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The Ford Edge is bigger than it looks in photos. The reason is that it has a wide track and a long wheelbase with short overhangs. The Edge is eight inches shorter in overall length than the Ford Explorer, yet its wheelbase is just two inches shorter. Also, the track on the Edge is four inches wider, while the overall width is just one inch wider. This means that, in relation to the Explorer and speaking proportionately, the Edge has it tires pushed farther outward, closer to the corners, both in length and width, which gives it a wider and longer stance on the road. (The track is the distance between the left and right wheels. Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels.)

The wide track and long wheelbase relative to the body make the Ford Edge look solid: The four wheels are near each corner, making it appear firmly planted on the road. The long wheelbase and wide track are not just about looks; they make for a more stable vehicle, because the majority of the mass is inside the wheels. Visually, this aggressive stance makes the Edge stand apart from the relatively tippy look of traditional SUVs.

The Edge features Ford's bold, American design. The big chrome grille is placed well forward and has wide chrome slats that merge into the relatively small headlights at each side. The high hood is short as the windshield rakes forward more like a sports car or modern minivan.

Despite having a relatively high waist line with shallow side windows, the Ford Edge does not appear as stubby as photographs sometimes suggest. The sporty look is helped by pronounced fender flares and large wheels. The tailgate slopes quite significantly and is nicely rounded, avoiding the truck-like tailgates found on many SUVs. We found the rear design to be a cross between a Lexus RX and a BMW X3, which cannot be a bad thing.

The Vista Roof adds expansive twin glass moonroofs that cover the whole roof, providing all passengers with a clear view of the sky. There is only a foot-wide panel between the front and rear panels that is not transparent.

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The Ford Edge combines a stylish, comfortable interior with lots of cargo-hauling utility.

Front-seat occupants find a generous amount of room, largely due to the vehicle's generous width. There is a large center console with a storage box big enough for a laptop computer. Two decent cupholders reside alongside the substantial shifter. The center stack is angled outward to make it easy to reach the large knobs for the climate and entertainment controls.

The Ford Sync communications and entertainment system can be controlled via voice commands or dashboard buttons. It can recognize Bluetooth-enabled cell phones, access their phonebooks, and play calls and read text messages through the speakers. It also has a USB interface to connect with iPods and other MP3 players (it will charge an iPod). To issue a voice command, the driver hits a steering-wheel button and speaks the command. Occupants can tell the system to play a specific artist, album or track stored on an MP3 player. While Sync is nicely integrated, we've found it takes time to learn the voice commands, and there may be some frustration until the system is mastered.

The rear seats offer a decent amount of leg room; in fact, there's two inches more here than you'll find in the larger Explorer. Headroom is also reasonable in the rear, even with the optional Vista Roof. The rear-center passenger even gets more room than normal in a vehicle of this size, thanks to the wide track. Getting in and out is easier thanks to rear wheels that are placed well back and thus allow for less intrusion from the wheel wells.

Cargo carrying is an area where the Ford Edge excels. The tailgate lifts to reveal a wide opening. With the rear seats in place there's a reasonable amount of cargo room, but pressing a button automatically reclines the rear seats to open up 69.0 cubic feet of storage space on a nearly flat floor. Furthermore, the front passenger seatback can be folded forward to provide a mostly level floor space for long objects all the way to the dashboard. The rear seatback splits 60/40 for increased versatility and the back reclines several degrees on all models for improved rear-seat comfort.