Ford’s Focus on SUVs and Trucks Pays Dividends

By Beverly and Steve Smirnis

The suite of Ford SUVs and trucks we recently had the pleasure of testing illustrates the diversity among the brand offerings and underscores the secrets to Ford’s staying power in a swiftly changing industry. 

The Ford Edge is a midsizer that’s budget friendly while offering nicer than normal finish-out with a quiet cabin and plenty of passenger and cargo space.  For 2020, Edge continues set the bar in “fully loaded technology” by making features such as Ford Co-Pilot360, FordPass Connect* with 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Post-Collision Braking and a rotary dial gear shifter standard on all trim levels. The Edge illustrates Ford’s ability to suit many buyer types by offering diversity of choice within a nameplate.  Our Edge ST AWD performance model answers to the family guy by day / turned speedster at night, with a turbo V6 engine, sport-tuned suspension and 8-speed automatic transmission, it pumps out 335 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque accelerating to 60 mpg in under 6 seconds.  All this makes the ST worth its premium pricing.

The three-row full size Ford Expedition posted the best sales for Expedition in over a decade. In this segment, Ford anticipates that those opting for bigger also want bling.  Adding to a high-end offerings that already include the premium Platinum model, 2020 signals the return of the legendary King Ranch edition, authentically inspired by the iconic Texas ranch.  Premium updates include elegant Stone Gray paint on the grille mesh, lower bumpers, power-deployable running boards, rear bumper skid plate, trailer hitch cover, roof-rack side rails, and side mirror caps,  22-inch six-spoke painted machined-face aluminum wheels with dark tarnish-painted pockets, Del Rio leather sporting the King Ranch logo inside and of course, the full suite of Ford’s advance driver-assist technology.

The Ford F-150 retains its rank at the top of the extremely competitive half-ton pickup segment by balancing brawn with beauty across a wide range of configurations and engine options that allow the buyer to select the version that best matches their needs, whether they define that as best in class towing or hauling, comfort, fuel economy or off-road performance.  Our SuperCrew tester was designed for hauling passengers and their stuff in style and comfort with four doors and six seats, and equally capable of hauling and towing whatever they wish up to 11,900 pounds with 2,910 pounds of payload.

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