IT'S big, it's American and it's going to be over here very soon.

The Edge SUV is the first of a new breed of transatlantic Ford that will be on sale in Britain next year.

With the mighty Mustang arriving in right hand drive early in 2015 the Edge will follow in the autumn.

It is all part of the blue oval's One Ford strategy and while the Americans have already got a taste of European Fords such as the Fiesta and the Focus not a lot has come our way from the other side of the pond so far.

To show what's on the way Ford took the wraps off the all new Edge for Europe at an event staged at its design studios in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday.

Flagged up as Ford's most advanced SUV - which in Ford-speak is Smart Utility Vehicle - the Edge will be up against the likes of the Audi Q5, Volvo's XC60 and even larger off-roaders such as the BMW X5 and VW Touareg.

On first impressions it passes muster and for those who want to be different the Edge fits the bill joining Ford's other SUVs - the Kuga and the new EcoSport.

The Edge has bold styling which gives it plenty of presence enhanced at the rear by an array of LED lamps which stretch across the tailgate.

It's a five seater and inside it is roomy and spacious with a good sized boot, easily large enough to take all a family's luggage.

Maximum capacity with the rear seats folded is 1,788 litres and that's bigger than most 4x4s of this ilk.

The instrumentation is smart and adventurous with an eight-inch central display screen, a ‘floating' centre console akin to that used by Volvo and a TFT screen for the driver with digital graphics for the rev counter, fuel and other information categories.

The only dial shape is the speedometer which sits in the middle of the panel.

Plenty of advanced technology is being brought into play including an acoustic cancellation system to keep cabin noise low.

Automatic parking, a 180 degree front camera system to help at junctions and an adaptive steering set up to make manoeuvring easier are other user friendly features.

The Edge will be diesel only and fitted with two-litre engines developing either 180 or 210ps.

Both are mated to Ford's automatic all-wheel-drive system which is similar to that used on the Kuga.

It's set up to give optimum traction under all conditions but clever enough to use front-wheel-drive whenever possible to aid economy.

The lower powered engine has a six speed manual gearbox while Ford's Powershift semi-auto box comes with the 210ps diesel.

As an auto, the Edge will also be fitted with paddle shifters to enable manual changes from the steering wheel.

Fuel economy should be in the region of 50mpg for the manual which has emissions of 149g/km while the auto has a CO2 output of 159g/km which translates into 47 to the gallon.

That's good enough to make the Edge attractive to business and private buyers and although three trim levels will be available Ford expects most to be in top range Titanium specification.

Prices are still to be announced but to be competitive the Edge needs to cost from around £25,000 and top out in the low to middle £30,000s which will be keen for a vehicle of such quality.

Previous versions of the Edge have already proved a hit in Ford's homeland where it sells alongside Ford's other SUVs, the Explorer and Escape.

The new model comes from Ford's Canadian factory in Oakville, Ontario from where the car will be shipped to Europe as well as making its way across the border into the US.