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Ford Edge compared with the GMC Terrain

Safety

Both the Edge and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all-wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Edge is safer than the GMC Terrain:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Edge is 1.1% to 5% less likely to roll over than the Terrain.

Warranty

The Edge’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 74 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Edge’s warranty.

Reliability

The Edge has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Terrain doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Edge has a 150-amp alternator. The Terrain’s standard 120-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Edge has a 600-amp battery. The Terrain only offers a standard 525-amp battery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 8th in reliability, above the industry average. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 21st.

Engine

The Edge has more powerful engines than the Terrain:

As tested in Motor Trend the Edge Sport 3.7 DOHC V6 is faster than the GMC Terrain 4 cyl.:

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the Edge’s engines produce their peak torque at lower RPM’s than the Terrain:

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Edge gets better fuel mileage than the Terrain:

The Edge has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Terrain doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Edge stops shorter than the Terrain:

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Edge has larger standard tires than the Terrain (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17). The Edge Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (265/40R22 vs. 235/55R18).

The Edge Sport’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Terrain’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Edge Sport has standard 22-inch wheels. The Terrain’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Edge has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Edge is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

The Edge Sport AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Terrain SLE pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Edge Sport AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Terrain SLE (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Edge’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Terrain’s (38.6 feet vs. 40 feet). The Edge Sport’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Terrain w/19" wheels’ (39.3 feet vs. 42.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Edge has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain (7.9 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Edge to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the Edge offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Terrain doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Edge has 8.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (108.4 vs. 99.6).

The Edge has .2 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 4.8 inches more rear hip room and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Edge has a larger cargo area with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (32.2 vs. 31.6 cubic feet). The Edge has a larger cargo area with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (68.9 vs. 63.9 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Edge SEL/Limited/Sport’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Terrain doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Edge’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Edge’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Terrain’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the available exterior keypad. The Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior keypad entry system, and its OnStar_® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Intelligent Access optional on the Edge Limited/Sport allows the driver to unlock the doors, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the car in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer an advanced key system.

The Edge’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Terrain’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Edge SEL/Limited/Sport’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Edge SEL/Limited/Sport’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Terrain doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Edge and the Terrain offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Edge has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Terrain doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

A built-in pollen filter removes pollen, exhaust fumes and other pollutants from the Edge SEL/Limited/Sport’s passenger compartment. This helps prevent lung and/or sinus irritation, which can trigger allergies or asthma. The Terrain doesn’t offer a filtration system.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Edge Limited offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Terrain doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Recommendations

The Ford Edge won two awards in Kiplinger’s 2012 car issue. The GMC Terrain didn't win any award.

Strategic Vision rates overall owner satisfaction with vehicle quality. The Ford Edge is ranked above average in the Mid-Size Crossover Utility category. The GMC Terrain is ranked below average.

The Ford Edge outsold the GMC Terrain by 41% during the 2012 model year.