Ford is taking a different but no less effective low-tech route with the introduction of its Blind Spot Mirror on the 2009 Edge. The technology behind the Blind Spot Mirror is simple; it’s little more than a secondary convex mirror in the top right corner of the traditional side mirror that gives a clear view of what before was only visible by craning your neck left and right. We’ve seen this type of tech used before on aftermarket mirrors for towing applications, but it makes just as much sense on an unencumbered passenger vehicle.

Ford came up with the mirror in response to its own customer research that showed drivers were 76% more confident behind the wheel when using the mirror. The overwhelmingly positive feedback has led the Blue Oval to introduce the Blind Spot Mirror across its lineup as quickly as possible, starting with the 2009 Edge.

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The 2009 Edge has been buffed up and equipped with newer features and models. The exterior of the vehicle has been given and added front air dam, side skirts, and a rear skirt. The wheels are the most drastic change. They are 20” Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires with polished aluminum. The taillights have an edgier look to them – which helps to enhance the sporty look of the vehicle.

The color of the vehicle is available in silver, black, red, and blue. It has made its debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and Ford informs us that we can expect to see the car hit the dealerships this Fall.

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The HySeries Edge, which is to be revealed at the Washington Auto Show today, is a plug-in hybrid with an electric drive powered by a battery and a hydrogen fuel cell. Its arrival intensifies the competition to manufacture a mass-market electric hybrid that reduces reliance on gasoline and curbs the emission of greenhouse gases.

But the futuristic Edge vehicle is Ford’s only one, and it cost $2 million to build. To get a car like this into the showroom for sale to the public will require the automotive and energy industries to leap high technological hurdles. The infrastructure to deliver alternative fuels such as hydrogen is in its infancy, and engineers are puzzling over how to mass-produce a lightweight, inexpensive and safe electric battery.

Because development costs are steep, the industry is hoping President Bush will announce his intention to increase research funding during his State of the Union speech tonight. Already the government pumps millions of dollars into the development of automotive technology. The carmakers frame their latest request as a battle cry against Japanese rivals, whose fuel-efficient models have cut sharply into the U.S. market. They have asked for as much as $500 million for battery research and development.

The Edge plug-in, a vehicle Ford calls the first drivable plug-in hybrid from a major auto company, is one result of a $44 million matching grant from the government, which has gone into a variety of projects. Its on-board fuel cell is used to recharge the battery while driving; it has a range of 225 miles with fuel cell recharging. The vehicle also can be plugged in for recharging.

Producing electric batteries for automobiles presents several challenges. The preferred technology is found in lithium-ion batteries, which are smaller and lighter than others and have the capability to store two to three times as much power. But without the benefits of mass production, the batteries are still far too costly. Battery engineers are also working on the safety problems of lithium-ion batteries. Under certain conditions, some of the materials in the batteries are unstable and can ignite or explode when packed together.

Scientists have been working on reducing the risk, but technologies needed for those improvements make the batteries less powerful and less effective. Engineers are also testing to make sure the batteries can survive a 15-year lifetime without malfunctions.
Ford’s Ijaz said the biggest hurdle is getting the costs down.

Among the vehicle’s other expenses, fuel cell technology is dependent on precious metals such as platinum. “History shows that we are making the steps,” he said. “Before, there were no fuel cell cars. Ford has 30. We’ve cut the weight of fuel cell power by half. The auto industry is pushing forward.”

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“The results were tight, some categories were won by fractions of points, which only proves the point that there is a great deal of wonderful product for the consumer to chose from,” said Albert Flores, president, Texas Auto Writers Association. “On behalf of the TAWA board of directors, congratulations to the winners and thanks to our manufacturer sponsors for participating this year.”

More than 40 writers evaluated 65 trucks and SUVs from a wide range of auto companies at the end of October at the Texas Truck Rodeo. The all-new Ford Edge won the Mid-Sized Crossover Utility Vehicle award, a good sign for the company. The Edge hasn’t arrived in dealer showrooms yet and already the crossover has chalked up a major award.

“The Texas award is a great honor,” said Jeri Ward, Edge marketing manager. “Between the raves given the Edge at our media drive last month and now this award, we’re more sure than ever that the Edge will be a hit. Once consumers are behind the wheel, we know they’ll agree with the auto writers that the Edge is something special.”

