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2013 Ford Edge SEL AWD Review

2013 Ford Edge SEL AWD
Photo: Kevin Corrigan
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Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan
They say beauty is only skin deep...
It’s not difficult to accept the popularity of the Ford Edge. It is, after all, exactly what most of us are looking for: a pleasing blend of sedan and sport utility. The perfect crossover, you might say; but is it?

After spending a week in the 2013 Ford Edge SEL, I’m not so sure, if the truth be known.

You see, I like the look of this vehicle, what with its glossy metallic black paintwork and those stylish 20” machined aluminum rims, but my mother warned me long ago of the perils of falling for external beauty. So let us dig a little deeper.

Futuristic beauty not for everyone
The interior is perhaps where I start to question the 2013 Ford Edge. Oh, yes, while the clean-cut, uncluttered look may appeal to many, I find the overall appearance a tad too futuristic for my liking. Now you may call me old fashioned, but I like a vehicle with plenty of little buttons and control knobs: little things I can twiddle with and fine-tune, which help keep me entertained during my journey.

I want the dashboard of my automobile to look like the command centre of a MiG fighter jet, whereas the slab-like control centre in the 2013 Ford Edge, in many ways, reminds me of my iPhone. For sure, it boasts all sorts of amazing capabilities, and you can basically have a conversation with it, but it’s lacking something: There’s no real physical connection to the driver.

Perhaps I’m being a tad unfair here as most manufacturers now appear bent on placing everything inside a centralized finger & voice controlled unit and, disregarding what others might say, I do actually like the Ford MyTouch system. However, this is the first time I’ve really noticed how far they’ve gone to remove my little control buttons. I miss them, and I really don’t want to be searching around a screen menu each time I want to toast my chilled posterior. What was wrong with a few knobs and switches anyway?

We then come to the quality of the interior and there’s a slight glitch here, too! While the dashboard appears all soft and touchy-feely, the interior door panels are the precise opposite. In fact, it makes you wonder whether the designers didn’t blow the budget on those fancy electronic gizmos and then totally forget that customers might wish for some form of covering on the inside of their door panels.

The hard plastic in the 2013 Ford Edge resembles something the former Soviet Union would’ve put their name to back in the ‘80s. In fact, with its granular finish, it makes the perfect fingernail file, which would be fine except I prefer to bite mine now that I don’t have any knobs to twist and play with while I drive!

On the Edge of power
As far as power goes, the 2013 Ford Edge does rather well with a choice of engines, including the new 2.0L EcoBoost, which I must admit to liking. My tester came with the standard 3.5L which offers up plenty of power and appears smooth and refined. It’s also pretty reasonable on fuel, especially in relation to the power on tap.

On the road, the Edge handles well and is a particularly nice highway cruiser. Steering is precise and the elevated seating position supplies a commanding view of the traffic ahead.

All in all, the 2013 Ford Edge SEL is a practical family vehicle and yet, personally, I would jump up a notch in size and go for the Explorer which is an absolutely fantastic vehicle. Not only is it better looking (I like the Edge, but love the Explorer); it simply offers much better value for the money.

My tester, the 2013 Ford Edge SEL model (which is not the top-of-the-line), starts out at $36,499 but when you start adding in a few niceties (appearance package, MyTouch, voice-activated navigation, power liftgate etc.), it topped out at nearly $42k. Now to me, that’s a lot of money for what is a relatively small vehicle with a somewhat questionable interior.

Perhaps I’m wrong on this, but I feel Ford has done such a wonderful job with the Explorer that it’s driven us to the point where the Edge perhaps now needs an update simply to keep pace. Therefore, yes, it’s a nice vehicle, but it’s not for me!
2013 Ford Edge SEL
ford edge 2013
2013 Ford Edge SEL
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