Quote:
Originally Posted by syr74
No explanation needed, I'm not a fan of the current Edge either. Interior quality is horrible with the only bright spots being decent interior space and styling that isn't quite as bland as some competitors.
The new model addresses the existing mediocre driveline and interior...I'll be curious to see if that is enough to make this particular car competitive since, IMO, Ford has been seriously lagging behind GM in crossovers for some time. In fact, until the Edge refresh and the news of this new Explorer the only crossover bright spot at Ford for me was the Escape, which I think it arguable the only true compact, ute wagon left on the market. And even that would be outdated were it not the only player in the game.
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I have always had mix feelings about the Edge, I really do like this explorer though. For those complaining that it dilutes the explorer name, how? It never was a capable offroader and the ones I have driven (all 1st/2nd gens, never drove the newer ones which already had fully independant suspensions BTW) have all been rolling the corner, numb at the wheel, and the not the most trackable things around, IMHO the Jeep Cherokee we had (and the 01 Grand CHerokee we do have) drive MUCH better and they both have SRAs rear AND front. Besides with sales dropping from over 400k a year to just over 50k a year, the old Explorer order had lost it's luster. I think this will sell well and probably end up killing the flex which basically operates in the same niche.
Syr74 I 100% disagree with the Escape being the last of it's breed, I see the Forrester, Patriot, and Suzuki VItara operating in the same market and the last 2 even offer low range gears for their 4x4 systems and even the base Patriot 4x4s have a 4wd lock feature that works really well. I also see the Toyota Rav4 in the same bracket as the Escape with more traditional SUV type styling, not to mention the escapes corporate twins the Mariner and Tribute (is the Tribute even still built?).