Ford Edge ST review - the big sporty SUV

When family members started adding more to their crew, us empty nesters noticed rear facing seats for the newbies take up a lot rear seat space, so much so it forced the front seat to be adjusted. The the conveniences of ride and cargo loading height then had the desire for more space added to the requirements. With two little ones, and a weekend trip somewhere, cargo space needed a boost beyond the personal or couple-sized SUV. Okay that’s cool, there’s lots of choices, but what if the bad-ass in you still wants some go-power?

Now this 2019 Ford Edge ST is the first SUV from Ford Performance rolled sporting more power, bigger wheels and a suite of technology for the occupants. Roomy, the big 6’3” athlete friend fit just fine in back, and a large cargo area allows for strollers, golf clubs, luggage and stuff from big hardware stores. Horsepower is up 20 to 335hp and the torque figure increases by 30 to 380 lb-ft. from the 2.7 liter twin turbocharged V-6. Loaded with the tech and comfort essential Equipment Group 401 A, a really nice, white paint color called White Platinum Metallic, it has an MSRP of $52,225. Base price is $42.355.  

Add some 21” black wheels with meaty 265 width tires, black mesh grills, and red brake calipers and now you’ve got a more serious looking machine that looks like it will show its taillights to the other soccer moms and baseball dads and leave competitors in plastic and chrome merping along at quarter throttle while you activated your inner g-meter.

The stiffer suspension definitely is felt and heard on the bumps but head toss isn’t bad at all. It’s a more connected feel vs. dissociation. It’s tall and so is the seating position, very upright. The combination is definitely give more truck perception car. Outward visibility is good, but there’s a lot dashboard and sloping glass held in place by long A-pillars that widen at the bottom. With the transverse mounted engine, what the heck us under all the dashboard? Is this part of hybrid space planning? The new Explorer is back to a longitudinal mounted engine which allows for lower placement in relation due to the front drive shafts and lower hood line. However the wife felt so safe in the Edge she said if we ran into an object it would take four days to get to her. Now that is a secure feeling.

Past experience with a family owned, well-used 2007 Ford Edge SEL isn’t a comparison whatsoever. The 2019 is alien technology compared to the old one. The steering wheel has lots of controls, and has a sporty look and feel although surprisingly a bit thin in some spots of its contours. Steering feel has certain firmness for further driving confidence, but if you’re looking for that easy (yet improper) two finger effort while turning, this isn’t it.

Sport mode, a button in the center of the rotary shifter increases the engine and transmission responsiveness, and also increases the engine note but it sounds like it is from the front, hence piped in as opposed to the mufflers opening up. It was tested by Car & Driver to 60mph in 5.7 seconds and a 14.3 second quarter mile at 98mph. Not bad, quick for the street, but leave your helmet at home if you hit the dragstrip. In sport mode, a tiny virtual tachometer appears on the left side of the driver’s display and also shows what gear is engaged. In non-sport mode, the tiny bar graph tachometer next to the fuel gauge bar is nearly useless in size and it’s the same color as the fuel gauge bar.

The EPA rating is 19 city, 26 highway. In the suburban shopping jungle, some idling, and turning off the engine auto off/start, 14mpg was observed, and a trip from the ‘burbs to the city and back saw 23mpg. The auto shutoff works very smoothly and starts quite rapidly, even allowing for a “jack rabbit” start with minimal hesitation.

The seats are very comfortable, but oddly the power tilt and telescoping steering wheel doesn’t have an auto-up exit position. And the panoramic moonroof shade must be fully retracted to tilt the roof for ventilation which is annoying. If you plan on venting the car when it’s parked, get your sunroof tinted.

The Edge ST has all the parking assists you could want, including an automatic parking mode that I was too far from the parked cars to fully activate. Assuming it would need to make one turn, front first, I learned reading the manual, you need to be within three feet of parked cars, and the illustration shows that it backs the car into the perpendicular space. It also offers parallel parking assist and parallel space exit as well. Although it doesn’t have a 360 camera system, the front and rear sensors work fine, but only within a couple feet.

Quirks aside, the ST is certainly a capable SUV, fulfilling two-row family needs. Styling is properly sporty, and despite feeling tall it’s braking and cornering limits are respectively high which can translate to better emergency avoidance. It’s a very comfortable cruiser and a strong contender if you want the size and the power.

Kia K900 luxury sedan review - it is all upper crust

-->

It’s got cooled, heated and reclining seats, digital temperature control, music and media controls, inductive phone charging, USB, 12 volt chargers and cup holders. Sounds like a typical decently equipped car, right? Well this is for the rear seat occupants. A little more evolved than just a leather armrest with cupholders. And the cupholders are forward of the control bank.

