I grew up in a GM town. My dad worked for the General as did at least one parent of most of my friends. I don’t really care for most GM products, they get my token sympathy when it comes to American cars.

Ford, then, has often been the recipient of me derision. Especially when the company is defined by both official rides of poseurs, the Mustang and the F-150.

But then they do shit like the Focus RS or the Fiesta ST. Instead of being content with their variation of simple city-runners, they bolt-on all the fun parts to create little drift rockets.

(Note: When Chevy uses RS badges on their family sedans and hatchbacks, you get little more than cosmetics.)

Ford is continuing their run of fun-to-drive rides with the 2019 Ford Edge ST. The Edge, a rather ungainly SUV oft-found in the Wal-Mart parking lot, will get some major upgrades for the top-end model.

Featuring a twin-turbo 2.7L V6 good for 335HP/380LB-FT, the Edge ST comes with standard AWD fed by a new eight-gear transmission. The paddle-shifters on the ST promise to be fully automatic.

Most importantly, the vehicle can be put in ‘Relaxed Mode’ which bypasses stability control. Anti-roll control is on at all times, however, so your drifts don’t lift.

Fuel mileage and pricing has yet to be announced, but you can expect it in showrooms by the end of the year.