---
title: "It Sounds Like the Ford Edge RS Is a Real Possibility"
description: "The recently-launched 2019 Ford Edge ST, FoMoCo's first real stab at a performance SUV, might have a fraternal twin in the future bearing two other letters that hold a special significance to Ford fans."
date: "2018-10-24"
modified: "2018-10-24"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/24443/it-sounds-like-the-ford-edge-rs-performance-crossover-is-a-real-possibility"
categories:
  - "Ford News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "crossovers"
  - "Edge"
  - "Ford"
  - "RS"
  - "suv/crossover"
---

# It Sounds Like the Ford Edge RS Is a Real Possibility

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/10/2019-ford-edge-st-3.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The recently-launched [2019 Ford Edge ST,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/20024/ford-wants-us-to-believe-that-the-edge-st-is-worthy-of-the-st-badge>) FoMoCo's first real stab at a performance SUV, might have a fraternal twin in the future bearing two other letters that hold a special significance to Ford fans. In an interview [with *Motor Trend,*](<https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-edge-rs-interview/>) one of Ford Performance's head engineers hinted at the distinct possibility of a Ford Edge RS to further sharpen the family hauler. That would ultimately make it a successor to the dearly departed [Ford Focus RS,](<https://www.thedrive.com/video/18933/ford-focus-rs-production-is-about-to-end-but-what-made-this-hot-hatch-so-special>) the hot hatch whose next generation won't make it to these shores. America: land of the free, home of the sporty crossovers.

Ford Performance Chief Functional Engineer Ed Krenz had a lot of specific answers at the ready when *Motor Trend* raised the hypothetical of an Edge RS, ticking off every area on the car that would need improvement. The RS badge might not have the historical cache of BMW's M or Mercedes-AMG, but the standard set by the angry, raw Focus RS means the Edge would need some significant reworking.

"The RS would have to bring more power. The RS would have to bring additional vehicle dynamics," Krenz said. "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."

*If we decide that we want to do it.* Krenz is right that they have everything for an Edge RS at the ready—adaptive suspension, torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive, and bigger V6s are found in other Ford vehicles—and it's impossible to believe that Ford hasn't at least entertained the idea [given its ongoing shift](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/20415/ford-sedans-are-dead-in-the-u-s>) to an all-pickup-and-crossover lineup (save for the Ford Mustang). So it's simply a matter of business case, and we'd be surprised if Ford doesn't see one soon enough.

The 2019 Ford Edge ST doesn't quite carry the badge the way the Fiesta and Focus do; though its 335-horsepower V6 engine is a nice touch, it's not really the nimble performance bargain those two hatchbacks represent. Should Ford move forward on an Edge RS, we'll have to wait and see if it carries over the tradition of manual-only RS cars. Our guess? Not likely.

"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," Krenz [told *Motor Trend*.](<https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-edge-rs-interview/>) "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."

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)