Cars.com's Bill Jackson takes a look at the 2009 Ford Edge Sport. It competes with the Nissan Murano and Mazda CX-7.
Transcript
(upbeat music) <v Voice-over>Cars.com Auto Review. Hi, I'm Bill Jackson. We're here with the 2009 Ford Edge. It's actually the 2009 Ford Edge Sport. That's a new term for 2009.
So we're going to go over some of the things that make it different from the other Edges. Since this is a sport model, it has what Ford calls a "Sport Appearance" package. Basically, all that means is this bottom part of the car looks different on a sport Edge than it does on a regular Edge. And the biggest differentiator is that this is body colored on the sport cars and dark on the regular Edges. One of the other things you get with the Edge sport are these big 22 inch rims, which present two issues to me. One is just how they look. It's not that it's a bad looking wheel. It's just, this wheel is so big, it makes the brakes in here look really kind of puny. Again, that's probably a matter of personal taste. The other issue is more practical. With this big of a rim, you don't have a lot of rubber here. So if you live in a place like Chicago, that's got very rough roads, you might need to consider a whole separate set of wheels and tires for the winter, especially. Now, both the Edge and the Edge sport have the same engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. There's a slightly different axle ratio, but otherwise, the drivetrain is the same. So the big difference is in the suspension. The Edge sport has a sport-tuned suspension, which means it rides a little more firmly than the regular Edge. I didn't find it that bad to be honest with you, but it's one of those things that you'll want to pay attention to if you test drive. But overall, I wasn't beaten up like I am in a lot of other cars when they try to make a sport version. Now I suspect one of the reasons I didn't feel so beat up is the Edge sport actually has pretty soft seats. A lot of times when car makers build a sport version, they give you a really aggressive seat with high bolsters and very firm bit of padding, which I like, except that I think on a day-to-day basis, the softer seats in the Edge made the ride a little bit more pleasant. There's some other things to keep in mind too about the sport. It's the most expensive trim level, but if you step down to the limited version, there are some convenience features that are standard on the limited, but optional on the sport. These are things like a six-way power-adjusted driver's seat, heated outside mirrors, things like that. It's not the end of the world that those are extra cost options in the sport, but it's something that you need to keep in mind when you're pricing it out. So overall with the Edge sport, you do get the sport-tuned suspension, which is more firm, but I didn't, again, I didn't find the ride bad, just one of the things you want to look at. And as you would expect, you get a little bit better handling, which is something you'd want to consider. I think it would be a decent crossover SUV if you lived in a place with a twisty and smooth roads, as opposed to say a drag strip. <v Voice-over>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, KickingTires.net.
