Ford Europe, which last marketed a US-made SUV – the Explorer – over here from 1997 to 2001, reckons the new Edge SUV will help it “target a fast growing SUV segment that has doubled in the past five years”.
The automaker has finally revealed the production version due on sale in 2015, giving it a larger contender to supplement the medium sized, Spanish made Kuga and small, Indian-built EcoSport already on sale here.
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A concept Edge was unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show in November 2013 and Ford Canada confirmed last February its Oakville, Ontario plant would make the new model “for more than 60 countries”.
Roelant de Waard, a former Ford of Britain chairman now heading up European sales and marketing, said the time is right for the company to launch such a vehicle.
“The SUV market continues to grow globally and they are now mainstream just like saloons and hatchbacks. People want them not necessarily because of their off-road or towing ability but because they are a lifestyle statement,” he said.
According to analysts IHS, by 2018 one in five vehicles will be SUVs, representing some 20m vehicles globally.
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By GlobalDataDe Waard added: “Ford sold 1.2m SUVs last year, the first time we have broken through the 1m barrier. Last year in Europe we only had Kuga and sales rose 26% to 90,000. By 2018 we expect our SUV sales to grow threefold when we add EcoSport and Edge.”
As far as the new Edge is concerned, de Waard said the large SUV segment would grow 26% and he added that the model is unique, falling between vehicles such as the Audi A5/Volvo XC60 and the Audi A7/Volvo XC90.
“It has the fuel efficiency of those slightly smaller vehicles but the packaging of the larger ones.”
European sales of the redesigned Kuga (Escape in North America) increased by 38% year on year in the first five months of 2014 to 39,700 units and the 500,000th European Kuga was built in Valencia, Spain, this month.
The EcoSport has attracted over 16,000 European orders so far this year and in South America, where it was first launched, the EcoSport has a 37% segment share and is the best-selling SUV in Brazil.
Vehicle line director Darren Palmer said the Edge is based on Ford’s CD platform which will eventually underpin 10 different models, including the European Mondeo and S-Max plus more to follow, and account for 1.2m vehicles a year.
He added: “Under our One Ford strategy we will maximise commonality under the skin of all these vehicles.”
Ford said [The previous generation] Edge had helped reshape the industry’s definition of a traditional SUV in the US and, in achieving record sales in 2013, reinforced its position as a top-seller in the segment.
“Over the next five years we plan to outpace the industry growth and more than triple our SUV sales here,” de Waard said. “More customers than ever before are buying Kuga, we have very high expectations for EcoSport, and when Edge joins them in our showrooms we’ll have a full family of utilities, all leaders in design, remarkable technology, smart features and real capability.”
US and Europe specifications
While the 1997-2001 Explorer was offered with only a four-litre petrol V6 and automatic transmission in Europe, success in this market in Europe now demands a diesel-centric choice of fuel efficient low-CO2 powertrains – which Ford already had to hand. For the Edge, it has decided to go all-diesel for Europe with two versions of the two-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine – 180PS, 400Nm of torque and projected 149 g/km CO2, with six-speed manual transmission or 210PS, 450Nm torque and projected 159 g/km CO2 with six-speed PowerShift automatic and paddle-shift controls.
In North America, the Edge, on sale there early in 2015, will get three engine options, two of which are new – a standard twin-scroll two-litre EcoBoost I4 and a 2.7-litre V6. A normally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 engine will also be offered. All will be equipped with dual output exhaust and six-speed automatic transmission.
Should customers demand a petrol engine, Ford Europe should easily be able to add the EcoBoost I4 to its line-up as well.
The Edge will be the first US Ford with standard EcoBoost power. The front-wheel-drive version retains a MacPherson-type front suspension but has a new, sophisticated integral-link independent rear with coil springs and antiroll bar.
The body uses more high-strength steels and shows a 26% increase in stiffness when reacting to bending forces and a 16% increase in stiffness when reacting to twisting forces versus the 2014 model.
The Edge will be the first Ford model to feature the company’s adaptive steering technology.
Standard on US Sport versions and optional on the newly added Titanium series, adaptive steering changes the ratio between a driver’s actions at the steering wheel – the number of turns – and how much the front wheels turn. The steering ratio continually changes with vehicle speed, optimising steering response in all situations.
Auto start-stop system will also be optional with the twin-scroll EcoBoost engine in the US.
Optional all wheel drive is full-time, on-demand and seamless – there are no knobs or switches to activate. An electronically controlled clutch transfers power between the front and rear axles, sending up to 100% of the power front or back.
Ford said the 2015 Edge would be its technology leader with a range of standard and available technologies designed to improve the driving experience and the level of occupant comfort. Technologies being offered for the first time include adaptive steering, enhanced active park assist, side parking sensors and a front camera with washer.
Palmer said: “The vehicle will also come with a comprehensive suite of driving aids including adaptive steering and 180 degree cameras front and rear which will enable people to see what is coming as they pull out of side turnings or reverse out of parking spaces.”
There is also active noise cancellation, as used in headphones, where microphones pick up and filter out unwanted noises in favour of those you want to hear – such as the engine note.
Additional reporting: Chris Wright
