Compare the2023 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2022 Ford Edge

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The A4 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Edge doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A4 Allroad and Edge have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Edge’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Edge doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A4 Allroad’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Edge doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Edge only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the A4 Allroad and the Edge have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 Audi A4 Allroad is safer than the Ford Edge:

	A4 Allroad	Edge
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	16 inches

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A4 Allroad its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 122 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Edge is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The A4 Allroad comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Edge’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Edge’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Edge’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A4 Allroad’s reliability 21 points higher than the Edge.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (261 vs. 250) than the Edge’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better mileage than the Edge:

			MPG
A4 Allroad
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 hwy
Edge
	AWD	2.7 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		Titanium 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy

Transmission

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Edge doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Edge doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

The A4 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Edge AWD are solid, not vented.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the Edge:

	A4 Allroad	Edge
70 to 0 MPH	152 feet	187 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Edge SE/SEL’s standard 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The A4 Allroad has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Edge’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A4 Allroad Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Edge Titanium pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Edge Titanium (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the A4 Allroad’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Edge’s (38.4 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The A4 Allroad’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Edge ST with 22” wheels’ (38.4 feet vs. 42 feet).

Chassis

The A4 Allroad is 9.5 inches shorter in height than the Edge, making the A4 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A4 Allroad easier. The A4 Allroad’s trunk lift-over height is 26.1 inches, while the Edge’s liftover is 29.6 inches.

Towing

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Edge’s (3968 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the A4 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Edge. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 27% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

Ergonomics

The A4 Allroad Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Edge doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The A4 Allroad’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Edge’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the A4 Allroad the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Edge can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A4 Allroad has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Edge doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The A4 Allroad’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Edge’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Edge doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The A4 Allroad’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Edge’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Edge doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 Allroad to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Edge doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The A4 Allroad’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Edge SEL/ST-Line/ST/Titanium.

When the A4 Allroad with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Edge’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A4 Allroad and the Ford Edge, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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