Another Auto Show has come and gone and of course I was there with my camera, admiring all of the new models and seeing how the automotive landscape had changed after another year. A ‘full’ recap of the show will be coming in another post, as for today I wanted to focus the attention on one model in particular that was of great interest to us because it may or may not be a strong contender for someone’s next vehicle…the new Ford Edge ST.
Naturally this was a pre-production prototype and therefore was locked, but the first examples should be arriving in showrooms later this year so they’re not too far off now! However, we were still very happy to have the opportunity to see the newest ST family member in person and take our first ‘proper’ look at it even if it was somewhat limited.
The details of the new ST SUV can be found with a quick Google search, and without the opportunity to drive one we of course can’t offer any feedback or thoughts beyond what’s already available online. Regardless, for those who don’t know the basic specs they read as such; 335 hp and 380 lb-ft out of a 2.7L EcoBoost engine, mated to an 8-speed automatic with wheel-mounted paddles and a Sport mode, sending power to all four corners. There’s also a host of safety equipment on board such as Dynamic Brake Support, BLIS, Lane-Keep Assist, and Hill Start Assist (I ‘get’ it but will always find such a feature hilarious on a vehicle with two pedals…) and so forth.
Admittedly we’re not just intrigued by the concept of Ford ST-ing an SUV, but are also interested in seeing what the aftermarket does with these once they’re available to the public. Could you imagine a Mountune-powered version, sitting on some KWs (lower an SUV you say? Yes, we say.) and fifteen52s? That’d be one heck of a daily, especially to sit alongside other STs as the fun cars. Heck, why not throw sensibility and logic out the window and build a TrackSTer 2.0? Okay, now I’m going off topic…
Perhaps most important (or maybe not) is the question of what will it be called? The Focus ST is the FoST and the Fiesta ST the FiST; will this be the EST? EdST? Edgiest? Who knows. Haha. Anyway, let’s get on to the few photos of the new performance SUV:
We might as well start off with a front ¾ shot; the nose was nicely styled and I really liked the little visual link to the GT/Shelby GT350 via the black ‘winglets’ on the bottom of the bumper. Incidentally, Brian was quite miffed to see the block heater plug-in integrated into the lower grille; this is something that he had spent quite a bit of time doing on his own car, custom-mounting the plug into one of the triangle grilles instead of having the cord hidden within the engine bay. When I spotted this I couldn’t help but point out to him that Ford had done it from the start with the Edge ST. Haha
Rear ¾ now; one thing we immediately agreed upon was that the new tail lights were a nice update. It’s safe to assume that these (or something similar) will be carried over to the new non-ST Edges as well and as much as I liked the existing tail lights, these were even better.
A straight-on shot of the back now; it’s decently aggressive looking and the new black trim panel between the tail lights definitely did a lot to visually ‘lighten’ the vehicle in terms of reducing the amount of body colour you saw – almost faking a lower beltline if you get what I’m saying. Also a nice touch was the smoked third brake light – it sits on the wing just above the rear window but when it’s off, it’s pretty hard to spot. That was a nice way to de-clutter the back end by having it blend in to its surroundings.
Up front meanwhile sat the smallest ST badge ever. Also, while not completely open the main grille didn’t seem to have such obvious and oversized blocked-off sections. Perhaps Edge ST owners won’t be quite so eager to shave down their grilles as compared to FoST owners? If you’re an owner, chances are you know what I’m talking about.
Like the tail lights, the new headlights also looked quite nice. As with most new vehicles though, I shudder at the thought of what these would cost to replace should they get smashed. People still have a hard time understanding why FoST HID headlights are 4 figures each.
Despite the aggressive front and rear fascias the exterior was not overly-shouty in the grand scheme of things, but from the side it definitely flew under the radar. The ride height was insane (again, “but it’s an SUV” you’re all saying) but more noteworthy would be the sizing of the wheels – they measured in at a massive 21 inches! Tires for these will not be cheap. When you take a step back and look at not just how many vehicles, but which vehicles (Hi CTR) come with 20″-and-up wheels stock, it’s shocking. Times have certainly changed!
And finally, the best (because it’s the only) interior shot we have for now; the ST logo had naturally been dotted around the cabin in the usual places of the steering wheel bottom and seat backs, and there were other revisions throughout as well, but overall it was just a clean, uncluttered interior and one I really want to see in more detail when actual production-spec cars arrive.
And so there it is, our first look at the upcoming Edge ST. As mentioned the real examples will be arriving later this year and we’ll be watching for them to start showing up at local dealers so that we can take a better look! In the meantime we do have some small pamphlets from the auto show as additional reference material, as we daydream/brainstorm about modifying the new ST family member. Maybe we’ll be seeing some of these at SEMA this fall?
Anyway, please do check back for the main Auto Show coverage which will be coming, but before that goes live a quick update on Mustard will be published as it has now had its first new parts for 2018 fitted. They’re nothing crazy, but they are off of the RS which counts for something, right?
-Bill