The Ford Edge really holds its own against some much more expensive heavyweight tow cars.

The stopping distance of 10.3m is the shortest in the ‘1900kg+’ class, and the Edge can shift at a decent pace, too, taking 11.5 seconds to tow from 30-60mph. However, it’s a shame the gearbox isn’t more responsive.

In the hill-start test, the Ford rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job. The electronic parking brake held well, and the combination of a torquey engine, four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox made pulling to the top of the 1-in-6 slope easy.

Stability-wise, the Edge impresses, too. There was some slight movement at a steady 70mph and when slowing from 60mph, but again, the Ford can stand comparison with much pricier cars.

As a solo drive, the Ford rides comfortably and remains quiet at speed. But it doesn’t feel as light on its feet as, say, a BMW X3 or Jaguar F-Pace. And although the four-cylinder engine isn’t obtrusive, it doesn’t rest as easily on the ears as a good six-cylinder diesel.

Ford hasn’t squeezed in a third row of seats, but there’s lots of legroom in the second row and a very large boot. Our practicality testers had no trouble finding space for a full load of caravan holiday luggage. However, we’d ideally like a higher noseweight limit than 90kg on a car of this weight.

The Edge comes with a long list of standard kit and a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, but resale values aren’t as strong as those of SUVs from prestige brands.