2011 Ford Edge Review and Prices

Styling: The 2011 Ford Edge gets a new nose that softens the squared look this crossover has celebrated since its launch. The 2011 Edges returns with Ford’s signature three-bar grill though with a slightly less-formal appearance. It teams with lower fender lines and new headlights to soften some of the front end’s severe angles, creating a more flowing, aerodynamic face. The front fascia in all but the base model includes vertical running lamps that use LED “light pipe” technology to create bright beads of white illumination. Revisions to the taillamps and bumper shape contribute to a crisper visage from the rear. The 2011 Edge returns in four trim levels: base SE, volume SEL, luxury Limited, and performance-oriented Sport. Visually, the 2011 Edge Sport stands apart from other Edge models with a black grille, smoked headlamps and taillamps, oval chrome exhaust tips, body-colored exterior trim, and the largest wheels in the class -- 22-inch polished alloys. The basic shape and dimensions of the 2011 Edge are unaltered. It remains smack dab in the middle of its class for size and also remains slightly heavier than most rivals. Edge is strictly a five-passenger wagon. Several similarly sized competitors squeeze in a toddler-accommodating third-row seat and qualify as seven-passenger vehicles. Within Ford’s own family, Edge is larger than the compact-class, five-seat 2011 Ford Escape but smaller than the seven-seat 2011 Ford Flex. It plays the suave, urban cousin to the truckier Ford Explorer (Explorer is among those midsize SUVs that shoehorns in a third-row seat). Edge qualifies as a crossover because it uses car-type unibody construction in which body and frame are a single unit. This contrasts with old-school truck-type SUV design in which the body attaches to a separate frame. Unibody is lighter for better handling and fuel economy, though it’s not as suited to heavy-duty towing, hauling, or off-road punishment. Edge derives its basic engineering from the platform that underpins the Ford Fusion sedan. The same platform is used for the Lincoln MKX midsize crossover, which also undergoes a mid-cycle freshening for 2011. As sidelight, the Ford Explorer will switch from body-on-frame to unibody construction as part of a model-year 2011 redesign but will retain its classic-SUV look.     

Mechanical: The 2011 Ford Edge overhauls its engine lineup, expanding from one choice to three and creating the most intriguing roster of powertrains in the class. SE, SEL, and Limited models return for 2011 with an updated version of the 3.5-liter V-6 that was the 2006-2010 Edge’s only engine. For 2011, however, the 3.5 is significantly upgraded with Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing and other mechanical advances; it now rates 285 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. That’s an improvement of 20 horsepower and 12 pound-feet of torque over the previous 3.5 V-6. (Think of torque as the accelerative force you feel and horsepower as the energy that sustains momentum.) Borrowed from 2011 Ford Mustang and the 2011 MKX and exclusive to the Sport model in the 2011 Edge lineup is a 3.7-liter V-6 rated at 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Edge is the first Ford available with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the company’s new EcoBoost family of engines. It uses turbocharging and advanced direct fuel injection to produce the power of a V-6 with the fuel-economy of a four-cylinder. Ford had not released final output figures for the four-cylinder EcoBoost in time for this review but says it’ll generate at least 230 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. Neither did Ford specify which 2011 Edge models will be available with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost -- though it won’t be offered in the Sport. All 2011 Edges retain a six-speed automatic as their sole transmission. The 2011 Sport model’s transmission has steering-wheel paddles to facilitate manual-type gear changes and the EcoBoost’s automatic is calibrated for enhanced manual control. Ford hadn’t said whether EcoBoost-equipped Edges will come with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive (AWD), but V-6 versions will. Edge isn’t intended for off-road use. Its AWD is a basic system that normally operates in front-drive but can automatically shuffle traction-restoring power to the rear tires if the fronts slip. The 2011 Edge gets a retuned suspension for better ride and handling and upgraded brakes for better stopping power. Chassis revisions and additional sound insulation are intended to reduce vibration and noise. And Ford’s Trailer Sway Control designed to improve stability while towing is newly available.

Features: The 2001 Ford Edge feature story is headlined “MyFord.” This infotainment system is powered by Ford’s Microsoft-developed Sync software. MyFord controls many audio, climate, communications, and navigation functions through two touch-sensitive dashboard surfaces. One is an eight-inch screen located high in the center of the instrument panel; the other is below and essentially supplants the traditional radio faceplate. MyFord’s “driver connect” component flanks the speedometer with two 4.2-inch color LCD screens that display myriad vehicle-status readouts and infotainment settings. The various MyFord functions respond to screen taps, to voice commends -- which accept more conversational instructions than before – and to cell-phone-type five-way buttons mounted on the steering-wheel spokes. MyFord (and MyLincoln in the MKX) pioneers the use of iTunes tagging in a car. Tapping the “tag” icon on the MyFord screen digitally captures a song being played through the available high definition radio. Up to 100 songs can be stored in the radio’s memory for later purchase from iTunes via a docked iPod. MyFord-equipped Edges get a connectivity-rich center console that houses two USB ports, three RCA jacks, and a slot for a digital media card; it also accepts a mobile broadband card. The full MyFord setup is standard on Limited and Sport models and is available in conjunction with Sync’s voice-activated navigation system. Also among new features for the 2011 Edge is Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support. This senses a potential crash and audibly warns the driver while automatically reducing vehicle speed and pre-charging the brakes for a quicker stop. The 2011 Edge will also be newly available with Ford’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert, which warns of traffic in adjacent lanes and of approaching vehicles when reversing from parking spots. Also new to this crossover is the company’s MyKey teen-driver safety system. MyKey enables Edge owners to program limits on vehicle speed and to encourage seatbelt usage with persistent beeping and reduced audio volume. The 2011 Edge returns available features that include a power liftgate and a Vista Roof that combines a sliding sunroof with a large glass panel over the rear seats.