable than chromed alloy wheels. The chrom perm. bonds with the urathane cladding and will not chip, flake, rust or anything like that.
If you want a LIMITED, ORDER IT EARLY. Synch is standard and Synch is in limited availability!. (thats a whole other rant)
Mark.
I would rather have polished aluminum than either of the choices they have on these cars. If I could get 20" polished, I would get it. As it is, I will get the 18" and possibly upgrade.
While we're talking about it, is there a single person who actually thinks those red leather inserts and stitching look good? That combined with the chrome wheels leads me to believe Ford is going after the taste challenged crowd. I actually like the idea of different colored seat inserts, but how about something like gray or tan, with matching door inserts to break up the monotone on those dark interiors?
You can't get the Premium Pkg and Seating Flex Pkg together on the SEL 'cause that makes it a Limited.
However, the Seating Flex Pkg isn't that big a deal, its just the electic gizmo that drops the second row and a power passenger seat with fold flat seat back. If you order the SEL, then you can get the new for 08 18 inch painted wheels, code 64p.
So if you hate the wheels enough to give up the seat flex package, that is the way to go.
Mark.
I just wish there were aluminum and chrome options at all wheel sizes and trim levels. I might be interested in 20" wheels assuming the ride isn't too punishing, but chrome is a deal killer for me. I'd be willing to bet that if Ford simply made the same 20" wheel available with an aluminum finish that 2/3 of their orders would be for the aluminum over the chrome. I could be wrong.
I couldn't find any pictures of the MKX Monochrome Black Limited Edition interior with the different colored inserts, but I'm sure it looks nice. Unfortunately no matter how long I stare at that grille I can't get myself to like it. The rest of the car looks fabulous; I just think they dropped the ball on that grille. I think some variation of Lincoln's waterfall grille design along with a more interesting headlight shape like on the Edge would have worked a lot better.
My current car is for sale so I want to have my act together in case someone buys it. I'm strongly leaning towards an '08 Edge, but if it realistically going to be a couple months before those are truly available then I might have to come up with a plan B.
What do you like best about it? How is the Ford edge reliability? I am thinking about buying one. I would like to know how everybody likes it or dislikes it.
thanks
I looked at the Saturn Vue but it is too small. I really want to buy from an American company but you know how it is everyone says buy Toyota/Honda more reliable.
I want to get at least 20 mpg. My 10 year old Laredo jeep gets a lot less.
comparing it to my stiff/truck like Explorer or her Honda...
I read some reviews about the weight and some people go and on about the weight and gas mileage that is the reason why I am asking. Thanks.
If you are buying an Edge, take an extra moment to look over the car in bright light. Most I have sold have excellant paint but I also saw a couple with unexceptable paint defects. All just cosmetic stuff but still not something you should see on a new car.
Mark.
Mark.
Thanks.
I have a Garmin Nuvi 660 and love it. All the options of factory units, less than half the cost, and I can take it with me when I fly to use in rental cars. The only down side is that the kids always want to borrow it. Just updated to new maps, and it cost $50 and took less than an hour. Updates come out about once a year so also look at the cost of these. The updates give new or changed roads and new POIs so they are useful.
Also, the Nuvii is also a MP3 player. You can feed the headphone output into the MP3 AUX input and while playing MP3 Music, it will still mute the stereo when it is time for a turn. This makes the Nuvii operate more like an integrated unit.
Also, you can enter a destination while moving with the Nuvii. You cannot with the one in the Edge even if someone is sitting in the passenger seat. ( a lawyer thing... )
My vote is for a Nuvii....
Mark
We've had an SE though for over a month
TO say that Ford has a hit is a gross understatment. We sell Nissans out of the same building and the Nissan manager claims that Edge is the first Ford he ever lost a sale to.
Mark.