Edge L/Highlander comfort competition: Ford uses more solid materials, and the s
Just as tires are crucial to the drivability of a car, seats are undoubtedly the core element in driving comfort. In the past, our praise for seats was simply described as "big sofas," but few were willing to share the intricacies involved.
However, as competition within the automotive industry intensifies, an increasing number of car manufacturers have started to promote seats as core technologies. In addition to the proportion of NAPPA leather used, the types of layered fillings, and features like ventilation, heating, massage, and even headrest speakers, many models also offer multifunctional scene requirements, such as one-touch bed conversion, zero-gravity mode, and one-touch folding from the trunk.
We believe that the essence of a seat must return to the experience. This time, we at Jia Shi Pai have sourced two mainstream joint venture seven-seater SUVs, including the Toyota Highlander, which represents Japanese engineering design, and the Ford Edge L, which combines the comfort paradigm of American style. Through professional evaluation of objective data and subjective experience of actual driving and riding, we will assess their respective strengths.
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The Technical Underpinnings of Professional FactoriesThe car seat itself is a highly specialized automotive component, especially under the current circumstances where material and configuration requirements are becoming increasingly complex. Finding a reliable supplier with technical strength to collaborate with is the first step in ensuring the comfort and safety of the seats.
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The seats for the Toyota Highlander are developed and produced by a joint venture between GAC and Toyota Boshoku, which can be considered as half of the in-house team. Friends familiar with Japanese cars will not be strangers to Toyota Boshoku, as it is the first company in the history of the Toyota Group. The "spinning" in its name also indicates its deep roots in the textile industry, having developed many types of textile machines and technologies, and being very adept at seat fabric materials. Now, Toyota Boshoku also has strong capabilities in the development and manufacturing of automotive seats.
The seat supplier for the Ford Edge L is also not to be underestimated, it is Changan Lear, a joint venture between the American Lear Corporation and Changan. Lear is a leading global supplier of seats and electronic components, with its seat business long holding the top position in China, possessing comprehensive capabilities in complete seat integration, and its products cover all components such as metal frames, foam, fabric, and leather materials. Moreover, Lear has been a long-term partner for luxury brands in China, being well-versed in high-end product lines, including the highly recognized seat comfort leader, the Li Auto L9, which has also chosen to cooperate with Lear for development, demonstrating the deep strength of this supplier.Basic Data Dictates Expansion Space
Before getting into the vehicle for an experience, we first measured the basic data of the Ford Edge L and Toyota Highlander, such as seat dimensions, backrest adjustment angles, and front and rear sliding distances.
Let's start with the front row of both vehicles. In terms of the backrest recline angle, the Edge L reclines more, which is suitable for lying down and taking a break, while in terms of seat width, both the outer and inner widths of the Edge L are larger, making it more suitable for people with greater height and weight. As for the backrest height, the Edge L is also designed to be taller, combined with the four-way adjustable headrest, providing sufficient support for the shoulders. However, in the height adjustment section, the data for both models is quite similar.The differences between the second-row seats of the Edge L and the Highlander are quite distinct. The Ford model's seven-seater uses a 2+2+3 layout, featuring independent middle-row seats, which gives the Edge L an advantage in terms of the recline angle. Combined with the leg rest, the independent seats in the middle row of the Edge L are more suitable for long-distance travel or for resting when sitting alone.
From a data perspective, the seat cushion width of the Highlander is narrower than that of the Edge L. However, since the middle row of the Highlander essentially lacks side bolsters, the impact is not significant. Additionally, in terms of the fore-aft adjustment range, the Edge L, which has seats with leg rests that recline at the touch of a button, does not have a longer adjustment range designed due to interference with the rear wheel hub when the backrest is reclined. In this regard, the Toyota model offers greater flexibility.
Finally, regarding the third row, both models do not have particularly spacious accommodations, and the data from the seat perspective is also very close. However, after being domestically produced, the third row of the Highlander can only accommodate two people, so the horizontal space is relatively more generous. But without a central passage, it is difficult for the thighs to extend forward, which can make long-distance riding uncomfortable. If we evaluate based on a full-capacity scenario, the Edge L is more suitable.Whose car seats are comfortable? Pressure testing makes it clear at a glance
Basic data can only provide a superficial view; to truly understand the seating experience, it is essential to combine it with practical experience.
