Over the last couple of days we’ve had the opportunity to test drive a beautiful blue Ford Edge. We will be in the market to buy a new vehicle in the next couple of months and have started researching which car to buy.

Since the Ford Edge arrived last week, we’ve thrown all that research out the window. We loved having the Edge so much that it has moved to the top of our list and can’t wait to have the money to go car shopping!

We thought there were so many wonderful features about the Ford Edge that I put together a list of our favorites. This list is now a must-have when car shopping. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle check out the Ford Edge and the list below and why we think it is a fantastic family car full of features that provide comfort, convenience, and fun!

My Top 10 Favorite Things About The Ford Edge

1. Intelligent Access

This has been been by far one of my most favorite features about the Ford Edge. It allows for truly “keyless entry.” Simply keep the key fob in your purse or pocket and when you are near enough to the car to open the door the Edge senses the keyfob and the door automatically unlocks for you. No key or code necessary!

I absolutely loved this especially when my hands were full of groceries or the kids school bags and take home projects. Even better if you need all four doors to unlock at once simple open the passenger door instead, again no key needed. How cool and convenient is that?!!

2. Push Button Start

Once you’re in the driver’s seat and you’ve used the Intelligent Access, thanks to the push button start there’s no need to dig around for the key. Simply press the brake and push the button to start the engine. That’s it! The Ford Edge remembers your previous settings and the driver’s seat will move into position and you’re ready to go. So easy and feels so futuristic and fun!

3. Rear View Camera

You’ll have to forgive that this photo makes the Rear View Camera display look like a little fuzzy or blurry – that’s because it’s been raining here in Cleveland for days on end. It doesn’t matter though because the camera still served its purpose and gave me a good idea of what was behind me.

We absolutely loved the Rear View Camera in the Ford Edge because the display was huge! It was definitely the largest of any vehicle we’ve taken for a test drive yet. This makes it so easy to clearly see what’s behind you and how close.

See the green, yellow, and red sidebars? They tell you what’s in range and how close. And when you get too close are accompanied by a loud incessant beeping. We know this because our neighbor needs to trim his tree alongside his house, it leans over into our driveway a bit but not enough for it to brush our car, however the Rear View Camera picked it up every time. You can see in this photo how the red sidebar now has a box – that’s the tree:

The Rear View Camera made for pulling out of difficult spaces so much easier. It really made me feel so much safer when backing out of Kora & Logan’s school, which has on street angled parking and it’s so difficult to see oncoming cars. I also liked it when I found myself parked betwee two monstrous SUVs. Using the Rear View Camera made seeing what was behind me a snap and I am really going to miss the peace of mind it gave me knowing I wasn’t going to pull out into any unseen oncoming vehicles.

4. Collision Warning & Adaptive Cruise Control

If you have a minute, you must watch this video which fully explains this amazing safety feature: Ford Edge Collision Warning & Adaptive Cruise Control.

When the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) detects traffic slowing down, it will automatically slow down your Ford Edge. While this was very cool, we loved the Collision Warning. There is a line of lights in front of the steering wheel at the base of the windshield and it alerts you by sound as well. It only came on twice in the time we had it  – when other cars suddenly pulled out in front of us. We didn’t feel like we were going to get in an accident but were thankful for the warning and could see how the warning sounds and lights grab your attention and are a wonderful tool for accident prevention.

5. MyFord Touch

MyFord Touch is an industry first and it’s an amazing feature that offers incredible convenience. My Ford Touch allows you to customize climate control, radio settings, navigation, your phone, and your music library, all on a large center console touch screen and through switch pads on the steering wheel. The information is then displayed on three LCD screens including the 8-inch center console and two in the dashboard instrument cluster.

The displays are customizable, so easy to use, and conveniently informative. We enjoyed using this system and think it’s a wonderful safety feature because it makes it so much easier to keep your eyes on the road with the easy to read displays and touch screen or steering wheel buttons at your finger tips.

Above is a photo of the climate control and here’s area a few more pictures of the MyFord Touch system and you can see even more options below under Ford Sync.

6. Ford Sync

Another feature that we will really miss is Ford Sync. We loved the smartphone connection. After a quick set-up, we were able to sync our iPhones with the Ford Edge through Bluetooth technology. The Ford Sync Smartphone connection offered a number of  wonderful features in itself including quick dial, phone book, and call history all of which you can see in the photos below. It also offers the option to support text messaging via Bluetooth, which we didn’t have a subscription for but I thought is a great option.

I like that Tired Dad Dave set it up so that every time we got into the car, Ford Sync automatically detected our phones and we were able to use the in-car speaker system to use the phone. It felt so much safer and Kora & Logan loved it because they could hear and talk to Grandma while we drove. I thought that was great because it kept them busy and happy while I was able to concentrate on driving.

Ford Sync also offers a GPS navigational system which we are now going to be lost without! It was so easy to read the large display. You can input your destination and receive turn-by-turn directions by touch or through the Edge’s speakers and get traffic alerts as well. On top of all of that you can also hear customized content anytime with personalized news, stocks, sports, weather, horoscopes, and movie times. How cool is that?!

Here’s a few photos of the Ford Sync navigational system:

7. Ford Edge & Car Seats

We found the Ford Edge to be the perfect family-of-four car because Kora & Logan’s booster seats fit in it comfortably and give them enough room that they are not right on top of each other preventing the “Mom! He’s touching me!” scenerio. In fact, there was so much room between the car seats that I was able to fit between the seats for a short ride when Tired Dad Dave’s mom came with us to a neighborhood party the other day.

I also like that when the kids need something and I am stopped at a stoplight, I am able to easily reach them. They aren’t sitting a million miles away from me which as every parent know is important when you have to pick up that dropped book or quickly hand out a tissue.

8. Trunk Space

The nice part about having the backseat within a reachable distance of the front seats, is that allows for a large and very spacious trunk. The back door opens and closes with barely the touch of a button which is very nice. And the trunk is so big we won’t feel a loss when we turn in our large SUV to buy the Ford Edge.

To give you a better idea of how big the trunk is Kora & Logan hopped up and posed for a photo.

9. Miscellaneous Amenities

There area few  other features of the Ford Edge and they really made the crossover stand out. I compiled them here to be sure they wouldn’t be missed.

Panaromic Vista Roof (2 Sun Roofs!)

While it’s been overly rainy in Cleveland lately, it’s still nice to see the sky and have that little extra light in the car.

Easy Radio and Climate Controls

It was mentioned above how nice the Ford Touch system is, but I found these controls just as easy to use. With barely the touch a button radio settings and climate control can be adjusted.

Center Console

The center console between the driver and passenger seat offers a wonderful selection of storage and organizational features. Underneath the lid (photo bottom left) there’s places to store business cards, pens, and tissues. Genius! The console is very deep and can hold a lot and also has USB Ports, 3 different jacks, and a battery charger. Everything is tucked away but easily accessible.

10. The Kids Like It

Now I know this isn’t a main reason to buy a car, but Kora & Logan were truly as enamored with it as we were. Here’s what they thought about the Ford Edge:

As you can see from the rave reviews from all of us, we all loved the Ford Edge and recommend it to anyone looking to buy their next vehicle. It’s got so many features that make driving easier and safer. It size is perfect for a family of four and it handles really well too. We were so pleased to have the visibility of our large SUV, almost the same storage/trunk space, but to have it all in a more compact and much easier to drive vehicle.

We give the Ford Edge two big thumbs up and can’t wait to go car shopping soon!