2019 Ford Edge ST: The Unlikely Athlete

With the Focus RS out of production and the Fiesta ST heading off into the sunset, Ford’s attainable performance stable was starting to look a little bare. Maybe it still is, depending on your reaction to the vehicle pictured above.

Regardless of how you feel, it’s happening. For 2019, the Blue Oval is slapping its performance badge onto the midsize Edge crossover, cranking up the power, swapping the transmission, and sending the model to the plastic surgeon for a facelift. It’s 2018, and this is apparently what we want.

As the Edge was already due for a 2019 design refresh, this ST is your first glimpse of the new look —though it’s bound to be the most aggressive of the model range. More in keeping with models like the Fusion and Police Interceptor, the Edge’s reshaped grille beckons with black honeycomb mesh. No longer do the headlights (now LED) touch it. A larger lower bumper opening and angrier side vents boost the vehicle’s menace.

Amidships, though, it’s still the same old Edge. The side skirts appear unchanged from the previously range-topping Sport model, and the 21-inch wheels can now be had with a jet black finish. Out back, the rear bumper undergoes its own performance-minded makeover.

Thankfully, the ST-ification of Edge isn’t merely an exercise in appearance. There’s extra power under the hood, with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 — the hottest of the Edge powerplants — now making 335 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. That’s up 20 hp and 30 lb-ft from the 2018 Edge Sport. Transmitting that power to all four corners is an eight-speed automatic, replacing the old six-speed unit.

Naturally, Ford went to work on the Edge’s legs, sportifying the Sport’s suspension for improved handling. One normally doesn’t think “Edge” when envisioning a powerful vehicle churning up the track, but that’s exactly where Dearborn wants buyers’ minds to roam.

“Edge ST puts a new animal on the road – a performance SUV with a track mentality,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president of product development and purchasing, in a statement. An accompanying video shows stunt driver Ben Collins whipping the model around a rooftop course, though there’s no actual track in sight. Where does the Edge ST’s limits lie? That’s for you to discover.

Ford claims the model’s new Sport mode adjusts everything from throttle response to exhaust note, with the eight-speed holding gears almost until redline. There’s a performance brake package available if stopping is as important to you as going.

Inside, ST cues abound, as does new technology. Post-collision braking makes its debut on the 2019 Edge family (the vehicle applies moderate braking effort after detecting a collision), as does evasive steering assist. Guided by radar and cameras, the system works at low and high speeds to aid a driver’s collision-avoiding steering wheel inputs. Ford’s adaptive cruise control grows smarter for 2019, adopting a stop stop-and-go capability and lane centering. (Ford’s existing lane-holding system is a popular gripe here at TTAC.)

Of course, these driver-assist features aren’t relegated solely to the Edge ST, nor is the eight-speed. Ford’s on a fuel economy kick for 2019, and the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder becomes standard kit for non-2.7 models. The engine gains 5 horsepower, bringing output to 250 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque (when fueled with high-test).

The 2019 Edge ST and its lesser siblings arrive at dealers this summer.

[Images: Ford Motor Company]