2011 Ford Edge SEL AWD Driven

By the time we drove to the bottom of Bothwell Beach Road in our silver 2011 Ford Edge SEL AWD tester, there wasn't a soul to be seen. This wasn't surprising given that, on this mid-July afternoon, the temperature was just 16°C (61°F) and, to make matters much, much worse, it was raining. It was raining kind of hard.

We arrived in terrific comfort, sure. But we hopped out of the Ford Edge preparing our bare feet for cold red mud (not the dry red dirt for which Prince Edward Island is famous). Then we strolled along the most beautiful beach I've ever seen on cold and wet sand.

Why is this journey to the best beach in the wooorld so important in a review of the 2011 Ford Edge? For starters, when the slope away from the beach is steep, strewn with all manner of imported rock and lacking in traction, the Edge's all-wheel drive was called upon. It worked.

Second, and not at all unimportant, was the fact that this weather, though worse than what we'd encounter the remainder of the week, wasn't really all that different from what we'd see on all but a couple of days. As you would thus assume, we spent a lot of time inside the Ford Edge: living with it, sitting in it, being bothered by it, and enjoying it. 

Finally, this Bothwell Beach Road run is key to understanding the nature of the journey. Our 6-year-old American niece sure wasn't going to get a sunshiny PEI vacation, but we would drive near and far, fast and furious, in search of a beach with sand dry enough to take home to her mother, who'd never had the privilege of visiting the Gentle Island.

A disclaimer before we continue then. Don't judge Prince Edward Island's weather based on the week our Edge and our niece suffered through. It's really always divine. Just not in mid-July 2011. And on that note, how did the 2011 Ford Edge SEL AWD cope hauling three passengers, tons of camping gear, a dozen filthy beach towels, and multiple beach artifacts? Read on after the jump for The Good Car Guy's complete Driven review of the 2011 Ford Edge SEL AWD.

It had been a while since I'd last been able to lounge about in a Ford product for such a lengthy period. The Taurus from the fall of 2009 wasn't geared to my taste, being a big sedan my grandfathers would have loved and all. Nevertheless, that Taurus demonstrated Ford's strength in making large automobiles feel surprisingly nimble and even, I reckon, a bit fun. 

Indeed, many of the same words could be used in an Edge-related discussion. For a reasonably sized machine, it weighs too much. At 4266 pounds the Edge isn't particularly weighty in contrast to its rivals but it feels heavy when maneuvering around a parking lot and when you first shove off.

Then, as I suspected, the Edge's 285-horsepower 3.5L V6 takes over and provides decent shove. Passing power on rural two-laners was plentiful, all the more so as revs rose toward the 6500 rpm power peak. Brake feel was consistent just before turning in. Then, upon turning in, despite the anticipated lack of feel and proper weighting through the steering wheel, there's a pleasing amount of outright handling ability present in the Edge. We've come to expect this in Fiestas and Focuses and Mustangs, too, but the Edge, going about it differently of course, copes with corners like a heavy low-slung sedan, not an SUV with 70 cubic feet of cargo capacity and eight inches of ground clearance. 

The Ford Edge isn't at all sporty, but that's what makes its handling awareness so much more impressive. The ride is serene and there's none of the annoying stuff that comes with an overly aggressive crossover. Yet the Edge manages to cope admirably when challenged by a rather aggressive driving manner. It feels as though the Edge would be a swell starting point for an SVT product.

More Ford Edge Pictures Can Be Seen In The Flickr Slideshow Below

There are problems, even before we move from the actual driving to the living. A toggle switch on the side of the shifter is a dreadful way to ask people to shift an automatic for themselves. The steering feels like the rack you'd yield to in a Ford Expedition, not the multiple-rungs-down-on-the-scale Edge. And that power peak seems awfully high for a vehicle of this sort. If there's 253 lb-ft of torque to be had in a high-riding utility vehicle, I want it all before I get to 4000 rpm.

In general, however, any righteous complaint you'll care to level at the 2011 Ford Edge SEL shouldn't relate to how feels on the road. Rather, life in the Edge just doesn't feel quite worthy of the price tag. The steering wheel and shifter are well cared for, but the rest? Ugh. The materials used on switches and knobs and seats come straight from Kia circa 2003. Okay, maybe 2005. At $35,999 CDN, or even the current discounted $31,559 price, the Edge SEL's interior feels like it's $5000 or more overpriced, although it doesn't look that way at first glance.

This vehicle wasn't kitted out with the allegedly awful MyFord Touch, but even without complex touch screens, working the blinker stalks and climate controls required patience, patience I don't possess and likely never will. The wind rushing by the B-pillars was loud enough to tragically impact what little sound we could enjoy from the tinny stereo. Lights just didn't sound like herself. 

Ford also thought to install the rear seats with a power folding mechanism that wasn't powerful and couldn't fold the seats more than half-way. Thanks for that useless bit of so-called innovation. 

Apparently, buying an Edge means you can cancel your gym membership. Ford figures you want to get your daily upper body workout from closing the tailgate. Seriously, I do plenty of push-ups everyday. I'm not kidding, I really do. But I wouldn't need to if I had this tailgate to close a few times every day. 

Is the sound of frustration starting to make you as tense as I felt living with the Ford Edge for a week? See, what's so troubling about this is that the Edge, in all honesty, would be like the student who answers eight or nine of his ten math questions correctly but misses the one that was worth 50% of the final score.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain © www.GoodCarBadCar.net
Most Photos Captured By HTC Desire Camera Phone

The Edge looks good. At the very least it has a wild amount of presence. It's terrific to drive, particularly in contrast with popular small crossovers from Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. There's abundant levels of space, and it's pretty comfortable for four or five people. It's not that expensive, either. But, for the amount of perceived quality you simply won't perceive, the Edge comes across as a product from a previous era. An era like... oh I don't know, 2006, when the pre-facelifted Edge was introduced. 

This hasn't held Ford back from selling boatloads of these vehicles to customers all over North America. The Ford Edge was Canada's fourth-best-selling and America's seventh-best-selling SUV in June. Imagine what Ford could do if the 2011 Edge didn't want for higher class ingredients and a bit more interior intelligence.

By the end of our week in Prince Edward Island we were enjoying 29 miles per gallon in the Edge SEL AWD, three mpg up on the EPA's highway rating. During the first couple days we were down around 21 mpg. The latter was tolerable; the former more than acceptable. Are those figures enough to make the Edge a recommended purchase? Ford Canada is willing to take $4440 off the price of an all-wheel drive-equipped Edge SEL. Push that figure downward by another couple thousand and the Edge starts to feel worth it. 

Drive to Bothwell Beach when it's sunny and warm and you won't care if you're driving an Edge or an Econoline. It'll be worth it. Honestly, it was worth it in a cold rain. 



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