Click here for coverage of Ford Motor Company at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.

CHICAGO -- The 2011 Ford Edge is a high-tech showcase – inside, outside and under the hood. Both the 3.5-liter V-6 in the Edge and the 3.7-liter V-6 in the Edge Sport employ advanced technology and clever control strategies to increase horsepower and torque while delivering unsurpassed fuel economy.

“Hallmarks of the Ford Edge have always been its style, technology and capability – all with a no-compromises package,” said Greg Johnson, Edge powertrain manager. “The 2011 Ford Edge adds to this two powertrain offerings that will provide more power than ever before, along with best-in-class horsepower and torque with unsurpassed fuel economy.”

The new Edge also will be the first vehicle in North America to benefit from the new 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 technology that will deliver best-in-class fuel economy and impressive performance and torque.

In addition to delivering customer-focused technology, the new Edge showcases Ford’s impressive drive to bring new powertrain options to the customer. Both the 3.5-liter V-6 in the Edge and the 3.7-liter V-6 in the Edge Sport employ advanced engine valvetrain technology (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, or Ti-VCT) and clever control strategies to increase horsepower and torque to best-in-class levels. This beats competitors such as the BMW X5, Lexus RX350 and Audi Q5, all while delivering unsurpassed fuel economy of 27 mpg (3.5-liter V-6 highway).

The 3.5-liter V-6 produces 285 horsepower and 253 ft.-lb. of torque while the 3.7-liter V-6 delivers 305 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque – all on regular fuel. Edge’s unsurpassed fuel economy is not at the expense of power and performance. For example, the 3.5-liter V-6 with Ti-VCT technology delivers highway fuel economy that is 15 percent better than the Nissan Murano, while producing 20 horsepower more.

Since the launch of Edge in 2006, fuel economy performance has been drastically improved. With the introduction of the 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4, fuel economy on the 2011 Edge will be 30 percent better than it was in 2006.  Plus, Ford’s newest 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.

In all, the Edge will go from one engine and one transmission to three powertrains – all delivering expected class-leading or unsurpassed fuel economy as well as class-leading power and torque for a real win-win for the customer.

All three engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The SelectShift Automatic™ transmission is standard on the 2011 Edge SEL and Limited series, with paddle activation of the SelectShift standard on the 2011 Edge Sport.
 
The 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 also will benefit from a six-speed transmission specially calibrated to take advantage of the EcoBoost engine. The gearbox features a new torque converter for improved driving feel, silky smooth shifts and great fuel economy. Engineers also installed revised gear ratios for a balanced driving feel in all situations. The new ratios complement the revised torque converter.

In SelectShift mode, the transmission doesn’t second-guess the driver, offering total control over gear selection and performance feel. Upshifts, for instance, are not commanded at redline, and downshifts are allowed at the lowest gear possible as defined by the engine speed.

“When the system is in manual mode, engine speed matching provides faster and smoother downshifts, and customers get the gear they request within the limits of the rev limiter,” said Johnson.

When a lower gear is selected while descending a long downhill grade, the 2011 Ford Edge in SelectShift mode will hold that gear until the driver manually upshifts or returns to the fully automatic setting. To ensure safe shifting, the transmission will downshift to the lowest acceptable gear, based on a calculated maximum speed. That means if the vehicle were traveling at highway speeds, the driver could not downshift to first gear in SelectShift mode.

Improvements to engine hardware as well as the powertrain control strategies account for the gains in power and fuel economy. Here’s a closer look at how the 2011 Ford Edge delivers increased power without compromising fuel economy:

Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing
What it is: Ti-VCT technology creates precise, variable timing control of both the intake and exhaust camshafts, which control the valve opening and closing events. Each of the two camshafts is controlled independently. Ti-VCT uses the intake camshaft phasing to advance the intake valve opening and closing events and the exhaust camshaft phasing to retard the exhaust valve events from their base “engine off” positions.
 
