Ford to Offer $795 Navigation on Some 2011 Edges
Much like the bargain-priced system now offered by Nissan, the Edge’s navigation runs off an SD card rather than the usual hard drive. This technique is known to render slower load times, but Nissan’s system counters that with a lot of common-sense usability. To any skeptics, SD-card navigation can be done well.
Navigation in the Edge requires a $1,000 package that includes Ford’s Sync system, touch-sensitive center controls, LCD gauge displays and a backup camera. Optional on the Edge SEL and standard on the Limited and Sport, the package replaces the dashboard’s standard 4.2-inch information screen with a full-fledged 8-inch display.
Price notwithstanding, there’s another barrier to the navigation becoming a popular add-on: The latest version of Sync already incorporates turn-by-turn navigation. Pair your cell phone and vehicle on Ford’s SyncMyRide.com, and, as in the Fiesta, you can query an address via voice recognition. (For a closer look at Sync’s turn-by-turn capabilities and limitations, check out our Fiesta review.) GPS-linked directions show up in the Edge’s dash display, but rather than the Fiesta’s red outlines, these arrows pop up in full color on high-resolution LCD screens. Sync directions are free for three years and $60 a year thereafter.
Either way, between turn-by-turn Sync directions and actual navigation, a large portion of Edges on sale should offer some sort of navigation capabilities.
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2011 Ford Edge Priced at $27,220
