From Car and Driver.com:

The big reveal of the refreshed 2011 Ford Edge will take place in about two weeks at the 2010 Chicago auto show, but why wait—these spy snaps give us a pretty clear idea of what form it will take. Not only that, but this prototype also previews the Sport trim, which should continue to be the sharpest-looking Edge in the drawer.

As with its twin, the Lincoln MKX, the angular Edge undergoes a dramatic mid-cycle revamp for 2011, starting with fresh front-end styling that actually has some radius edges. Indeed, shades of the Toyota Venza and the Honda Accord Crosstour—both prime competitors—can be seen in the Edge’s visage, with a vast majority of its frontal area devoted to the T-shaped arrangement of the headlamps and thick three-bar grille. It does not appear, however, that the new fascia will be affixed to new front fenders (the MKX, by comparison, is all-new from the A-pillars forward), but certainty on that point is complicated by this prototype’s black-and-white “cheese-puff” camouflage.

Read the full article here.

Is this writer from Car and Driver out of touch or does he see something we don’t? Ford is starting to get into gear but he sees things with their product line that could spell trouble.

The Ford Escape may be selling well, but just came in bottom of the heap (as a nearly identical Mercury Mariner) in our latest small SUV comparison test. The Ford Fusion is solid, but it’s not a Honda Accord or a Mazda6. The Ford Flex and the Edge are merely OK. The Taurus and SHO? Ho-hum, and a packaging disaster. The Focus is well past its sell by-date. Only the Fusion hybrid and the Mustang are top of their classes. As for the Lincoln lineup, the MKT is way too expensive, while the MKS is overpriced and underbaked.

OUCH!!!

From Car and Driver:

I’m not quite sure when the media collectively decided that Ford is the only American car company that knows what it’s doing, but it’s certainly the prevailing wisdom right now. A Detroit News editorial by Bryce G. Hoffman summed up the sentiment: “But the Dearborn automaker also scored major points with American consumers by foregoing a federal bailout and avoiding bankruptcy. That good will, together with a strong lineup of new cars and trucks, meant Ford fell neither as far nor as fast as the rest of the industry.”

Read the full article here.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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