The crossover market has become a busy place over the past few years; with escalating fuel prices, drivers start to question their need for a honking great SUV. Of course, this has given rise to a number of manufacturers jumping onto the bandwagon, and there are now probably more crossover vehicles being produced than there ever were SUVs.
So what do companies do if they want to stand out from the crowd? How do they get the edge?
Well to state the obvious, they can’t, because Ford already owns that nameplate and has been doing quite well with it!
First launched in late 2006, the Edge proved itself a blue-oval winner from the offset, and global sales have now topped 500,000 units. A refresh in 2010 introduced the industry-first MyFord Touch driver connect technology which has become extremely popular, particularly with the younger and perhaps more tech-savvy buyers.
The company also offers a wide range of Edge products, with models like the SE (starting at around $28k), the SEL ($34k), the Limited ($38k), and there’s even a Sports edition which adds to the SEL such niceties as paddle shifters, a more aggressive appearance and 22-inch premium alloys (for just over $43k).
So it would appear as though Ford has the upper hand, or edge on the competition at the moment, if you’ll pardon the pun, but how does it plan to stay there?
Well, I’ve just returned from experiencing the new 2.0L, 4-cylinder EcoBoost version and I have to say that its game plan is looking rather impressive to me.
Of course, we’ve seen this technology in action already; think 3.5L EcoBoost F-150 (which I happen to be driving this week). This vehicle, with its revolutionary powerplant, has literally transformed the pickup truck world and I’m now predicting pretty much the same outcome for the crossover market.
Now for those of you who perhaps are unfamiliar with this technology (although the web is flooded with raving reviews of it), let me explain in simple terms how it works.
So what do companies do if they want to stand out from the crowd? How do they get the edge?
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| First launched in late 2006, the Edge proved itself a blue-oval winner from the offset, and global sales have now topped 500,000 units. (Photo: Ford) |
Well to state the obvious, they can’t, because Ford already owns that nameplate and has been doing quite well with it!
First launched in late 2006, the Edge proved itself a blue-oval winner from the offset, and global sales have now topped 500,000 units. A refresh in 2010 introduced the industry-first MyFord Touch driver connect technology which has become extremely popular, particularly with the younger and perhaps more tech-savvy buyers.
The company also offers a wide range of Edge products, with models like the SE (starting at around $28k), the SEL ($34k), the Limited ($38k), and there’s even a Sports edition which adds to the SEL such niceties as paddle shifters, a more aggressive appearance and 22-inch premium alloys (for just over $43k).
So it would appear as though Ford has the upper hand, or edge on the competition at the moment, if you’ll pardon the pun, but how does it plan to stay there?
Well, I’ve just returned from experiencing the new 2.0L, 4-cylinder EcoBoost version and I have to say that its game plan is looking rather impressive to me.
Of course, we’ve seen this technology in action already; think 3.5L EcoBoost F-150 (which I happen to be driving this week). This vehicle, with its revolutionary powerplant, has literally transformed the pickup truck world and I’m now predicting pretty much the same outcome for the crossover market.
Now for those of you who perhaps are unfamiliar with this technology (although the web is flooded with raving reviews of it), let me explain in simple terms how it works.
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| A 2.0L EcoBoost powerplant, such as the one now available on the Ford Edge and Explorer models, supplies the performance and feel of a reasonably sized V6 whilst sipping considerably less fuel. (Photo: Ford) |