I'd hate to be that sixth person sitting the middle up front if it were a long trip. That can't be a comfortable spot.

 

Why do so many people think all SUVs have to have 3rd row seats?
The Edge is only 185.7" long. That's 2" shorther than a Mustang! Where exactly would you put a 3rd row seat in a vehicle shorter than a Mustantg?

The Edge is designed to compete head to head with the Nissan Murano, which also seats 5. The MKX was designed to compete with it's market segment leader, the Lexus RX-350, which also seats 5.

There are an endless # of 3 seat SUVs including the Ford Freestyle (Taurus X), Expedition, etc. They are all considerably longer than the Edge.

We looked at the CX-9 and IMHO is is the best of the 3 (Edge - MKX - CX-9) in terms of handling, braking, ride & steering feel. But at 200" long it's as big as a house, far larger than my wife want's to drive, so we crossed it off the list.

Seeing that the Edge sold almost 12,000 units in March and the Murano sold almost 13,000 units in March, I'd say both products are spot on @ 5 passengers.

 

True, but then again, this is a car, not SUV or Crossover.

We talked about this before, remember? I mentioned that, if I'm buying SUV, I wanna real SUV, with 3 rows of seats. I don't wanna SUV (or any similar vehicle) that has less space than my Intrepid.

 

V10, I'm not sure why you said the above in response to my quote. Based on my personal family requirements, I need 3 rows of seating. I was looking at the Ford Edge to possibly fill my requirement. I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't an option for me.

You seem to have read more into this than I intended. I don't think all SUVs have to have 3 rows of seating and never said such. In the past I've owned 2 SUVs and both seated 5.

 

Hey, we talk about so much stuff, how do expect me to remember that?

 

Sorry if I over reacted, but we've been SUV shopping and I can't believe how many people are whining about the Edge not having a 3rd row. These people seem to think it should have as much space inside as an Excursion.

If you need / want 3 rows of seats the Edge is the wrong vehicle. Although there is a rumor that the 08 Edge will have an optional 3rd row. If true, I can't imagine that the 3rd row would be of much use for anyone besides small children or midgets. Again the Edge is shorter than a Mustang!

My advice is to get a Mazda CX-9 which has 3 rows of seats. It's a really great SUV. It handles better, has better steering feel and has better brakes than an Edge. And it has the same built in Lima 265 HP D35 engine. It has a ton of room inside and has a bunch of things the Edge doesn't. Manumatic shifter, Smart Key, Rear View Camera, Power Lift Gate, Cargo Cover, HID Headlamps, Projector Headlamps. 20" wheels, rain sensing wipers, auto up-down front windows, smaller turning radius.

Similarly equipped it's in the same price range as the Edge and you have X plan, you can use S plan on the CX-9. If the CX-9 wasn't so big, we would have bought one.

 

No problem. I am indeed looking at the CX-9 as well as the Mazda 5 among others.

 

We have an Edge and I can tell you there is plenty of room. I am not a big guy but my Father is and he could never sit in the back of anything we have owned, well he can sit in the back of the Edge and comfortably (he would complain otherwise) and I am amazed by the leg room of the front and back. Too me a 3rd row would be a waste of valauble cargo space as Ford already has two vehicles with 3rd row seating and seats folded down are still taking up space. Nissan is discontinuing the murano correct? I seen a 08 on their site that looks to replace it, and from where I sit the Edge will over take the CUV market easy once the new Nissan comes out as it's butt ugly compared to the Murano. Honestly after we bought our Edge a friend saw me driving it and came over our house and said " How the hell did your son afford a BMW!?" My dads responce "1. thats our new car and 2. it's a Ford" Our friend said "no ****?, **** and we just bought that Murano, I would take one of these over that in a minuet"

 

Nissan is not discontinuing the Murano. It's selling very, very well. The photos you saw are probably the new Nissan Rogue.

We drove a large # of CUVs and took the Murano over the Edge. If your neighbor had driven an Edge he'd want to stick with his Murano. The Murano has far better handling and a much sportyer feel to it than the Edge. The Murano's streering feel is far better than the Edge (has variable assist), 70 to 0 stopping distance is 20 ft shorter too as it has Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist, both items missing from the Edge. The Murano also has a long list of equipment missing from the Edge: Smart Key, Back Up Camera, Cargo Cover, one touch up-down front windows, HID headlamps / Projector Headlamps, Locking Fuel Filler door that automatically unlocks when the driver's door is unlocked, adjustable pedals & Home Link, 10X power driver's seat with power lumbar in the seat memory vs. Edge's 6X seat with manual lumbar. Although the Murano & Edge have about the same claimed cargo space, we found the cargo space in the Murano much more useable because it's 4" wider. I can't quite figure out what Ford did with the Edge. It's 2" wider than a Murano on the outside but 4" narrower on the inside. And on top of that based on all the MPG reports on various chat sites, the Murano gets 2 - 3 better MPG than the Edge along with a 2 gal larger tank.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and my wife likes the Murano's looks better than the Edge. IMHO they're equally good looking but the Murano is a much cleaner design. The Edge has that extra fixed window in the rear doors which makes the side windows look more cluttered. The Edge's door lines also cut into the roof and A pillars adding extra seems again cluttering the Edge's looks. And the Murano's rear doors go all the way to the rear wheel wells (like a Lincoln LS) again eliminating another seam that clutters the Edge's looks. One other thing both my wife & I didn't like about the Edge is it's real flat windshield that moves the A pillars way out in front of you blocking your front side view.

Don't get me wrong, the Murano isn't perfect, it has some flaws. The Edge is a very nice vehicle and its sales reflect that. I'm a Ford guy and it was very hard to for me to buy a Nissan, especially since I buy Fords on X-plan. But it's my wife's primary vehicle and I can understand why she wanted a Murano over an Edge and even a MKX. If the Edge had today all the extras promised for 2008 along with and better handling, steering & braking Ford would have got the sale.

 

how much in sales was ford going to drop?