As revealed in the sub-heading of this review section, the Ford Edge does sit in the latter category – if albeit with some slight ties to the Fiesta and Focus in places. On the one hand, you have the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus hatchbacks that are widely praised for being fun to drive on the other, there are vehicles like the Ford Fusion sedan that have adopted a more comfort-oriented approach. Nowadays, it seems Ford's passenger cars adopt one of two 'personalities' when it comes to the way they drive. Basically, touchscreen system aside, there's little else we find wrong with the Ford Edge ergonomics-wise. Still, at least the rest of the controls are to a more agreeable standard, with the widely-spaced buttons on the center console being easy to operate. Plus, lower specification cars come as standard with Ford's very antiquated 'Sync 2' infotainment system, which is sluggish to respond to inputs, isn't particularly intuitive and feels out of place in a car with a $28,000 base sticker price. Though the build quality itself is to a good standard, and many of the tactile surfaces are clad in leathers or soft-touch plastics, the cabin and control design doesn't quite match what's available in rivals such as the Kia Sorento. The premium feel is also an area that could be improved upon in the Ford Edge. For sure, a lot of cars in this class are strictly five-seaters as well (namely the aforementioned Nissan Murano and Jeep Grand Cherokee) and it meant Ford could make the Edge a spacious five-seater, but those looking for a mid-sized SUV with greater seating capacity will be far better off with something like a Toyota Highlander or a Honda Pilot.

It's also worth highlighting that the Ford Edge isn't available in a seven-seater configuration. Plus, the 60:40 split-folding rear seat backs can be flipped forward to extend the load bay even further to 73.4 cubic feet – though it's worth pointing out that the seat backs don't fold away completely flat. Better still, the overall shape is rather boxy (not including the raked rear window), and the trunk lip is almost completely flush with the floor of the load area. Admittedly, the sloping rear window does compromise the overall space a tad, but the overall capacity of 39.2 cubic feet places the Ford Edge fairly high up in the mid-sized SUV pecking order (for instance, the Nissan Murano is only marginally more spacious, and the pricier Jeep Grand Cherokee trails behind relatively-speaking with its 36.3 cubic feet capacity). However, it's the trunk that we feel is the big selling point. With dimensions that aren't too far off higher-end off-roaders like the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, the Ford Edge is amongst one of the more spacious vehicles in this segment, with lots of overall head and leg room, decently-broad chairs in the back row and (bar the slightly narrow door bins) lots of sizeable storage cubbies.

If you're after an SUV with loads of space, then the Ford Edge will likely be rather high up on your sports utility vehicle shopping list.

2017 ford edge interior photos