The Ford Edge offers buyers of the brand’s Kuga SUV a larger more luxurious option to move on to. But can it also interest buyers whose £30,000 budget might otherwise be directed towards more familiar models?

Ford has completed its SUV line-up with a larger model, the Edge, a car that takes the brand back into the luxury part of this segment. Canadian-built, it’s largely designed for the other side of the Atlantic, but the brand reckons it’s also been tuned for the needs of European buyers too.

The car is offered here with a choice of 180PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine with six-speed manual transmission, or a 210PS bi-turbo 2.0 litre TDCi diesel with a six-speed PowerShift automatic gearbox. The Edge features Ford’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (AWD) technology as standard, delivering a seamless transition between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive performance to provide a more secure footing on the road especially in slippery conditions.

The Edge model’s exterior is sharply sculpted and athletic with strong ‘shoulders’ and a muscular, quite compact bonnet. To improve efficiency, unique air curtains are positioned on the lower part of the fascia to guide air from the front of the vehicle, out through the front wheel wells and down the vehicle side.

The interior has been designed with pretty high-quality materials throughout, including soft-touch trims on the dashboard and centre console, high-gloss piano black surrounds on the switch bezels and a satin silver metal finish for the door handles, air vent bezels, glovebox trim and steering wheel detailing.

One thing’s for certain: this is the most competitive large SUV that the Blue Oval brand has yet brought us. It’s sharply styled, well equipped and as capable off road as it needs to be.

Of course, there are some drawbacks with the Edge. It doesn’t offer seven seats to take on some of its key rivals and the six-speed automatic transmission can take a little longer to swap gears than we’d ideally like. But you know what? We can happily live with these foibles. Ford at last has a class-competitive contender in this segment.

  • CAR: Ford Edge
  • PRICES: £29,995 - £40,250
  • INSURANCE GROUPS: 25E-T1 – 29E-T1
  • CO2 EMISSIONS: 149-152g/km
  • PERFORMANCE: 0-62 - 9.9s/max speed 124mph
  • FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 48.7mpg
  • STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags, stability control, hill start assist, ABS brakes
  • WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4808/1928/1707mm