The 2019 Kia K900 Luxury is a long wheelbase, roomy, all-wheel drive, powerful luxury sedan that offers a near effortless driving experience with a full menu of technology. With an MSRP of $64,695, it’s a lot of sedan for the price. First impression of it's appearance is a stately and elegant sedan with some European influencers. The chrome touches and multi-spoke wheels speak to it's mission without any glaring faults. In fact, it's carefully crafted all around. 

Where Kia struggles is perceived image. It didn’t start as a luxury brand, nor did it branch off a luxury division. The name might be too cute, just like the hamsters, and the dealership experience may not be “high end” but it’s the ride that counts. Nissan does it with the GT-R, Chevrolet does it with the Corvette, so why not with a luxury sedan? Plus, their 2011 Superbowl commercial with the How You Like Me Now song from The Heavy is awesome.

This 3.3 twin-turbo 365hp V-6 model example was a gem around town and a 300 mile road trip. With the all-wheel drive traction allowing aggressive gear ratios afforded by the 8-speed automatic transmission, acceleration for a 4700lb car is definitely quick, feeling like more power than rated. It’s only at extra legal speeds does it drop off noticeably but still more than “adequate”.  The subtle sound, more like a muted domestic V-8 in a Cadillac from the 1970s or 80s than a V6 hum or wail is an artificial construct from the ASD – Active Sound Design system.  

The Kia is a great long distance cruiser, with excellent seats and a quiet ride. Despite the high speed travel, traffic jams and heavy foot antics, it indicated it slightly exceeded its 21mpg combined rating. When the K900 is in Sport mode though, it would be a bit choppy on the freeway and held a lower gear for a little too long, hoping for that next stab of the throttle. When Sport mode is activated, the lateral bolsters give you a little extra squeeze. The seatbelt gives you an extra snug, more like a hug, when shifting to drive no matter the mode.

The adaptive cruise control worked well but the closest setting meant it would hit the brakes hard when a much slower vehicle was way too late to move over. Lane departure steering wheel corrections were either smooth-subtle or smooth and surprisingly strong. One intersection with a hill crest confused it a little bit. Under normal driving it was gentle reminder to stay in the center lane. The automatic engine shutoff in this $64,895 model is far less noticeable and not nearly as annoying as it is in the wife’s 2018 Audi SQ5. But still detested at brief stops when merging is about to occur like pulling out of a parking lot. Interesting about the start-stop feature, tugging on the steering wheel will not restart the engine unlike other vehicles experienced, but engaging one of the shift paddles will do so.

The K900 is about luxury and technology and there is plenty, especially with the VIP package in this Luxury sub-model example. The 12.3” gauge screen is an LCD TFT display with prominent speed and engine rpm displays that have an absolutely brilliant feature of turning into a blind spot camera view on either side of the car depending which turn signal is activated. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, it’s a fantastic feature for vehicle placement in relation to other vehicles and even curbs. It was during this time that the only non-luxury aspect of the car noticed was the feel of the control stalks wasn’t quite luxury level, but to borrow an old comparison, far from the broken wine glass stem comparison I once remember reading. The speaker grills are a beautiful laser cut pieces that go nicely with the leather, finished metal and wood surfaces.

The navigation screen is also 12.3 inches which enables map, music and climate settings at the same time. It’s a touch screen, a selection indicator allows rotary dial selection of functions and below the screen are push buttons a well. The configurable options are numerous from seat movement distance when ignition off to custom drive mode, and the drivers display displays the seat movement selected, which mode the windshield wipers are in, seat heating or cooling, etc. The seat cooling is spectacular, the fans cannot be heard, and I can only imagine how good they are on a triple digit day.

Kia’s K900 is a large, luxurious, quick sedan; full of tech, coddling the front and rear passengers, and a delight to travel in. Considering its size, equipment level, and price, it’s a serious contender in the large luxury segment. Check it out, and ask yourself, “How you like me now?”

2019 Lexus UX 250h F Sport review - the efficient CUV

-->

Like them or hate them, it’s still a craze. Or you can call it a trend. No, not a trend, THE trend. Sedan sales are falling off, replaced by Crossover Utility Vehicles. Some just call them lifted station wagons, others a Cute-Ute.

Lexus cleverly added the UX 250h to its line-up to attract buyers with an upscale experience, refinement and excellent fuel economy in the CUV form factor. This stunning Ultrasonic Blue Mica example is the F Sport model. It’s for those who get really utilitarian or sporty! The infamous Lexus grill is offset by the brilliant blue, even at night under parking lot lights. One night it got a compliment on the color. That doesn’t happen with black or white cars.

