2007 Ford Edge Preview

New 3.5L V6 and 6-Speed Auto Combo to Silence Critics Seeking More Blue-Oval Power

It would have been impossible to leave Detroits Cobo Hall arena after Ford introduced its new Edge crossover without feeling positive about the vehicles future. While the Dearborn-based automaker might remain soiled by a corporate quagmire of challenges that even its "Way Forward" plan doesnt seem to wholly address, its new products, led by the seven-seat Freestyle crossover, Fusion midsize sedan,� and Lincoln Zephyr luxury sedan, are just what is needed. The Edge, and its Lincoln MKX cousin, should make a big difference to the automakers revenues when they come on the market later this year, and I, for one, am certainly looking forward to getting behind the wheel of both.

The Edge is modeled after and rides atop the same chassis architecture as the top-selling Fusion, which cant hurt its chances, and theres little doubt that

Is Fords new Edge a winner? The common concensus during its introduction was positive. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

crossover buyers will find it any less attractive for their purposes as midsize sedan buyers are pulled toward the stylish new Ford sedan. It features similar vertically stacked headlights, but even more unique in their wrap-around design, while its triple-ribbed chrome grille has become the height of auto fashion. Its taut skin is elegantly simple in shape, capped off at the rear by two tidy clear-lens taillight clusters surrounding a raked, wide liftgate.

Its an attractive, athletic package, equally enticing on the inside. In top trim levels, cream-colored stitching highlights black leather seats and

The Edge is modeled after and rides atop the same chassis architecture as the top-selling Fusion, which cant hurt its chances. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

steering wheel, a fashionable combination that really makes the Fusion sedan, which also offers the same interior package, appear more expensive than it really is.

A satin-silver surfaced center stack protrudes out from the dash, making for easier an easier reach when sitting comfortably with the back nestled into the well bolstered front buckets. It houses an audio interface at top, or optional audio/nav system, with a row of ancillary buttons below that, including the trip computer, stability control defeat and hazard lights. Under these is the climate control system. All buttons are large, making them legible even in dim light, as well as easy

A satin-silver surfaced center stack protrudes out from the dash. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

to operate while wearing gloves - convenient in colder climes. Below the HVAC system is yet another row of buttons, following a black oval on silver trim motif.

The Edge is a five-occupant crossover, leaving prospective buyers who need more seats looking to the larger and more conservatively penned Freestyle which seats seven - a vehicle capable of hauling seven adult occupants in comfort, by the way.

When the Edge arrives in Ford showrooms later this year, Ford will have a three-CUV lineup, starting with the best-selling Escape, then the new model, and followed up with the popular Freestyle, resulting in more entries in the hottest new market segment than most rival entry-level automakers. And this speaks strongly for the blue-oval brands future

When the Edge arrives in Ford showrooms later this year, Ford will have a three-CUV lineup. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

profitability.

But talking profits while in Detroit, its hard not to think about the challenges the Big 3 faced only last year, General Motors and Ford especially, dealing with problems that havent gone away and therefore will continue to wreak havoc to the bottom line throughout 2006, and probably beyond. The massive tri-tower Renaissance Center, recently renovated with the addition of an elegant glass atrium looming over the Detroit River, is a constant reminder that bigger isnt necessarily better.
And while bigger (but ever-shrinking) GM, and a downsizing Ford often get lumped into the same discussion when describing whats wrong with the North American auto industry on the whole, their problems, at least when it comes to the products currently being offered, are very different.

The

Attractive styling makes all the difference in getting noticed. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

worlds largest automaker, largest at least until Japanese giant Toyota takes the lead sometime in the year future, is plagued with too many powertrain combinations driving too many different models being sold by too many different brands through too many independent dealers, which of course adds tremendous cost to what could otherwise be a much simpler lineup. Ford, on the other hand, hasnt given its buyers enough model and drivetrain choices, especially in its midsize car and crossover range. Up until recently it only offered potential buyers the stale-dated Taurus and well executed but somewhat bland looking Five Hundred in the sedan range, plus the impressive and, fortunately for Ford, extremely well received aforementioned Freestyle in the CUV segment. With only a single V6 available for all models, from entry-level blue-oval midsize vehicles to upscale Lincolns and Jaguars, the Duratec 30, an engine thats

Ford hopes to silent critics who dont find the current Duratec 30 powerful enough, with the new 250-horsepower 3.5L V6 in the upcoming Edge. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

hardly new and not the most powerful in its various segments, is taxed beyond what most engines have to deliver.

Ford hopes to remedy this problem with its new Edge. Product launches arent any more important for a carmaker, not only because the stylish CUV is sure to attract the same younger, affluent buyer that are flocking to Ford showrooms to purchase its new Fusion sedan, but also because the debut marks the first new V6 engine since the Duratec 30 came to fruition, in 2.5-liter form, in the 1996 Contour, and then the following year in 3.0-liter guise under the hood of the Taurus - yes its already a decade old.

So its understandable why executives at Ford are getting a bit testy about their trusty old V6; not as much because of the engine itself but rather more so with every derogatory comment made by auto writers, ad nauseam, about it being underpowered and less refined than their beloved Accords and Camrys. Such execs,

"Our new 3.5-liter V6 is a key component in Fords global powertrain strategy..." commented Barb Samardzich, Ford VP of Powertrain Operations. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

without doubt would rather us spout off the fact that it was the first domestic V6, and ahead of many imports as well, with 24-valve, DOHC technology in the entry-level segment. So, while sophisticated V6 engines with variable valve timing and cylinder-deactivation are now showing up in the midsize market, it only makes sense that todays introduction of an all-new 3.5-liter V6 will be music to those same Ford executives ears.

The new 3.5 boasts 250-horsepower at an estimated 6,250 rpm and 240 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm, and comes mated to a front-drive configured in-house developed six-speed automatic - not the Aisin-derived six-speed auto currently used by the Five Hundred, Fusion, Mercury Montego and Lincoln Zephyr - but more on that in a minute. The engine is a 60-degree V, comprised of an aluminum block and heads, 4-valves per cylinder and DOHC technology, of course, plus intake variable camshaft timing.

"Our new 3.5-liter V6 is a key component in Fords global powertrain strategy, which is to provide

The Edges interior is extremely stylish, and if built to the same level as Fords new Fusion should also be superbly crafted. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

what customers want, when they want it," commented Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president of Powertrain Operations.� "This powertrain is an innovative solution to answering the call for better fuel efficiency, more refinement, more power and clean emissions, without any sacrifices."

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