Ford Edge : Your Thoughts?

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The Edge is a nice looking vehicle - my wife wants one. However, it is too heavy, and fuel economy really suffers because of it, not to mention braking ability. No reason that a 5 passenger wagon needs to weigh over 4500 pounds (AWD limted on Edmunds.com)! My pick in this class would be the Toyota RAV4 - similar power, 800 pounds less weight, and almost 20% better fuel economy. Ford screwed up on the Edge making it a real porker. The Escape would be really nice and fine with the 3.0L if Ford put the 6 speed transmission in it.
 
Edge - 185 inches long, 5 seater, 4500 pounds (Limited AWD), 265hp, 17/24mpg

RAV4 - 181 inches long, optional 7 seat capacity, 3700 pounds, 269hp, 21/28mpg



I'd say they are in the same class, pricing is close as well.
 
Crown Vic.- 212" Long, 5 seater, 239 HP

Ford F-150- 211" Long, 4 seater, 248 HP



I would say those two vehicles are in the same class too....right?





Tom
 
Tom - now your just being silly. Crown Vic and F-150?



The Edge and RAV4 are both tall, unibody 5 door wagons with optional AWD - how do you define a crossover versus a SUV? Pretty much the same thing in my book.
 
Same length and power. Wouldn't that make them the same?



Compare the Edge to the Nissan Murano or Chrysler Pacifica. That is fair. A CRV, RAV4, Escape, Tracker, and even the Liberty are Mini SUV's.



What does the Murano or Pacifica weigh?



In my opinion, saying an Edge and the RAV4 are the same is no different than saying the F-150 and Crown Vic. is the same.



GM's Uplander is a Minivan, not a CUV. They still say it is a CUV.





Tom
 
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Also, I drove a Toyota Rav4 as a rental car last week and hated it. Granted, it was a low-end rental version, but after all of the rave reviews I read when that thing came out I was seriously underwhelmed.

You obviously did not get one with the V6. Bought one for my wife last spring and it's freekin incredible. 270 hp and yet gets 21mpg in town and 28 on the hwy. The Edge doesn't even come close to those figures. It drives more like a sports car then an SUV.
 
This thread is funny and the debate on what is comparable pretty pointless so I thought I would go to Edmunds because they often call out "comparable" vehicles.



They classify the Edge as a mid-size SUV. Why do they do this instead of call it a crossover, I wonder? The reason is probably because crossover isn't a universally accepted classification...just as SUT is not, nor was hybrid before when it was used in the same context as what Ford calls a crossover.



But, let's consider "crossover" for a second. What is it crossing over from and to (or between), if not a sedan and a midsize-SUV? And if part mid-size SUV, wouldn't a crossover be comparable to mid-size SUV?



Edmunds lists the following vehicles comparable to the 2007 Edge:



Honda Pilot, Mitsubishi Endeavor, Nissan Murano and Suzuki XL7.



I will agree with Caymen though that if you want a better Toyota to compare the Edge to, it should be the Highlander, not the Rav 4.



TJR

 
No, no, no. You guys got it all wrong.



A Mini Cooper and, say, a Unimog are truly comparable. Both have 4 black pneumatic tires, both have doors, both have steering wheels, both have seats and both are powered by an internal combustion engine. If those vehicles aren't two from the same mold, I dunno what would be.



TJR-

I think, for the most part, Edmunds uses the EPA classification for a broad sorting of vehicles. The EPA looks at interior space and platform to classify vehicles. When the Bentley Continental T was still in production, considered by many a large, luxury coupe, was classified as a sub-compact by the EPA.



Of course, for detailed break-downs, Edmunds considers price, amenities, and capabilities. They wouldn't classify a Crown Vic and a F-150 in the same category because that's just silly. One is clearly a car and one is clearly a truck. Just as Edmunds wouldn't classify a Ferrari 612 and a Mustang together. While both are 2+2 coupes, one is a luxury filled car with the latest and greatest in race tested technology, while the other is a "performance" car filled with the latest and greatest technology from the 1940's.
 
Just as Edmunds wouldn't classify a Ferrari 612 and a Mustang together. While both are 2+2 coupes, one is a luxury filled car with the latest and greatest in race tested technology, while the other is a "performance" car filled with the latest and greatest technology from the 1940's.



