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But driving it for a week was sheer torture.

That´s not because of its road manners or anything else related to the way it behaved during my evaluation period.

It´s because Sirius Travel Link, a package of communication and driving assistance features provided by the company best known for satellite radio, was deactivated on the test vehicle.

After getting an extensive demonstration of Travel Link just a few weeks earlier at a local Ford dealership, I couldn´t wait to try it myself. The system is exclusive to Ford, and requires that the vehicle be equipped with a navigation system (a $1,995 option on the Edge).

Before the Edge arrived for testing, I´d never evaluated a vehicle equipped with Travel Link. A week later, that´s still the case.

It´s a gross understatement to say I was frustrated to test a vehicle equipped with a non-working Travel Link system because the Sirius bill wasn´t paid up. For a gadget geek, it was the equivalent of the typical teenager being invited to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet but being told they can only have salad.

Of course Travel Link is more like a topping than the pizza itself. But based on the demo I got at the dealership, it´s a tasty one.

For around six bucks a month (on top of a Sirius satellite radio subscription), you get:

Real-time traffic information for over 78 markets.

Coast-to-coast current weather info and forecasts, storm warnings and even ski conditions.

Current gas prices at approximately 120,000 stations sorted alphabetically, by price or by distance.

Film summaries, show times and locations for around 4,500 theaters.

Major league and college sports, auto racing and golf headlines and latest scores.

The ability to store and play at any time up to 2,400 favorite songs from Sirius.

How appealing and valuable one finds it to have that information delivered in a vehicle at the touch of a button will obviously vary from person to person. But I was sold on it when the guy doing the demo showed how Travel Link could direct me to a gas station that was charging six cents less per gallon than any other station in the vicinity.

He pointed out that using that function alone on a regular basis would more than pay the monthy fee for Travel Link.

I wish the folks in charge of the test car felt the same way.

Instead, I was left wondering how useful the Sirius service Link might have been to me on a weekend trip to Boston and back.

Although it was impossible to evaluate Travel Link, the trip provided a great opportunity to experience the Edge´s other qualities. Overall, I was impressed.

The first thing that struck me -- and something I noticed throughout the week -- was the Edge´s styling. The version I tested, the Sport, is new for 2009 in the three-year-old model´s lineup. Sport highlights include some distinctive brushed aluminum trim and other interior dcor, along with a factory installed body kit that gives it a custom look and clearly distinguishes it from other Edge models.

The upgrade I liked best, however, was the Sport´s optional 22-inch wheel package. Consisting of highly polished (they look like chrome) aluminum wheels wearing low-profile/high-performance Pirelli Scorpion Zero 265/40R22 tires, the package fills the Edge´s wheel wells with a swagger found in few crossovers.

It costs $1,000 extra to achieve that swagger, and I suspect that "tuner" fans might consider that a bargain.

At its starting price of just over $26,000, I´d consider the roomy and versatile Edge a good value. But it costs nearly $10,000 more for the extremely well-equipped Sport AWD version I tested.

For that, you get a vehicle that has great cargo space, the flexibility of easily folded 60/40 split rear seatbacks, and real room for five average-size adults to travel in comfort for hours.

The Edge Sport´s low-profile tires and sport-tuned suspension make that travel a bit less comfortable than other Edge models if the road is rugged. The ride is generally very quiet and smooth, but sharp bumps and potholes can be jarring.

That´s a tradeoff for better performance. The Sport isn´t quicker, doesn´t steer more precisely and doesn´t shift more responsively or smoothly than other Edge models. All of which is fine because the Edge rates highly in those areas compared to other crossovers in its class.

Where the Sport excels compared to many competitors and other Edge models is in tackling twisties. For a large, relatively high vehicle, body lean is negligible and fun-to-drive quotient is way up there.

In short, the Edge is one of those vehicles that did everything I asked and delivered a bit more than I expected. Except, that is, when it came to Travel Link.

Scott Wasser is executive editor of MaineToday Media. He writes a weekly auto column for the Press Herald and The Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Times Leader. He can be contacted at

swasser@pressherald.com

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