Aaron Brzozowski
In permitting the refreshed, 2019 Ford Edge a sporty, performance-oriented model wearing the iconic “ST” badge, Ford Performance has taken a bit of a risk. Sure, the crossover format isn’t necessarily antithetical to performance; the Jaguar F-Pace S and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio are proof enough of that. But for devoted fans of Ford’s specially-engineered performance vehicles, the “ST” (“Sport Technologies”) badge has long been associated with small cars, manual gearboxes, and punchy engines.
The 2019 Ford Edge ST is not a small car, nor will it offer a manual gearbox. In the engine department, however, Ford Performance is hoping that its twin-turbocharged, 2.7-liter V6 will be enough to silence the critics. At 335 peak horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, it’s the most potent V6 available in the class, Ford says, and its factory output ratings put it about on par with the Ford Focus RS’s lauded 2.3L engine, with 15 less horsepower, but 30 lb-ft more torque.
Like the Focus RS, the 2019 Ford Edge ST will also come standard with all-wheel drive. Unlike the Focus RS, it’ll benefit from an all-new 8-speed automatic transmission, which will offer much faster shift times than the RS’s six-speed stick. A standard set of shift paddles will help deliver a sporty feel, and give drivers the option to wring the engine out under spirited driving.
Ford today revealed a few additional specifications regarding the new 2019 Ford Edge ST, announcing that the automaker’s new “Co-Pilot360” suite of driver-assist features will come standard. None of those technologies are likely to help the Edge ST owner drive faster through the twisties, but with Automatic Emergency Braking (incl. pedestrian-detection), Blind Spot Information System (incl. cross-traffic alert), a lane-keeping system, rear backup camera, and automatic high-beams, its inclusion should at least help keep passengers safe.
What might help with performance is a set of 21-inch wheels wrapped in summer performance rubber – optional equipment that comes with an available Performance Pack. (Standard wheels measure 20 inches, and come with a more pedestrian set of tires.) The brakes are pretty impressive, too, with twin-48-mm-piston calipers clamping on a set of 345×32-mm damped iron rotors up front, and single-38-mm-piston units at the back, working on a pair of 345×19-mm rotors. Those specs are the same whether or not the Performance Pack is optioned, but that upgrade does bring with it a set of performance brake pads and front dust shields that are optimized for better cooling.
Plus, the calipers on Performance Pack-equipped cars are painted red, adding a bit of pizzazz to the exterior appearance.
Finally, the 2019 Ford Edge ST’s coup de grâce is a stability/traction control system with special new modes optimized for performance and a mostly-hands-off approach to intervention, although the automaker hasn’t revealed the full details just yet. We’ll have more information on that soon.
The refreshed, 2019 Ford Edge and first-ever Edge ST will launch late this summer.
