Ford Edge ST Takes Detroit by Storm

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Jan 17, 2018

Ford wants a piece of the performance SUV action

The Ford booth was pretty crowded at this years Detroit Auto Show, and for good reason. Not only FoMoCo finally revived the Ranger pickup truck for the U.S. market, it also used the event to launch its first-ever performance SUV. With the recently established Ford Performance division having already delivered awesome cars like the Focus RS, Shelby Mustang GT350R, and the GT supercar, Ford decided it's time to tackle the SUV market and commissioned an ST version of the Edge. The beefed-up variant arrives just as Ford updated the Edge for the 2019 model year, introducing both at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show.

The new SUV is obviously inspired by previous ST-badged vehicles, like the Fiesta and Focus. It sports a big, aggressive front grille and a sporty bumper with big vents and a black fin, like seen on the Shelby GT350 and Focus RS. The optional 21-inch wheels wrapped in performance tires and the revised rocker panels highlight the ST's new profile. Around back, it features a dual exhaust layout with satin chrome tips. The SUV retains the standard trailer hitch receiver, meaning that Ford wants the ST to remain fully functional.

Interior updates are similar to the standard Edge, so the cabin gets a new center console with a rotary knob, larger cup holders, and a wireles charger for smartphones. On top of these new items, the ST models "ST" and "Ford Performance" logos, sporty seats with thick bolstering, leather and cloth upholstery, and white contrast sitching.

But the big news lies under the hood, where Ford dropped a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 rated at an impressive 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. Even better news come from the drivetrain, which includes an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. Granted, performance vehicles are better off with manual gearboxes according to purists, but in this case it's the best choice as it delivers maximum performance. It's by far the most powerful Edge ever built and it's likely the quickest. I say "likely" because performance features aren't yet available, but the 0-to-60 sprint should be covered 5.2 seconds or less, a half-second quicker than the Edge Sport.

What about pricing? Well, no information on that front yet, but given that the Edge Sport retails from $40,675, it's safe to assume that the Edge ST will come in at around $45,000 before options.

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