Ford has made a dramatic freshening of the Ford Edge for 2011. The changes include an extensive exterior redesign, improved materials and craftsmanship on the interior, new technology, and new powertrains.

 

The big news under the hood is the new EcoBoost I-4. It will be mated to a six-speed transmission that will help channel the impressive performance from the new EcoBoost engine. Ford's newest 2.0L EcoBoost engine will deliver on the promise of 15 percent fuel economy improvements versus the Edge's current 3.5-liter V-6 engine while offering the performance feel of a six-cylinder.

 

Shocks, springs and stabilizer bars were adjusted to tighten handling. The shocks now feature a high-flow piston, which allows engineers to tune for both road loads and driving dynamics, without compromising ride for handling or vice versa. The result is a flatter response through turns and over hills while still providing a comfortable ride.

 

To fix the one of the largest issues that many Edge drivers complained about, Ford overhauled its braking system. Key brake system upgrades include steel pistons, larger rear rotors, revised brake friction materials, revised brake booster gain and revised pedal ratios, all of which enable more initial bite and a firmer, more confident feel when customers press on the brake pedal.

 

Ford says that both road noise and wind noise are significantly decreased in the 2011 Edge because of improvements found throughout the interior and exterior, including the powertrain.

 

A more absorptive sound pack is found throughout the interior, including an acoustic headliner. The microphone for the SYNC system has been relocated so it is closer to the driver and the windshield is also thicker and now acoustic-laminated on all Edge models. Finally, baked-on expandable foam baffles in the fenders and D-pillars help seal out unwanted road noise.

The industry-first MyFord Touch driver connect technology provides a smarter, safer, simpler way to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives. It replaces traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges with clear, crisp LCD screens and five-way controls like those found on cell phones and MP3 players.

Standard on the 2011 Edge Limited and 2011 Edge Sport, the MyFord Touch system displays information using two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking an analog speedometer and an 8-inch touch-screen LCD at the top of the center stack. A five-way switch on each side of the steering wheel crossbar controls the information displayed on the corresponding instrument panel screens. The screens can be personalized to display information relevant to each individual driver using a simple button click, voice command or touch-screen tap.

 

Also new on the 2011 Ford Edge is the world's first use of iTunesTagging in an available factory-installed HD Radio receiver. Once a song is tagged and you dock your iPod to the SYNC system, the tagged song information will transfer to that iPod. Up to 100 tags on SYNC can be stored until the iPod is connected. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of tagged songs will appear.

 

Finally, the 2011 Edge comes with even more safety equipment than the current model. The Easy Fuel Capless Fuel-Filler System, Blind Spot Mirror, Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support, Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert, and MyKey are all either standard or available on Edge. The standard MyKey feature allows Edge owners to designate keys that can limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume.

 

Source: Ford