Rental Car Review: 2012 Ford Edge

Renting a car used to mean getting stuck with the oldest, most-outdated cars that were still being produced. Today, you can rent the newest models that are in high demand. I recently took my family on a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and we wound up renting a 2012 Ford Edge SUV with more than 20,000 miles on it. I picked it over the other SUV choices — Jeep Liberty and Ford Expedition — because I knew it'd have a USB plug for our always-depleted smartphones.

The Edge delivered more than I expected.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Ford Edge

There’s a lot to recommend about the 2012 Ford Edge — its optional EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, roomy interior and luxurious looks — but the optional MyFord Touch multimedia system was so difficult to work with that Cars.com Family reviewer BreAnn Ahara was ready to ditch this crossover for her minivan. What’s worse is this wasn’t BreAnn’s first time using MyFord Touch, but she still found the system to be a headache.

2012 Ford Edge Review

Recall Alert: 2012 Ford Edge

Ford is recalling 5,499 model-year 2012 versions of the Edge SUV due to problems with the fuel line, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from Sept. 10, 2010, through Oct. 31, 2011, and are equipped with 2.0-liter engines. You can check your vehicle’s build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.

In these vehicles, a component of the fuel line housing could crack, resulting in a leak. This could lead to a fire. 

Ford will notify owners starting Sept. 24, and dealers will replace the affected parts free of charge. Owners can call Ford at 866-436-7332 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Ford Edge

The 2012 Ford Edge is an all-around competitive player in the midsize-crossover segment, according to Cars.com Managing Editor David Thomas. For the 2012 model year, the Edge gets a new EcoBoost four-cylinder and updated MyFord Touch system, which we tested. The turbocharged four-cylinder also delivers on the promise of V-6 performance and better fuel economy, says Thomas. The updated MyFord Touch system remains a drag to use, however.

2012 Ford Edge Review

2012 Ford Edge: Car Seat Check

At 76 inches across, the 2012 Ford Edge is wider than its competitors, the Nissan Murano, Dodge Journey and Toyota Highlander, but not wide enough to fit three child-safety seats across the second row. The Ford crossover carries five passengers and has a new turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for 2012.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Honda Pilot

The 2012 Honda Pilot is a roomy three-row crossover that works well for families, according to Cars.com Family contributor Carrie Kim. She wasn’t thrilled by its boxy looks but was willing to overlook them because of the Pilot’s versatility. This family hauler can carry eight passengers, fit three child-safety seats across its second row and has a two-tiered cargo area behind the third-row seats.  

2012 Honda Pilot

As Automakers Face Hurdles, Responsiveness Becomes Key

Carmakers are reacting faster to the market these days, and their success hinges on speed more than ever.

As we head into the holiday season, consider two carmakers whose latest products have had not-so-merry receptions. Honda, stung by a new round of supply shortages from flooding in Thailand, faces harsh reviews over its redesigned Civic — a compact car we've noted drops the ball in cabin quality, though we still recommend it for other strengths. The redesigned Odyssey minivan, meanwhile, has stumbled on reliability in Consumer Reports' latest surveys.

Rival automaker Ford, a longtime reliability leader among Detroit automakers, faces its own issues in recent quality rankings, mostly over the controversial MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch center controls.

Both automakers are responding.

Nearly 250,000 Owners Will Get MyFord Touch Upgrade

As we reported earlier, Ford will upgrade the performance speed and usability of its MyFord Touch system and will deliver the upgrade via USB jump drive to existing customers starting early next year. The 2013 Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus will be the first new Fords equipped with the upgraded system.

We’re now learning that the performance upgrade will affect some 250,000 existing Ford owners — purchasers of the Ford Focus, Explorer, Edge and Lincoln MKX, according to the Los Angeles Times blog. MyFord Touch debuted more than a year ago, on the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

The jump drive will be mailed to owners, and Ford says the upgrade should take about 45 minutes to complete. If owners don’t feel up to upgrading the system themselves, Ford says you can bring your Ford to a dealership that will perform the upgrade for free. Another 200,000 Fords equipped with MyFord Touch were sold outside the U.S.; Ford is still deciding on how to upgrade the system for those owners.

The improvements come after intense customer and critic complaints that the system was confusing, slow and buggy. In fact, the prolific introduction of MyFord Touch over the year, apparently much to chagrin of Ford buyers, was enough to dramatically decrease Ford’s reliability and initial quality scores with Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates, respectively. Ford says that nearly 85% of people who own vehicles with MyFord Touch find it easy to use, before the upgrade.

2012 Ford Edge, 2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost: First Drive

Ford is addiing its turbocharged EcoBoost engines to the Edge and Explorer crossovers — but not the 3.5-liter powerhouse from the Flex and Taurus SHO. Instead, for 2012, the crossovers get a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder whose power rivals a typical V-6: 240 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque. The front-wheel-drive EcoBoost Explorer is EPA-rated at 20/28 mpg (city/highway), while the EcoBoost Edge, gets an impressive 21/30 mpg — nudged to the 30 mark by active grille shutters, which the Explorer lacks.

Both cars are on sale now. Near Ford’s Romeo, Mich. proving grounds last week, we took the people-haulers, well, people-hauling.

2012 Ford Edge EcoBoost Gets 30 MPG Highway

The 2012 Ford Edge SUV with the new 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine will get an EPA-estimated 21/30 mpg city/highway with front-wheel drive, according to the automaker.

That fuel-economy score bests all of the Edge’s competitors, including the V-6 Nissan Murano (18/23 mpg), four-cylinder Toyota Venza (21/27 mpg) and V-6 Honda Accord Crosstour (18/27 mpg). In fact, Ford says the fuel-economy rating bests all other SUVs of its size or larger in addition to cars like the Honda Civic Si or Saab 9-3. Most people aren’t cross-shopping those vehicles, however.

The fuel rating is a big turnaround for the Edge. When the car debuted in 2007, it had a measly 16/23 mpg rating.

The EcoBoost four-cylinder packs 240 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque; the engine is less powerful than either V-6 offering found on the Edge. In the larger 2012 Ford Explorer, the powertrain nets 20/28 mpg.

The 2012 Ford Edge EcoBoost hits dealerships later this summer.