Jia Shi Pai has customized a set of thin-film pressure testing instruments, allowing mainstream female passengers and extreme male passengers to sit in the front, middle, and rear seats of two cars for 30 seconds each. From the pressure distribution cloud map, differences between the Ruijie L and Highlander can be observed.
Looking at the front row backrests, although the Highlander has a uniform pressure distribution, the pressure from the lumbar spine to the neck in the middle is greater than that of the Ruijie L. Moreover, Ford's headrests provide better support for the head and can better release the pressure on the shoulders.In the cushion area, the pressure at the center contact point of the femurs is the greatest on both vehicles, gradually decreasing towards the periphery. However, the Highlander's seat has a significantly larger red zone, especially as the weight increases, making it more noticeable. The hardness test at the front also reveals that the middle of the Highlander's cushion is much softer than that of the Edge L, indicating that a seat is not necessarily better the softer it is. As the duration of sitting increases, the pressure also increases, leading to greater fatigue.
In the middle row seat test, since the Highlander does not have the independent seats like the Edge L, without side bolsters, the difference is not apparent when the weight is relatively low compared to the Edge L. However, as the weight and stature increase, significant pressure can be felt in the upper lumbar region of the middle row backrest. At this point, the Edge L, with the effect of the side bolsters, has much less pressure on the back.
In the cushion part, the red zone of the Edge L is deeper than that of the Highlander. Because the Highlander's middle row is just a flat cushion without the wrapping of side bolsters, the pressure is more dispersed. The Edge L's independent seats with armrests will experience increased pressure on the buttocks as the passenger's weight increases, due to the compression from the side bolsters. Fortunately, Ford has designed a zero-gravity-like adjustment mode, which can distribute the body pressure more evenly.
For the third-row seat backrests, there is not much difference in performance for women on the seats of both vehicles. However, as the weight increases, the Highlander's backrest shows significant pressure at the shoulder position, mainly because its support is somewhat inferior to that of the Edge L. From the cushion part, it can be more clearly seen that the Edge L can provide better wrapping and support for the body.In summary, the seat cushions and backrests in every row of the Edge L can better distribute pressure than the Highlander, which in layman's terms means "it's not tiring to sit for a long time." Additionally, the middle row of independent seats in the Edge L has better wrapping and slightly better thigh support than the Highlander. Even the third row of seats, which is used temporarily, combined with the data from the Highlander, the overall comfort of Ford's seats is indeed at a leading level.
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Violent cracking of seats reveals the secrets
Why do two cars with similar prices have such a significant difference in the riding experience? To answer this question, Jia Shi Pai bought back the driver's seats of the Edge L and Highlander, and asked an automotive development engineer to dissect them like a butcher, to find the answer for everyone.Before disassembling, we first conducted a weight measurement. The Ford Edge L is about 5kg heavier than the Toyota Highlander's seats. The main driver's seat should normally weigh around 20kg, but the Edge L is significantly heavier, which we suspect is due to its internal components.
After disassembling the seats of both vehicles, we compared and found that although the Highlander's heating layer is sewn on the inside of the leather cover, its face cover is still 1kg lighter than the Edge L's. This is mainly because Ford chose a thicker leather composite layer with a larger area, and it also has a rigid backplate, which gives it an inherent advantage in terms of comfort upon contact.
The seat frame of the Edge L is 1kg heavier than the Highlander's. In addition to the vernier caliper measurements, Ford's steel plate thickness is 0.1mm thicker in some areas. The main differences between it and the Highlander are twofold: first, compared to the Highlander's standard PIP foaming process for the headrest, the Edge L's headrest is 0.4kg heavier and has a four-way adjustable structure. It can be folded at three different fan-shaped angles to prevent significant backward bending of the spine during collisions. Therefore, Ford has also specially reinforced the headrest fixation and protection for the area above the shoulders during collisions.Secondly, the sheet metal area in front of the seat basin of the Edge L is significantly wider than that of the Highlander, especially where the gap between the sheet metal and the cross pipe is very small. This not only provides front support for the thighs but also prevents sliding down during a collision, thus avoiding injury to the abdomen and ribs from the safety belt. It can be said that from the safety design to the materials used, the Ford Edge L is clearly superior to the Highlander.
