An family SUV that can shame a Raptor?
American carmaker Ford has released the Ford Edge for the 2018 model year in the UK, bringing about a bunch of cosmetic upgrades to the largest SUV they maintain in their European lineup. We’re not really interested in much about it, except for what lies under the bonnet.
The Ford Edge will arrive on our shores as the Endura, and Ford has communicated before that the local-spec model will be a pure-diesel offering when it arrives late this year. In the US, the Ford Edge is powered by a V6 petrol mill in the hot ST version, which puts out an impressive 264kW and 515Nm, with power going to all-four wheels through an eight-speed automatic.
In Europe however, the Ford Edge is being offered with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel mill, available in three states of tune, and topping out at 175kW. The EcoBlue mill employed in the UK-spec Edge is loosely related to the Panther mill in the Ford Ranger Raptor which, despite being a performance ute, makes just 157kW.
Yes, a family SUV with a Bang & Olufsen sound system, makes more power than a dedicated performance ute. At least the Ranger Raptor has a 10-speed automatic. The Edge/Endura has just 8.
Aside from the mill, the European car gets a similarly aggressive treatment as we saw with the American-market Ford Edge ST, as well as a whole suite of advanced driver assistance tech. Among the headlining features, there are things like evasive steering assist, active cruise control with traffic jam assistant, and lane-keeping aid.
The Ford Edge ST-Line for Europe gets things like colour-coded body cladding, black 20” alloys and black grille, and twin exhausts replete with chrome tips. Inside, ST-Line cars get 10-way electrically-adjustable front seats wrapped in perforated leather and Dinamica not-suede material, a leather steering wheel, black headlining, and shiny sports pedals.
We’ll know more about our local-market Ford Endura as we get closer to its Q4 2018 launch. Be sure to stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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