Chicago 2010: Ford Edge Refreshed, 2 New Engines

Lately, Ford has been on a roll. The new Taurus is gorgeous, the upcoming Focus and Fiesta seem like best-in-class products, the 2011 Mustang lineup kicks ass and takes names, and even the unloved Edge crossover is getting some well-deserved attention for the 2011 model year.

Most obvious is the visual restyling of the mid-sized crossover SUV.  Ford's new corporate looks is massively attractive to me, and this reskin has turned what was a lumpy, uninteresting CUV into a rather attractive proposition.  The whole front end is redone to be sharper and more aggressive, with neatly sculpted headlights and a massive chrome "Gillette Mach 3" grille.  (What else are you going to call it?)  The back end is largely unchanged save for some new taillights, but there wasn't really anything wrong with it in the first place.

The interior gets a very impressive makeover, which was honestly one of the sore points for me on the old model.  It was all a bit too square and blocky and characterless for my tastes, but this new inside just oozes class and elegance - wood, leather, and aluminum trim give the interior a warm ambiance, and more tech goodies like MyKey and a touch-screen navigation display sweeten the deal.  This is a mainstream Ford?  Hard to believe...

"So what?" you say.  Manufacturers refresh their slow-selling models all the time.  It's regular business.  What's really interesting about the 2011 Edge is that the number of available powertrains grows from one in the old model, to three.  Which is pretty strange, but it makes some sense.

The regular Edge models will carry on with the 3.5L Duratec V6 which originally came in the first 2006 Edge models.  Power jumps from 260 to 285, along with 253 lb-ft of torque.  Of more interest is the upcoming EcoBoost 2.0L four-cylinder engine, making the Edge the first Ford to receive the new 4-cylinder turbo motor.  An odd choice, perhaps, but something the Edge needed.  The details are murky - we know it'll be an all-aluminum 2.0L four-cylinder with direct fuel injection and a small, quick-spooling turbocharger - but power, torque, and fuel mileage numbers haven't been released yet.  Ford says the EcoBoost Edge will be about 30% more efficient than the regular V6 model, and power output is expected to be comparable to the 3.5L.

While a turbo-four is cool, what's really of interest is the revamped Edge Sport model.  The previous Edge Sport was mainly an appearance package - gigantic 22" chrome wheels, blacked-out-trim, chrome tail pipes, that sort of thing.  For 2011, the Edge Sport is actually getting some sporting bits to go with the fancy jewelery.  The Sport receives the 2011 Mustang's 3.7L Ti-VCT V6, which makes 305bhp and 280lb-ft of torque thanks to it's larger displacement and variable cam timing system.

In addition to the bigger motor, the Sport also gets a lower stiffened suspension, paddle shifters (which Ford says will hold a gear at redline all day long) and a freer-flowing exhaust system.  Of course, it's all blinged-up on the outside: the huge 22" wheels return, but in a more tasteful split-five spoke two-tone design.  The front grille is blacked out, the tailpipes are chromed, and the head and taillight housings are tinted to give a sinister look.  It makes the formerly goofy-looking Sport actually look quite nice.

With all these updates and additional options (as well as the massively increased attractiveness factor) the Edge may be a real player in the burgeoning CUV market now.