Ford products took the entire category with the new Mazda CX-7 taking second place. And for buyers looking for a bit more luxury, the Volvo XC90 was recognized as the Luxury Crossover Utility Vehicle. In the truck categories, along with the top prizes, the Ford F-250 Super Duty 4X4 Crew Cab was honored with two awards – Best Designed Pick Up and Best Use Of Technology Pick Up.

Being singled out in Texas for the redesigned Super Duty is a top honor for Ford. “The Texas writers know trucks inside and out which makes the awards even more satisfying,” said Ben Poore, Ford Truck marketing manager. “The Super Duty Customer isn’t the guy who buys a pickup because its cool. These guys are working with this truck.” Lincoln made the list by taking second place in the Luxury Full-Sixed Pick Up Truck category.

The judges also honored Land Rover vehicles for their unique combination of on and off road capabilities. The Range Rover HSE was named Full Sized Sport Utility Vehicle of the year while the Range Rover took Full Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle honors. The LR3 won second place in the Mid Sized Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle category.

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The Ford Edge is marketed as a crossover car, combining the cargo space and visibility of an SUV with the smooth ride and fuel economy of a sedan. It shares a platform with the 2007 Mazda CX-7 evident from the cars’ similar body style and is also the source of Ford’s newfound quality touches.

This quality can be felt in the Edge’s comfortable leather seats, in its hushed cabin, and with its smoothly shifting, six-speed automatic transmission, which seems to always hit the right gear for the driving conditions.

Not fancy, but functionalOur test car was fully loaded with a navigation system; an in-dash, six-CD changer; and a ceiling-mounted DVD player for the rear seats. A touch-screen LCD acts as the interface for these systems and includes function buttons along its sides. The console is not particularly fancy there is no multifunction knob, such as with BMW’s iDrive but it gets the job done.

The LCD is a little small and can get quickly cluttered with the settings screens and their many options. But we still found it easy to select audio sources and navigation functions. The main interface is supplemented by steering wheel buttons that not only control the stereo and cruise control, but also set temperature and fan speed a nice addition.

The navigation system comes integrated in a module with the premium audiophile stereo, which includes a six-CD changer located above the LCD. While the changer reads MP3 discs, we didn’t find the system interface very convenient for selecting music. Instead of presenting a list of available folders, we had to push a forward button to sift through folders one at a time.

The system does display ID3 tags, however, and we like its interface for choosing audio sources, with tabs at the top of the screen marked AM, FM, CD, DVD, SR (for Sirius satellite radio), and Line In.

The stereo includes a digital signal processing screen, with different settings to focus the audio sweet spot on the driver, the rear seats, or the whole car. The system also includes a speed compensation setting, which automatically raises the volume as the car goes faster.

Although not the finest-quality audio we’ve heard, the system does deliver clear, reasonably rich sound. Sound comes through nine speakers: two speakers are located at each door, and a subwoofer can be found in the cargo area.

The six-speed automatic is the best thing about the power train in the Ford Edge. It gives the car a good array of options to get the best revolutions per minute for the car speed. Similar to the Mazda CX-7, the Ford Edge is programmed for efficiency, with upshifts happening at a fairly low engine speed.

Unlike the CX-7, however, the Edge doesn’t have a manual gear selection mode, instead going with a Drive and a Low mode. There is also a button on the side of the shifter which engages a Hill mode.

With a curb weight of 4,282 pounds for the all-wheel-drive Edge, Ford’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine has its work cut out. And it doesn’t always measure up. Even with 265 horsepower, the engine can’t move the car very fast from a stop, and the whine it makes when the pedal is held down is almost scary.

Given the car’s height and weight, it’s not built to carve corners, but handling is nice and tight, and steering responsive. All-wheel drive contributes to the car’s grip on the road, whether for driving in bad weather or negotiating mountain roads. MacPherson struts in front and an independent suspension in back give the Edge a carlike ride, while helping with the handling.

The EPA rates the Edge for 17mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highway, which is reasonable for this size of vehicle. Although our test period wasn’t long enough to publish an observed fuel economy, we don’t expect it to show as much variation as the Mazda CX-7, as the Edge’s V-6 engine should be more consistent than the CX-7’s turbo engine.

Ford brags that safety is not optional on the Edge, and the list of standard safety equipment is lengthy. It starts with full airbag coverage: the driver and front passenger are protected with front and side airbags, while side curtain airbags cover the whole cabin.

Antilock brakes are also standard, as is Ford’s AdvanceTrac stability control, which uses sensors to determine if the car is about to roll over or spin out, applying brakes and reducing engine power to compensate.

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