2016 Ford Edge Consumer Reviews

I just finished a six day rental of a '16 Ford Edge Titanium with the Ecoboost 2.0 4 engine, driving it from south Florida to northern Georgia (mountains), down through the west Georgia boonies where The Walking Dead is filmed, then back south. It averaged 28 - 29 mpg on the open (highway/interstate) road, 22 mpg in town per the fuel economy computer..... not bad. The performance of the Ecoboost 4 engine is fairly impressive, considering the weight of the Edge vs the small size of the engine, and it does move it along pretty well. However, if you've carrying a load of people & stuff in a hilly area, you’ll sometimes wish you had another 15 ponies and 20 pound/feet of torque on tap. With a full load, this engine in this vehicle gets the job done, but you won’t have a lot of reserve power to spare. To be fair, compared to the '14 Ford Edge rental I drove two years ago that had a punishing and miserable ride, the '16 Edge is a big overall improvement ranging from the new Sync 3 system to the improved ride, comfort, braking and handling. Very strange, however, that this loaded Titanium didn’t have a GPS system!!!! Nearly a $38k top of the line car, and no GPS? REALLY?? This being said… this particular ’16 Titanium didn't close the deal for my family for a purchase, and here’s why: It rode pretty smoothly and fairly quietly only on the most glass-like asphalt roads (I don’t know where some Edge reviewers say that this SUV is soooo "quiet” – it is NOT, so they must be deaf or Ford fanatics). On any other road surface, the ride was frequently nervous and bumpy, the car thumped and bumped over minor broken pavement, you felt every imperfection in the road through the steering wheel. Depending on the type of road surface, road noise was prominent. For these reasons, these observations were definitely NOT in our definition of a ‘Titanium’ level in our opinion, and the deal breaker for a potential purchase. The road noise from the 19” Hankook 245/55R19 Venus S1 noble tires (set at 35psi per the manufacturer's recommendation) and through the vehicle’s floorpan was a bit excessive, especially since this was the Titanium model. I shudder to think how the Edge Sport must ride and sound with it's even lower profile tires/larger wheels. With the improvements in automotive industry suspension and sound reduction technology introduced over the past few years, there is certainly no excuse for Ford not producing a smoother riding and quieter crossover than this new top of the line Edge. Perhaps the Edge SEL might ride a little better (and a little quieter) with it's standard 18” wheels & tires. If so, a ‘16 Edge SEL could be worth a serious look. I've also just learned that the Titanium can be ordered with the 18" wheels & tires (60 profile instead of 55), so it would be interesting to drive an Edge Titanium with these tires/wheels. In the meantime, maybe Ford needs to talk to Kia, and closely examine a '16 Sorento. I rented a lowly '16 Sorento LX w/V6 a few months ago, and it was a definitely quieter, smoother riding, and faster SUV than this '16 Edge Titanium, and at a much lower price. The '16 EX & SX trim Sorentos are even quieter and ride about as well as the lower priced trim LX! Overall, a disappointment for a pricey SUV we really wanted to like. Back to the drawing board, Ford – Kia can get the job done with their Sorento, so, try again. You can do it!