Having said that, the 302A Package on our Edger we talked about earlier does provide enhanced park assist, which doesn’t really require any cameras at all. Why? Well, because it’s pretty much all done by computers, that’s why. If you’re thinking of parallel parking, just drive slowly alongside a row of parked cars, activate park assist with the press of a button, and the system will tell you when it’s found a spot big enough in which to park. Then, brake, select reverse, and Bob’s pretty much your uncle; all you have to do is cover the brake, and the Edge does the rest. No cams required. As a bonus, this being the new model, there’s a perpendicular park assist as well, which works just like the parallel park system does.

I’m also a fan of the modifiable gauge cluster on the Ford. The centre dial is static, but the TFT screen either side of it can be set to display all sorts of useful info, like the next GPS instruction, a tachometer (that looks analogue, but is digital), your trip computer and more, all easily navigated through wheel-mounted buttons. It’s well-implemented, and you have to wonder: if this is so good, how’d they get infotainment so wrong?

Luckily, there is hope on the horizon: SYNC 3 is already being rolled out on some, and I can say from experience that it’s a very good system, worlds ahead of what we have here. Trouble is, we’ll probably be waiting until late 2016 before we see it across the board, meaning right now, if you’re looking at an Edge, what you see here is what you get.

Otherwise in the tech department, it’s pretty much a wash between these two; they both get heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, dualzone climate control, navigation and heated steering wheels. You gotta love the panoramic sunroofs on both, too. Makes for a nice, bright interior and a proper luxury feeling to the environs. You do have to drop an extra $2,000 for navi and panoramic roof on the Edge, however; both come as standard on the Murano’s Platinum trim level.

Value and Economy

Brendan says:

It’s a funny thing – price these two out in US currency, and the Edge has a clear, um Edge. Here in Canada, though, the base prices are much closer, and the Ford quickly runs away on options. Our two precious-metal-package machines appear neck-and-neck at first, but check a few boxes and the Ford is soon about 10 percent more expensive. That’s a lot.

Thing is, this isn’t so much a case of one vehicle simply being cheaper than the other as it is the appearance of a good deal. Ask your dealer for a quote on a top-level Murano and the margins aren’t huge. Nissan isn’t shy about putting cash on the hood, but it’s nowhere near as aggressive as Ford when it comes to incentivization.

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