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Exterior Differentiation From the Base Ford Edge
Large wheels
have been the signature of Edge Sport since its debut as a 2009 model year
product. New for 2011 are class-exclusive 22-inch forged aluminum wheels that
are standard. Forged aluminum wheels are often the top choice in the aftermarket
because of their premium quality and ability to combine high strength and light
weight in one package.
Experienced designers and engineers worked closely
with state-of-the-art computer tools to optimize form, fit and function to
deliver world-class weight-efficient designs that exceed Ford's strict
requirements - higher than the industry standard - in terms of structural
integrity, corrosion performance and other attributes. This ensures the new Ford
wheels have higher standards than typically found in the aftermarket.
Complementing the new wheels is a sport-tuned suspension with revised front
strut tuning, rear spring rates and rear jounce bumper, which helps stiffen the
suspension for a flatter, sportier ride. Key to the suspension tuning is the
addition of high-flow shocks. These shocks allow tuning for both handling and
ride without compromise to either.
"Drivers will feel a firmer connection
to the road when going around a corner and less jarring when hitting a pothole,
for example," said Kreder. "It's allowed us to make Edge Sport much more
comfortable without losing any handling."
The tires were designed and
engineered specifically for Edge Sport and deliver similar grip levels as those
found in a Mustang GT tire combined with all-season performance.
The
wheels feature a polished finish with painted Tuxedo Black spoke accents that
complement Edge Sport's other dynamic exterior styling cues, including the
painted Tuxedo Black grille, smoked headlamp and taillamp treatment, body-color
rocker moldings, 4-inch oval chrome exhaust tips, body-color door cladding and
revised body-color lower front and rear fascias.
Key interior highlights
are aluminum pedal covers, liquid silver smoke appliques that are echoed in the
silver smoke metallic leather seat inserts with contrast stitching and 10-way
heated power driver seat with power lumbar and memory settings.
MyFord
Touch Ushers in New Era of Interaction
The industry-first MyFord Touch driver
connect technology powered by SYNC 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 and also uses
intuitive voice commands.
Standard on the 2011 Edge Sport, MyFord Touch
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 controls the
information displayed on the corresponding instrument panel screens. The screens
can be personalized to display information relevant to each individual driver.
Sony Sound System
The MyFord touch with
Sony Audio System finish panel is fully integrated. The panel is completely flat
(except for the center knob), so the touch cells are executed as circular
"landing zones" for the finger.
The touch cells create a miniature,
undetectable electric field. A finger breaks the field and causes the cell to go
on or off like a traditional switch. This means there is no true button to push
- a touch of the finger does the job. Illumination and an audible "beep" confirm
activation.
The touch cells can control items such as volume, radio seek,
radio station tuning, CD track seek, defrosters and air conditioning. Included
in the climate controls is the new MyTemp feature, which allows a customer to
program and set the desired interior temperature like a radio preset.
Consistent with other Sony products, the audio portion of the control panel is
divided into "Source" and "Sound" sections, allowing customers to select the
input (AM/FM radio, HD Radio broadcasts, satellite radio, CD, personal devices)
and tune the sound with bass, treble, fade and balance inputs on the screen.
The heart of the Sony Audio System is its extraordinary sound quality.
Comprised of 12 high-quality speakers and a Class D all-digital amplifier, the
Sony system has the ability to pump out 390 watts of continuous power (RMS).
Further, Dolby Pro Logic II technology creates true virtual 5.1 channel surround
sound throughout the car for a unique listening experience.
iTunes
Tagging
Also new on the 2011 Ford Edge Sport is the world's first use
of iTunes Tagging in an available factory-installed HD Radio receiver. iTunes
Tagging provides customers with the ability to "capture" a song they hear on the
HD Radio receiver for later purchase from iTunes. With a simple push of a "TAG"
button on the MyFord touch-screen display, the song information will be
stored in the radio's memory.
Once a song is tagged and customers dock
their 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. Customers
then can preview, and if they desire, purchase and download tagged songs from
the iTunes Store.
One significant benefit of HD Radio technology is that
the sound quality of the broadcast is dramatically better because of the digital
transmission - FM sounds like a CD and AM sounds like today's FM broadcasts.
Unlike analog broadcasts, digital broadcasts aren't susceptible to interference,
fadeout and other issues.
"The goal with the 2011 Edge was to raise the
level of all the attributes to world-class status, and with that in mind we
needed to improve the Edge Sport that much more," Bannon said. "With
class-leading performance, head-turning styling inside and out and
industry-exclusive technologies, we want to provide customers a vehicle that
truly delivers the ultimate Edge experience."
Ford Edge Sport: Photo Gallery, Review (1/2) and Specifications