The new Ford Edge: first class travel

The new Edge is loaded with home comforts and smart thinking, from the pinch-and-swipe colour touchscreen to the heated and cooled leather seats to on-board 4G Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices. And with voice recognition tech, you can even ask it to find somewhere to eat just by saying “I’m hungry”.

At the heart of it all is Ford’s latest SYNC3 communications and entertainment system, through which you control audio, climate, navigation and connected smartphones via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus selected apps via AppLink.

For the first time ever, the new Edge is available with FordPass Connect, which among other things allows you to connect up to 10 devices to the on-board Wi-Fi, so kids and other passengers can enjoy 4G streaming on the move, while you enjoy live traffic updates.

FordPass Connect becomes even better when paired with the FordPass app. Once connected you can use your phone to find your car (handy in a large car park or unfamiliar town), check the fuel level and tyre pressures, and pre-set the satnav. With ST-Line and Vignale models you can even remotely start the engine so your car is de-iced, demisted and ready to go.

Also available is a mighty, 1,000-watt B&O audio system, developed and tuned for the new Edge by B&O’s expert acousticians, with a 10-channel Digital Sound Processor which individually optimises each speaker for crystal-clear, spookily realistic surround sound. For a more authentic audio experience, you’d have to carry the orchestra around with you.

On top of that, the new Edge has two more sonic tricks up its sleeve. The first is its acoustic side windows, which deflect road and wind noise to keep it out of the cabin. Secondly, and complimenting this, is a system called Active Noise Control, which uses soundwaves and silent ‘white noise’ to cancel out unwanted frequencies. It’s so good it’s like driving around inside a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Further luxury comes in the form of a hands-free tailgate (if your hands are full of shopping bags or if you’re carrying a child, just swing your leg under the rear bumper and it pops open), and temperature-controlled leather seats, ensuring maximum comfort, whatever the weather.

All of which means that time in the new Edge is time well spent, in a high-tech home from home.

Article 3 of 5. Look out for more in the series over the month. For more content, visit here