The Atkinson cycle: The Atkinson cycle is similar to the familiar four-stroke cycle – intake, compression, combustion and exhaust – except the intake valve closes well after the piston begins moving upward to compress the air-fuel mixture.

There are two key benefits of the Atkinson cycle. First, it reduces the pumping losses associated with all gasoline engines. Additionally, because a fraction of the air-fuel mixture is released from the cylinder back into the induction system without being burned, the effective displacement of the engine is reduced. The power stroke, or the distance that burning fuel pushes on the piston, is longer than the effective intake stroke. This helps extract more energy from each drop of fuel. The Atkinson cycle is employed in Ford’s hybrid lineup, contributing to the unsurpassed fuel economy of both the Fusion and Escape Hybrids.

How it helps: The ability to vary the overlap between the intake and exhaust valves helps eliminate compromises in the two processes: fresh charge induction and exhaust gas discharge. The result is greater efficiency through reduced gas exchange pumping work, which leads to better fuel economy – approximately a 3 to 4 percent improvement from this strategy alone compared with non-VCT engines. Another benefit of Ti-VCT technology is a broadened torque curve. Because the Ti-VCT strategy allows the intake valve to be advanced, instant power is delivered when the customer demands it at low speeds. At high speeds, the intake cam is retarded and higher airflows are available, which results in approximately a 10 percent power improvement over non-VCT engines.

Aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff; torque-based deceleration control
What it is: A control strategy that shuts off the engine when the customer doesn’t command engine torque, which helps save fuel. A typical maneuver when this comes into play is during deceleration at freeway speeds when in fifth or sixth gear. The fuel flow seamlessly resumes when the vehicle reaches a low speed or when the driver accelerates again. All other powertrain, braking and electrical systems continue to function normally while the fuel delivery is stopped.

How it helps: The system uses the torque delivered to the transmission to keep the engine running at a low, more efficient point whenever possible, using the momentum generated rather than more fuel to keep the vehicle moving.

Battery management: Smart Charging
What it is: A system that allows the battery to be charged or discharged at optimal opportunities instead of allowing the alternator to continuously charge the battery independent of customer use, which wastes energy.

Smart Charging increases the alternator output when the vehicle brakes or decelerates, converting the vehicle’s kinetic (motion) energy into electric energy without having to use additional fuel.
 
How it helps: The “free” electric current is used to recharge the battery so that it can be used by the electrical systems later. This could be when the engine is switched off during a stop or when the alternator is operating in a less efficient mode. The battery’s advanced management system continually monitors its status and communicates with Ford’s aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff system so the regenerative charging feature can charge the battery in the optimal way. The decel system knows how much battery charge is available so that it can leave the engine running if the battery does not have a sufficient level of charge. 

Longer battery life, reliable starts: Smart Charging improves the life of the battery because it keeps the battery at a more consistent level of charge, which in turn aids in reliable starting. The one-touch starting in the 2011 Ford Edge enables starts of around seven-tenths of a second with precise fuel delivery for maximum fuel economy and minimal emissions.

Engine hardware improvements
What was added or changed: Piston-cooling jets, polished valvetrain buckets, improved intake manifold, Ti-VCT hardware and improved cylinder head with increased port flow.

How they help: The piston-cooling jets spray oil on the underside of the pistons and enable faster oil warm-up and a higher compression ratio; the polished valvetrain buckets reduce friction, which in turn aids fuel economy and also improves durability (wear) of the cam and bucket tappet; the improved intake manifold and cylinder head optimizes engine “breathing,” contributing to overall system efficiency.

“The key to the performance gains and fuel economy with the 2011 Ford Edge is that we don’t look at power and fuel economy as being mutually exclusive,” said Mazen Hammoud, Edge powertrain calibrations manager. “Instead, we focus on optimizing every component, every system and every control in the powertrain for greater efficiency overall, which enables increased power, better performance and response, and helps to maintain the fuel economy found in smaller-displacement engines.”