The Ford Edge is a comfortable, safe, and fun-to-drive midsize SUV. Maybe you’ve been considering getting one for some time now. It’s a smart choice for small families, as well as for young couples or professionals who want a car for city driving and weekend excursions. With its solid fuel economy and tons of safety features, it’s more than ready to handle your commute to work or off into the great outdoors for a camping trip. Plus, all-wheel drive comes standard on all trims, giving you good control in a variety of conditions.
What you might not be familiar with is the 2023 Ford Edge ST trim. Sure, we usually think of “practical” cars when we think of midsize SUVs, but the Edge actually has, well, some edge to offer in its sporty ST trim. This trim was created so that people who wanted a little more oomph out of their vehicle could get the best of both worlds: a spacious SUV and a thrilling behind-the-wheel experience.
The ST sits at the top of the trim lineup. Overall, this is still a mid-range priced vehicle, so even the top trim isn’t going to shock you with its price tag (starting at $46,485). It’s just important to know what it has to offer and if that’s right for your needs before opting for this trim. Here’s what makes the 2023 Ford Edge ST so special.
Its Own Energetic Engine
Starting off with what’s beneath the hood, the ST is going to get a powerful 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost Engine. Ford’s EcoBoost engines are turbocharged, direct-injection petrol engines. Ford created these for drivers who want impressive horsepower and torque but don’t want to sacrifice good fuel economy. Speaking of which, this engine gets a nice 335 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque.
For reference, the other trims in the lineup get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which really doesn’t offer the same robust feel. As for that all-important fuel economy, the 2023 Ford Edge ST gets 19 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway. If you want a midsize SUV but don’t want to deal with an engine that doesn’t quite accelerate at an impressive pace, you’ll appreciate the ST. It has a perky engine under its hood, and it still isn’t too bad on fuel.
Bolstered Captain’s Chairs
While the rest of the trims get pretty standard seats, the ST continues to bring that athletic feel inside with its bolstered captain’s chairs. These are really going to hug your body during spirited driving and provide extra protection on parts of the driver that can take extra impact when going fast, taking tight turns, and making other adventurous maneuvers. Plus, they just look cool.
Optional ST Performance Brake Package
Along with the more powerful engine found in the ST, this trim delivers another distinctly sporty feature: the available ST Performance Brake Package. If you are going to push the ST to its limits, try to reach top speed (in a safe environment), and then come to a screeching halt, you’ll appreciate the ventilated disc brakes in this package. These contain special grooves that run down the center of the brakes, which let air pass through, enabling the brakes to cool quicker. This is important because they keep your brakes from overheating, and when brakes overheat, they don’t respond as quickly as they need to. That results in increased stopping times for you and a potential safety risk.
This package also gets performance brake pads, which are additionally designed to handle higher temperatures and remain consistent even as their temperatures rise. Again, if you are going to drive fast in your ST, these will ensure the brakes are ready to respond when you come to a stop. Much of this package has to do with keeping important elements of the vehicle cool, which makes sense because spirited driving leads to overheating. So, another part of this package is going to be the brushless radiator cooling fans, which can kick into gear quickly to cool down the engine when needed.
The final part of this fun package doesn’t have to do with the brakes but is a nice addition. It’s a two-parter: there are the 21-inch premium gloss black-painted aluminum wheels, which give the vehicle a track-ready look. Without this package, you’ll be looking at regular silver wheels. Next, there are the summer tires, which are designed to do well in performance settings. They are going to give the vehicle a lower profile and offer improved traction when taking tight corners, accelerating, and participating in spirited driving maneuvers. Do note that if you opt for these, depending on where you live, you might want to keep another pair of all-season or winter tires. Summer tires only do well in dry or mildly wet conditions.
ST Interior Appearance Package
The inside of the ST looks as thrilling as its performance elements feel––if you opt for the ST Interior Appearance Package, that is. It’s going to have leather-trimmed seats with Miko inserts for a distinctly track-ready look, along with red and blue accent stitching. You’ll find this same red and blue accent stitching on the steering wheel for a uniform aesthetic throughout the cabin. It’s also got some other design elements that tie it all together, like a center console lid and door inserts to compliment the upholstery and stitching.
Two Final Perks to Seal the Deal
There are two last features that make the ST stand out. They aren’t performance related, but they might appeal to the practical side of you (you are getting a midsize SUV, after all, so we know you’re a bit practical). These features include a power liftgate and remote start.
The power liftgate is a great feature when your hands are full. Instead of opening it with a conventional handle and needing to push it up, you just push a simple soft button at the bottom of the door, and it opens all the way for you. Then, you just push a button to close it.
The remote start feature is particularly helpful as well. When you’re in the vicinity of the vehicle with your key, you can actually turn on the engine. This also means you can do things like pre-warm or pre-cool the car before you get in, which is pretty nice if you live anywhere with extreme weather conditions.
Upgrade Your Ford Edge Experience With an ST
If you’ve been considering trading in your older Ford Edge for a new one, or getting your very first Ford Edge, consider checking out the ST if you need a little more excitement out of your midsize SUV. Ford gets that, even if you have kids or need a practical vehicle for another reason, you might also want a car that can offer some thrilling behind-the-wheel experiences (once you’ve dropped the kids off at school, of course). So, they loaded the 2023 Ford Edge ST with features that let you have that experience, like the performance brake package that’s designed to cool important elements after spirited driving and the powerful yet fuel-efficient 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine. There are a total of five trims for the 2023 year Edge, but if you’re looking for the performance trim of the Ford Edge, that’s going to be the ST. Don’t worry; it’s going to be a lot of fun to drive.
