Ford Lives On the Edge of Sportiness
If you build a "sport" version of a CUV does it then become an SCUV? Or is it a CSUV? Whatever you call it, Bloomberg tells us Ford's planning a sport version of the Edge CUV called, strangely enough, the Edge Sport. Just what constitutes a "sport" version is a matter of some debate. (Well it is now.) To pistonheads, a sport model usually implies more power, better brakes and improved handling. To Ford it means standard 20-inch wheels (optional double dubs) wearing low-profile, 40-series Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires. And an "eight-piece Edge Sport body kit… integrated fog lamps and a lower grille insert… sport badging, polished dual exhaust tips, 'foundry gray' smoked headlamp and taillamp lenses… dark gray leather seats [that] feature unique suede-feel patterned inserts in a combination of light and dark gray." Oh, and "an appealing etched metal effect on the instrument panel center console." After the Blue Oval Boyz introduce the Edge Sport at the Chicago auto show, the not-so-mean machine will go on sale later this year as a 2009 model, aimed at buyers who want their factory rides pre-pimped. Or it that semi-pimped? Semi-pre-pimped? Half caf semi-pre-pimped? Are we there yet?
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Kinda' like Toyota's CorollaS. Maybe Ford should take a lesson from Mazda instead where the "S" sport editions actually offer sportier versions of the base model with a mix and match approach to the exterior appearance. (My Mazda6s looks plainer than most Mazda6 cars on the road, no exterior plastochrome and a rear lip spoiler instead of spoiler that doubles as a car handle for some giant toddler). And, then you would have the Ford SVT version that would (or should) be equivalent to the Mazdaspeed version.
This is nothing that Honda hasn't done with element SC or the even Saturn did with the Vue redline. I like when a SUV isn't pretending it spends every weekend rock crawling.So a more urban-style packaged suv makes more sense than all that outback tough swagger.
I've always thought that a car with "Sport" in its name means: (1) 2 doors instead of 4 (2) A roof rack for your toys (3) More bling (4) Optionally, and rare, a slightly better drive train. I think the old school "sport" meant more power and better drive train and braking components. So it appears that somewhere along the line the "Sport" adjective went from describing the inside to the outside of the car.