Ford Has Some Ideas Concerning A Possible Edge RS

The Ford Edge ST may be brand new, but the automaker appears to have already given some thought to an even faster RS variant.

During a recent event for the Edge ST, Motor Trend had the opportunity to speak with the chief functional engineer for Ford Performance, Ed Krenz.

Quizzed about what he would do if given the opportunity to develop an Edge RS, Krenz revealed that he already had some ideas up his sleeve.

“Now that would clearly be a bit of a white space vehicle, so it’s not something we’d go and say, ‘Let’s go copy X, Y, or Z.

“We’d be able to create kind of that segment of non-premium, ultra-high-performance SUVs. What would we like it to be?

“The RS would have to bring more power. The RS would have to bring additional vehicle dynamics. That could be done through even more aggressive tires, more aggressive suspension setup, active dampers, torque vectoring. Those are things we definitely know how to do if we decide that we want to do it,” Krenz said.

If an Edge RS were to see the light of day, it would conceivably be powered by Ford’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 producing 375 hp and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm). Additionally, the vehicle would probably use an improved version of the torque vectoring system found in the Focus RS. A manual transmission would even be possible.

“I think there is definitely a manual transmission enthusiasts group. It’s something on a Mustang product that we refused to walk away from, the manual transmission.

“You know, the Fiesta and Focus STs traditionally have had that capability. I think we’re gonna learn a little bit, whether or not this segment really requires that.”

With 335 hp and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm), the current Edge ST is certainly no slouch. However, you wouldn’t hear any complaints from us if Ford decided to make an even quicker Edge.