The refreshed and updated 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX have just earned the Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Both models now meet the award’s criteria by earning “Good” ratings for front, side, rollover and rear test performance and offering electronic stability control as standard equipment.
When The Edge and MKX first came out in 2007, both earned “Good” ratings in every category except for rollover performance where the models earned an “Average” rating. According to the IIHS, the roof in the previous models could only support 3.5 times their weight. Now, the current and updated models now have a stronger roof that supports 4.5 times their weight, which means improved structural integrity in the event of a severe rollover.
Both models are equipped with front airbags, seat-mounted torso airbags for the front passengers, front and rear side curtain airbags and a rollover sensor that deploys the curtain airbags in the event of an impending rollover. In addition, Ford’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which detects and alerts drivers of vehicles in blind spots, is standard on the Edge and MKX.
The updated Edge and MKX (IIHS specifies models built after February 2011) now joins a long list of “Top Pick” competitors in the midsize SUV category including the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Toyota Highlander and the Cadillac SRX.