New Ford Edge takes bow at L.A. Auto Show
LOS ANGELES — When the Los Angeles Auto Show opens its press preview Wednesday, one prominent Ford crossover will get its debut without the hoopla afforded a couple of other models from same maker.
The production version of the Ford Edge arrives quietly, an all-new model that carries on from first Edge, introduced in 2006. The concept version of the Edge was shown at the same auto show a year ago and made an appearance at a European auto show and for journalists in Detroit, so Ford may figure that it doesn't merit the auto show star treatment. By contrast, Ford is throwing splashy events to launch the next version of the Explorer crossover and its hot-performing Mustang Shelby GT350.
Yet Edge still plays an important sales role because it occupies that midsize crossover space, a stable market segment where it has been a solid player.
Besides a big upgrade in its appearance, the Edge gets lots of new tech features, a new turbocharged engine and improved suspension. The model moves to a new platform, making it almost 4 inches longer and now boasting 5 cubic feet of space inside.
Ford says Edge is the first model to get its EcoBoost turbocharged engine as standard equipment. The 2-liter, four-cylinder engine puts out 245 horsepower. Now with an advanced twin-scroll turbocharger, it's more powerful than the previous 2-liter EcoBoost, Ford says. There's also a 2.7-liter, six-cylinder EcoBoost in the Sport version of the Edge, expected to be good for 300 horsepower. And for those who don't want turbos, the third engine choice is a 3.5-liter V-6. All come with a six-speed transmission.
Ford has also given its Edge a full suite of safety and technology features. Among them are adaptive cruise control and collision warning, auto stop-start that turns the engine off at stoplights and a front 180-degree camera with its own washer mechanism.
Edge also is the first Ford vehicle to get a new feature called "adaptive steering," which changes the number of turns of the wheel required to steer the vehicle based on speed. Fewer turns are required, for instance, at low speeds, like when maneuvering through a parking lot.
Edge will start at $28,995, including delivery charges, when it goes on sale next spring, says Edge's marketing manager, Cristina Aquino. The Sport version will be $500 more.