The new Edge strikes us as Ford Motor Company's most premium product not to wear a Lincoln badge. That character, though, comes with a fairly steep price tag – a base Edge SE starts at $28,100. Adding all-wheel drive bumps the price up by $1,495, while moving onto the Titanium trim you see here demands an extra $7,500. To match the vehicle we tested, you'll also want the 302A option pack, which adds $5,645 to the price, while also adding heated and cooled front seats, heated back seats, a heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, remote start, a blind-spot monitoring system, Enhanced Active Park Assist, a grille-mounted camera (and the world's most adorable washer nozzle seen in the video, below) and HID headlights. Add another $995 for the 20-inch alloys and you'll match our tester's $44,685 as-tested price, including $895 for destination.

Ford has made a business of using the Edge for conquest sales – 50 percent of the 2014 model's sales came from other brands, including some premium makes. With the 2015 Edge, we don't see there being any trouble continuing that trend. The new CUV is a highly competent, lifestyle-oriented crossover that places as much emphasis on comfort as it does on style. Even at such a relatively high price (for this loaded tester, anyway), those qualities make it an easy vehicle to recommend. Beyond that, it's further proof that the Ford Edge is far more than just a tweener in the company's product range – middle child or not, this CUV makes a bold, unique statement.