LOL No Kidding.



 
TonT,



That's why I mentioned that it was a low-end rental version. The Lexus V-6 was the focus of most of the positive reviews I read. However, I was honestly disappointed with the interior appearance as well, and VERY unimpressed with the handling on the highway. Driving 2 1/2 hours each way in good weather, I found the Rav4 to a bit skittish and to be effected by minor wind gusts far more than it should have been.



A higher trim level could help some of the interior issues, and if there's a "performance" package or similarly upgraded steering/suspension set-up that might help as well. Maybe I just got a bad apple. Like I said, I've heard nothing but good things about them, which is why I was surprised.
 
Understandable. We got the Limited package which is much nicer then the stock that the rental companies probably have. Even I wouldn't compare it to a Lexus but we only paid 27,000 for ours versus at least 40 for any Lexus. I couldn't afford that much. It does have more road noise then I would like but it makes up for it in other areas. So far we couln't be happier. Just wish my wife would let me drive it more. :)
 
Tom,

Crossover Vehicle and Sport Utility Vehicle are just marketing terms. The marketing guys attach one of the labels to the the vehicles. The Edge and RAV4 are similar in dimensions, shape and function. They will compete in sales. Like I stated before, both are 5 door unibody wagons with front wheel drive, and optional all-wheel drive. The Rav4 is a larger vehicle than the Escape, closer to the Edge.

The Highlander might compete more with the Freestyle, and it's 7 passenger seating.
 
dmould, I agree with everything you say. Only recently was the Rav4 larger than the Escape. I think Caymen is correct in saying that crossovers should more specifically compared with other crossovers, and not mid-size SUVs, but as I said earlier, and I agreed with many here, the lines between the two are often blurry. Ultimately the big comparison will be made by the buyers, who will compare mostly on price and functionality (where functionality includes abilities, passengers, etc).



TJR
 
"the lines between the two are often blurry"



Aye, there's the rub. Here's the problem, a "crossover" is usually little more then an 'SUV' built on a uni-body platform instead of body-on-frame and usually FWD. Those have been around for many, many years, just no one called them 'crossovers'. Then came a few that had more car-like features, or more truck-like features, so some advertising someone somewhere coined the term 'crossover' to describe their company's vehicle in an attempt to set them apart from the pack. So now, we retrospectively apply the term 'crossover' to just about any vehicle the combines bits of two or more other vehicles into one.



You could have a valid argument that the Sport Trac is a crossover. It was the full cabin benefits of an SUV, but with an open cargo bed of a truck. As with all crossovers, there are sacrifices. You cannot sit more then 5 people in the ST, where is other SUVs of the same size can seat up to 7; the truck bed cannot hold as much, where other truck of similar size can hold much, much more. But no, no one calls the ST a crossover, instead, they call it an "SUT", Sport Utility Truck. A crossover name if there ever was one.



If you want to compare similar models, you must look at cars with similar prices, features, capabilities, and audience. Don't fuss over what the manufacturer wants to call the vehicle, as they'll call it anything in order to make it different.
 
Tiger...I have been seeing a larger number of crossover types being AWD these days, or at least offering AWD...that seems to be another likely attribute of what we may consider defines a crossover.
 
Eh...AWD is slowly replacing FWD in everything but economy compact cars. As more and more manufacturers are capable of making low-cost, mass-produced AWD units, they are integrating them more and more into their product line-up. Not to mention that there are fewer and fewer manufacturers that are independent, more manufacturers have access to 'company' parts and AWD systems.



AWD systems can now be found in just about every segment out there, except economy sub/compacts; although you can find AWD compacts in other parts of the world. AWD is also slowly replacing RWD in both big sedans and performance coupe segments. You can thanks the Germans (well, Audi) and the Swedes for AWD sedans, and the Japanese for AWD performance coupes...or maybe Audi again.



Heck, AWD is even slowly replacing traditional 4x4 systems. Sure, manufacturers may call them "Automatic 4x4", but that's more of a marketing term then an accurate description. Don't want to alienate the customer base by removing that '4x4' term.
 

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