When child seats for the nephews became a thing, the reality of wanting an SUV hit. Loading and unloading the kids, or installing and reinstalling their seats, the height of both the seats and installing or removing them was the big convenience. Then numerous runs to the donation center for a move was another reason and suddenly, the SUV was a must-have for the household. Convenient as heck, still nice to drive.  

But the little CUVs are a dilemma. A six-foot passenger may fit in the back of the UX in a pinch, but a rear facing child seat makes the passenger front seat compromised or even uninhabitable. If the ride height is raised for that easy child seat installation and access, then the little CUV looks funny. In this you’re still sitting a little low and not easily exiting the vehicle either. On the other hand it feels more handling oriented, more tossable and less tippy.

The cargo load height may be conveniently high and there appears to be room underneath for storage but it’s the ubiquitous Styrofoam bin with cutouts for some tools. It’s also a great place for the front license plate if you’re front plate rebel.  The cargo space is great for groceries and the gym bag, what else is there if you’re childless? Pets? But two sets of golf clubs may work but a bicycle could be tight after folding down the rear seats and taking off the front wheel.

A decent looking hybrid with the wheel well body cladding for the off-road look versus, say, another in the corporate family (cough cough), quite fuel efficient, rated at 40mpg city, 38mpg highway, Lexus service and ownership experience, it’s a clever offering for the market segment. Says, “I’m sporty, darn it!” even though you’re fuel frugal.

The interior got the seal of approval from the wife, liking how the seat hugs her butt, noticing even the sides of the adjustable headrests are padded.  Although the knurled drive mode knob on the ride side of the driver’s dash shroud and the traction control on the left reminded her of neck posts of Frankenstein’s monster. But they did make it easy to switch modes watching the tachometer or the power indicator. The seats are truly comfortable and cradle but may be too narrow across the back if you’re a 2XL. The power steering wheel retracts at ignition off, but it doesn’t telescope very far.

Typical 4- cylinder whine or more like open up and say “aaaaaahhh” is present with any non-hyper mile driving. If you think a start stop function is extra wear, try driving this while maneuvering around slow traffic on the freeway or hills. Its constantly is revving or shutting down. But around town it a great commuter, the engine shut-off and start-up is subtle, sometimes needing a glance at the dashboard to see the EV mode light is on. It does have paddle-shifters that do provide some engine braking, and regenerative charging, and they imply 6 virtual forward gears when upshifting.

The total output of 181hp is sufficient for commuting and the highway. It’s a comfortable ride with minor road and wind noise. With a heavy foot showing over 33mpg, the efficiency is apparent, even with a 10.6 gallon tank. It drives like a front wheel driver, initially spinning the front tires with a large throttle input in the wet before the rear catches up.

The biggest gripe is the thick A & B pillars, with the right front corner of the dash being raised, making tight right-hand turns getting a bit used to in case of pedestrians. The B-pillar obstruction offset by the lane occupancy warning easily noticed in the side view mirrors.

The driver’s menu is intuitive but requires many steering wheel button presses to fully navigate. Left or right for each menu category, then down for the selections. The driver aids are configurable for on, off or sensitivity in a sub-menu. The lane keeping assist works with a subtle tug and a vibration if urgent. It begs the question, is it more active because a driver knows it’s there and becomes less diligent with lane position? Regardless it’s easily engaged, from the steering wheel, a small icon on the dash is an easily understood indicator.

Despite ignoring the four hundred plus pages of the owner’s manual and the supplementary infotainment manual, we were able to fumble our way through the functions with the haptic feedback touchpad and the buttons and dials on the handrest. It does have a logical flow. While messing around with the driver menus, I found a g-force indicator for lateral and longitudinal loads. That can be fun for data hounds, regardless of the vehicle’s limits, or lack of.

The suite of technology features is long and impressive:

The safety systems called the Lexus Safety System + 2.0, brlefly touched on here, is best summarized here:

https://www.lexus.com/documents/safety/Lexus-Safety-System-Plus-2_0-20181024.pdf

The Lexus Enform Safety Connect and Service Connect is complimentary for the first 10 (TEN!) years of ownership. That includes Automatic Collision Notification, Emergency Assistance Button (SOS), Enhanced Roadside Assistance, and Stolen Vehicle Locator.

Lexus Wi-Fi at 4GB is free for one year, Lexus Enform Remote is also free for one year, allowing smartphone, smartwatch or Amazon Alexa devices access for remote start, checking vehicle status and more.

The Scout GPS Link & MapStream compatible service is free for three years.

All this and more has an MSRP of $42,785. The combination of hybrid efficiency with the utility of a compact crossover is a cLexus comfort, technology, customer service and reliability, and distinctive styling with AWD utility. A compelling choice for those seeking these attributes.