2012 Ford Edge

Speaking of exterior looks, it is hands down the best-looking crossover in its class. Moreover, it rivals the likes of other SUVs like the Nissan Murano, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Honda Crosstour.

The 2012 Ford Edge is offered in four trim levels with a base price of $27,770. The base trim is the SE trim and is the only trim that comes with scantily equipped features, the rest all come with a handful of standard features. The mid-trim SEL comes well equipped, and as you move up the trims, the addition of luxury appointments makes the Edge more comfortable and premium than ever. The most premium trim is the Limited trim which comes at $34,935 and the Sport trim comes at $37,110, and just as the name suggests, it is more of a performance-oriented trim.

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The SEL trim is the best choice to go for as it comes with slightly more features than the standard which makes it more comfortable and the Limited trim is the most luxurious trim, which comes with more use of premium materials, but the cost feels a bit too much, so the best choice would be SEL trim.

The turbocharged Inline-4 engine producing 240 horsepower is a $995 option for the 2012 Ford Edge, while this engine is a perfect combination of power and efficiency EPA estimated figures suggest that in the real world one would save just about $250 on fuel option for this engine, which is something that Ford might have already figured out as the standard engine in the Edge is still the 3.5-liter V6 engine which makes 285 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque.

It comes paired with a six-speed automatic transmission which does the work efficiently, FWD is standard on all models, while one can opt for the available AWD for all the trims, this AWD system also adds up to 200 pounds. Moreover, 60 MPH with the standard engine comes up at 6.8 seconds and it does a quarter-mile run in 15.4 seconds and maxes out at 131 mph.

Among the competition, the Ford has the most power and also the most torque, it offers just 1 pound-feet less torque than the Honda. On the other hand, the 2012 Crosstour has the highest top speed of 140 mph. Hyundai is the fastest to 60 MPH which takes 6.6 seconds and the fastest car to quarter-mile as well clocking 15 seconds. On the other hand, both Nissan Murano and Ford Edge share the same top speed of 131 mph.

If you are worried about the rising gas prices, then Ford has the optional Ecoboost engine, which with the help of a turbocharger gives you power like a V6 and fuel economy of an Inline-4. The standard V6, however, returns average fuel economy figures. EPA estimates suggest that the V6 would return 19/27/22 MPG for city/highway/combined cycles respectively. It comes with an 18-gallon fuel tank that allows for an overall range of just about 400 miles, which is slightly less than the average range that rivals of the segment offer.

The Nissan Murano with a bigger fuel tank of 21.7-gallons allows for a better range than the rest in every driving condition as the MPG figures of the rest are identical to each other. Nissan also has the least fuel-efficient engine, whereas Hyundai offers a better overall fuel economy figure than Ford and Honda. It returns a fuel economy of 20 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and a combined 23 mpg.

Skipping on the third row, the 2012 Ford Edge comes with two rows of seating, and they offer best-in-class second-row legroom, these are the words of Ford. Upfront you get a set of bucket seats, which in the base trim come with power adjustment for the driver, while higher trim offers power adjustability for both front occupants.

The seats are comfortable and offer a relaxing drive whether long or short, the rear row also offers immense space for adults, and even opting for the optional Vista roof, provides more style to the cabin without cutting off much headroom. The wagon-style body also plays an important role in providing space inside for the occupants. Having said that, it offers a trunk capacity of 32.2 cubic feet.

Cutting off a bit of cargo space, just like Ford mentioned Edge offers the most amount of legroom in the second row of seating. While the Honda remains the most cramped in the rear seats and also has a smaller trunk of 25.7 cubic feet, the Hyundai Santa Fe leads the segment with a total trunk volume of 34.2 cubic feet, which is more than the rest of the SUVs.

Some of the key interior features are:

• Power-adjustable driver seat
• Leather-upholstery bucket seats
• 60/40 split fold-flat rear bench seat
• Leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic air conditioning

How intuitive is the 2012 Ford Edge’s infotainment unit?

The standard infotainment system available in the Edge SE, and SEL trim is a basic SYNC system that comes with a CD player AM/FM auxiliary jack input for your tunes. The SYNC system also offers Bluetooth connectivity which allows the driver to control phone functions via voice command.

Making its debut in the higher trims of the Edge is the MyFord touch system which replaces the old knobs and buttons with a high-resolution touch screen display, this system controls the climate control, audio, and phone functions all with the help of the touchscreen and steering mounted controls. The user interface is a bit tricky to get the hang of, but once you do it becomes quite easy to operate even while driving, other infotainment features include:

• 8.0-inch touchscreen system (optional)
• 4.2-inch LCD cluster screen
• Voice-activated communications and entertainment system
• 6-speaker sound system
• HD Radio with SiriusXM satellite radio subscription for six months
• Turn-by-turn navigation with real-time traffic
• Bluetooth phone streaming, SD card reader

The simple and plain design stays with the 2012 Ford Edge, even after an overhaul for the 2011 model. The design gets sharper with more pronounced fenders and sharper taillights and body lines which give the car a more crisp look. The front grille also gets a more deep design which makes it look more like the grille of a Volkswagen.

Coming to the exterior dimensions, the Ford Edge takes a sweet spot in terms of length of 184.2 inches. However, in terms of width, it is the widest car in its segment measuring a width of 76 inches. It has a height of 67 inches which is the same as the Nissan Murano. Both SUVs also sport a wheelbase of 111.2 inches. Overall the Edge seems to be bigger and more elegant than ever before. 

In terms of weight, the Nissan Murano is the lightest, but it comes with a lower ground clearance of 7.4 inches. Hyundai and Ford have enough ground clearance that they can easily crawl over a few high obstacles but the former sports a smaller wheelbase of 106.3 inches. However, the Ford is a wide SUV which would make it a bit tough to fit in tight spaces. 

Some of the key exterior features of the 2012 Ford Edge are:

• Auto on/off headlamps w/wiper activation
• Door cladding
• Rear spoiler
• Unique dual oval chrome exhaust tips
• 22-inch Polished Aluminum wheels (top trim)

Every manufacturer looks after the safety of their occupants, nowadays we rarely come across cars that do not perform well in terms of safety or are less equipped when it comes to the inclusion of safety features and tech, the Ford Edge is no exception, in the tests conducted by the government agencies like NHTSA it scored four out of five stars in the overall crash test rating, whereas IIHS gave it its title of ‘Top Safety Pick’.

The standard list of safety features include an array of airbags, with ABS, traction, and stability control standard fitting, alongside a few advanced safety features which are available as options on the lower trims and come as standard on higher trims, these include:

• S.O.S post-crash alert system
• Hill-start assist
• MyKey system
• Personal safety system
• Rearview camera with reverse parking sensors

The 2011 model brought with it some much-needed changes to the car, and the 2012 Ford Edge just makes it even better, with more space, a fuel-efficient Ecoboost engine, and more luxurious and modern features fitted in the SUV, the Ford Edge remains one of the most beloved choices in the midsize crossover SUV segment and if you are looking for a fun-filled crossover for you family, the Ford Edge would be an ideal choice.