It is worth mentioning that the Highlander seat, produced last year, did not have an anti-rust coating, while the Edge L seat, produced in 2021, shows no signs of rust. Although this does not affect the use, it also reflects the meticulousness of Ford's car manufacturing.
In terms of foam parts, the Edge L is also 1 kg heavier than the Highlander. In addition to the additional ventilation function, the larger foam coverage area and higher material density of Ford's seats are also reasons. We can see from the hardness test that both vehicles use dual-density foam for the backrest, and the hardness data is very close. The main difference is that the central part of the Edge L's cushion has more toughness.
During the disassembly process, we also found some interesting details.The seats of the Highlander can be disassembled in just a few minutes, whereas it took half an hour to take apart the seats of the Edge L. The main reason is that Toyota uses structural clips to secure the seat attachments, while Ford uses different types of screws for the same purpose. Although this makes the assembly more challenging, it also reduces the likelihood of creaking noises after long-term use.
Additionally, the Edge L's seats have an independent ECU, which acts as the brain of the seats, controlling and storing electrical functions. It not only has the capability to modify programs via OTA (Over-The-Air) but can also quickly diagnose the cause of part failures, embodying the essence of smart technology.
Lastly, in terms of components, we noticed that there are parts in the Edge L seats that are manufactured in Thailand. It seems that Ford has not succumbed to cost pressures and completely switched to domestic alternatives.
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Dynamic comfort is Ford's strong suit.Previous evaluations were based on static generation, but the comfort of a car needs to be defined when it's in motion. We have also invited a driving evaluation engineer to experience the ride comfort of the Edge L and Highlander under full load conditions.
For the chassis comfort of these two vehicles, we selected some typical road surfaces for evaluation, including damaged roads, impact roads, bouncing roads, and urban paved roads for comparison.
The Edge L is generally better than the Highlander in primary smoothness. When going through features like damaged roads, it has better vehicle control, specifically better control of the vehicle's pitch and roll movements, without frequent nodding and lateral swaying actions. The Highlander has more noticeable pitch and roll, and on some bouncing roads, the Edge L has better control of the rear axle after landing, without the wobbling and multiple bouncing that the Highlander exhibits, which appears to lack control.
During impact conditions, the Edge L feels softer compared to the Highlander. Although both are oriented towards comfort, the Highlander actually feels stiffer in terms of impact sensation.The experience of driving on mountain roads is also quite noticeable. Although the Edge L is also tuned for comfort and has an additional 117kg in curb weight, it has a higher limit in corners and better stability. On the same bend, the Edge L will have a higher passing speed, and the stability of power or braking adjustments in the bend is also better than that of the Highlander, giving a stronger sense of confidence.
In summary, with the same comfort-oriented tuning, the Edge L has an advantage over the Highlander in terms of chassis comfort and cornering stability, which is in line with Ford's long-standing emphasis on chassis performance.
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Driving Summary
Through comparison, we can conclude that the seats of the Ford Edge L are better than those of the Toyota Highlander.There are three key factors that make up the answer. Firstly, in the analysis of the disassembled materials, the Edge L has better safety design and more flexible filling materials. The objective data from the testing instruments also prove that Ford's seats have a more reasonable pressure distribution in the riding experience, making them more comfortable for long-term use compared to the Highlander. Lastly, in terms of subjective evaluation of driving and riding, the Edge L provides passengers with a smooth journey during travel.
This is also the value of a seven-seater SUV. When consumers sacrifice the flexibility and control, which are personal pleasures, to purchase a car for the family, a safe and comfortable driving and riding environment should be a must-have option.
If you want to plan a comfortable trip on weekends or holidays, inviting friends and bringing family along, I would recommend you to experience the Ford Edge L. It retains the spaciousness and high comfort of a seven-seater SUV, and is mature and reliable enough to be a choice that family users will not regret.
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