2019 Ford Edge Dulls Mileage Expectations, Sharpens AWD Abilities

The latest 2019 Ford Edge crossover will be hitting dealerships soon, featuring a mildly restyled exterior and standard four-cylinder powertrain, and Ford has just let us know what kind of fuel economy we should expect from its popular SUV. The new 250-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is standard, and mileage will depend on whether you opt for front- or all-wheel drive.

Related: 2019 Ford Edge Pushes Performance Envelope With New ST

The front-wheel-drive model is rated at 22/29/25 mpg city/highway/combined, falling short of the hoped-for 30-mph highway rating that we expected would come with the revised Edge. The all-wheel-drive model is rated at 21/28/23 mpg city/highway/combined, likely due to the extra weight of the AWD system. For the record, this is significantly better than the brand-new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe (20/25/22 mpg with FWD, 19/24/21 mpg with AWD) with its optional 2.0-liter turbo engine or the 2018 Nissan Murano (21/28/24 mpg with FWD or AWD) with its standard 3.5-liter V-6.

Opting for the sport-oriented ST trim will bring you standard AWD and a high-powered, turbocharged 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine making a romping 335 hp — but it will also see your mileage drop to 19/26/21 mpg city/highway/combined.

Ford says the new Edge will include something that’s a first for the company: a fully disconnectable AWD system that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to decide when and if to move up to 100 percent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels. It differs from Ford’s prior systems in that it takes into account all sorts of factors, such as ambient temperature, whether the windshield wipers are on, and sensor input from the wheels and traction control system, then decides when to activate the AWD — and how much. Ford’s new system apparently operates much quicker than prior AWD systems, with its “all-new dedicated electronic brain” determining within 10 milliseconds whether it needs to activate the AWD system.

The new system is meant to help improve fuel economy by only activating when it needs to — with a system that’s smarter than the old one, parasitic drag on the powertrain (one of the big enemies of fuel economy) is minimized. Ford has also included a host of other new technologies in the 2019 Edge meant to improve fuel economy, such as:

• An eight-speed automatic transmission with active warmup function
• Standard automatic stop-start and deceleration fuel shut-off for the engine
• Active grille shutters for better aerodynamics
• Exhaust gas recirculation for the emissions system

The new 2019 Edge is slated to start appearing in Ford showrooms nationwide later this month.

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