It was a beautiful sunny day in Santa Anita and the team at Ford had setup the EcoBoost Challenge to again allow consumers to try out the latest turbo charged offerings. The Ford company has produced over 4 million EcoBoost engines worldwide since their introduction. Every model in the lineup from the Fiesta to the F150 now offers an EcoBoost motor and we were able to spend the most time with the new 2015 Ford Edge Sport.
The Edge had just came back from the press drive in Arizona last week and so far the car has been well received. Gone is the bland round “helmet” shape of the older Ford Edge and this 2015 model is more angled and attractive. The Ford specialists on hand let us know that the largest portion of feedback they received on the last model was a desire for more modern and handsome styling. Inside and out the car has matured in that sense and is more equipped to deal with the Don Draper SUVs of the world like the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
This year the Edge is also equipped with the twin-turbo 2.7L V6 EcoBoost motor that was introduced in the 2015 Ford F150. In the Edge the engine is detuned slightly to produce 315hp and 350ft-lbs of torque – compared to the 325hp/375ft-lbs from the F150. Off the line performance is a bit breathless as the turbo gets moving but once the car is up to speed the acceleration is brisk. Pulling from 25 mph – 50 mph feels very good and you can really hear and feel the power from the EcoBoost motor. The engine noise sounded great and almost as if the Edge was equipped with a Sound Symposer similar to the way the Focus ST amplifies the engine noise into the cabin (waiting on confirmation from Ford on this one).
Overall the new Edge is a step forward in styling inside and out and seems to be better positioned with the competition from the Grand Cherokee. The V6 and Hemi in the Jeep still pull away from the line much better than the 2.7L EcoBoost but this motor should keep up with them in traffic.
