“Ford Edge Sport -- a crossover with rims the size of cartwheels - San Francisco Gate” plus 4 more

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• Ford Edge Sport -- a crossover with rims the size of cartwheels - San Francisco Gate
• Fatal crash victim identified - Pittsburgh Valley Independent
• LaHood: Gov't paid dealers $1.2B for 'Clunkers' - The Sun News
• Robots gear up for military duty in first Robotics Rodeo - Pueblo Chieftain
• One Dead, Driver Leaves Scene after Fatal Accident - WJLA

Ford Edge Sport -- a crossover with rims the size of cartwheels - San Francisco Gate Posted: 10 Sep 2009 08:33 AM PDT Ford Edge Sport -- a crossover with rims the size of cartwheels There's little argument about the attraction of one singular aspect of Ford's Edge Sport, a crossover utility vehicle that wants to look and feel like a race car. It's the wheels. They are 22 inches in diamater, giant machine polished aluminum wheels that mesmerize you. What the rest of the car looks like is momentarily forgotten. "Look at those wheels," a guy at a lumber yard said the other day, as he loaded some two-by-fours into the back of the Edge I was driving. "What's with those wheels?" "Bling," someone else said a few days later, as he gazed at the left front wheel. "That's what they call it. Bling." Bling, indeed. The Edge is Ford's version of that cushy CUV/SUV segment that includes the Toyota Highlander/Lexus RX series, Acura MDX and RDX, Chevy Traverse; edmunds.com lists 51 vehicles in this $35,000 to $45,000 category, so there's plenty of competition. What Ford has done with the Edge is to come up with something that holds five people and 32 cubic feet worth of luggage (69 cubic feet with the second row of seats folded) and can transport all of this in safety and comfort. It's not brain surgery to design something like an Edge. What the car is missing, however, is a third row seat, for another two people, a popular wrinkle in this category. Then again, if you don't want seven people in a car, that third seat is a waste of money. Inside the Edge, you get all the mod cons you'd expect in a car like this, with a few extra wrinkles that tell you this is a Ford: you can change the ambient lighting in the footwell and the cup holders -- I liked the cunning purple and kept it on for the whole week I had the car. There's also a periodic message that comes up on the navigation screen, from time to time, asking if you want to check on the vehicle's health -- um, excuse me? What are we doing here? Is this an indication that maybe its health is in question? Has it been to the Ford clinic recently for a checkup? When you touch the "yes" button on the screen, the car's innards run through a quick diagnostic and then pronounce it fit. With fewer than 10,000 miles on the clock, I should hope so. What happens if it's unfit? Does it tell you to head for the nearest E.R.? Fortunately, we didn't have to find out. What we did find out is that there's something of an odd nature to this edition of the Edge they call Sport. In addition to the giant wheels, they've tarted up the Edge with side skirts, a front air dam and a taut suspension, with stiffer shock absorbers, among other things. So the idea, in theory, is that this is a racy version of an otherwise staid people hauler. I'm not sure it works. First off, if you're going to do this, the car needs more power. Why not stuff the Edge with one of Ford's vaunted hot motors -- the big V8 used in the Mustang GT, for example? As it is, the Edge Sport has the same engine as other Edges -- a 3.5-liter, 265-horsepower V6; it's adequate, but will not slam you against the back of the seat. If I were edging toward an Edge, my choice would be the Edge Limited. It doesn't have the sporty body kit and the wheels are smaller, but it does have items that are standard for which you pay extra on the Sport model. (You'd have to check an exhaustive factory list to see what you get in either car.) In other words, with the Sport you're paying for all that bling when what you really need is not so much a sport truck, but a utilitarian, if comfy, hauler of people, luggage, beach stuff, ski stuff, that kind of thing. On the other hand, if go-fast truck is what you want, Ford missed a chance to make one fast CUV out of the Edge -- hot engine, more race-car motif in the styling. But this is fairly minor stuff in the larger scheme of automotive things. On the road, the Edge acquits itself well (just don't try passing slow trucks on curvy roads). The car comes standard with roll stability control and electronic stability control and on normal roads the Edge feels fine. There is, however, a slightly harsh feeling to the suspension (again, the Sport suspension tuning) and it really isn't necessary. It subsumes the original mission of the car in favor of marketing ideals that have something to do with equating performance with what the customer strives to drive. This method of selling seems to fit better, philosophically, with Mustangs than Edges. In all, the Edge works quite well as a CUV -- it's quiet, comfortable and it carries a fair amount of luggage or groceries. Its fuel mileage is nothing great -- 15 and 22 mpg -- but that's what you get with something that weighs more than two tons and is designed to be a large mobile box. Just remember -- the Sport moniker has more to do with an Edgy look (so to speak) than anything else. SPECIFICATIONS 2009 Ford Edge Sport five-door all-wheel-drive crossover utility vehicle. Price: test model, $41,755. (base price $35,605) Powertrain: 3.5-liter V6 265-horsepower engine; six-speed automatic transmission Curb weight: 4,288 pounds. Seating capacity: five. Fuel consumption (AWD): 15 mpg, city; 22 mpg, highway. Fuel tank capacity: 20 gallons. Length: 185.7 inches; width: 75.8 inches; height: 67 inches; wheelbase: 111.2 inches. Warranty: bumper to bumper: three years/36,000 miles; power train: five years/60,000 miles. Dependability: Ford ranks 13th (above industry average) out of 37 brands on the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study. Safety: for vehicle safety ratings, visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Source: Ford Motor Co.; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ford Motor Co. Ford Motor Co. Ford Motor Co. Ford Motor Co. Posted By: Michael Taylor (Email) | September 10 2009 at 01:52 AM Listed Under: New car reviews This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Fatal crash victim identified - Pittsburgh Valley Independent Posted: 10 Sep 2009 08:11 AM PDT A Washington County man was killed and two other people injured Wednesday in a three-vehicle crash on Route 837 near Finleyville. Roger Walters, 48, of Slovan, was killed in the crash that occurred at 6 a.m. in Union Township, Washington County Coroner S. Timothy Warco said. Walters was ejected from the wreckage of his truck and pronounced dead at the scene, Warco said. Walters was driving north about three car lengths behind a Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by Steven Coffield, 44, of Aleppo, when an oncoming NAPA Auto Parts delivery truck driven by Nicholas Jackson, 31, of Carrollton, Ohio, crossed into their path, state police in Belle Vernon said. The delivery truck first sideswiped Coffield's pickup and continued south into the right front and side of Walters' truck, police said. State police said neither Coffield nor Jackson were injured. About 120 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from the NAPA Auto Parts delivery truck, according to police. The Washington County hazardous materials team was called to the scene to clean it up. The accident remains under investigation, police said. Subscribe to the Tribune-Review today This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

LaHood: Gov't paid dealers $1.2B for 'Clunkers' - The Sun News Posted: 10 Sep 2009 08:18 AM PDT Gas-guzzling vehicles also being bought with Clunkers money EDITOR'S NOTE -- An occasional look behind the rhetoric of public officials. WASHINGTON | Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the nation's top car salesman in recent weeks, has cited the Obama administration's best-seller list of mostly smaller, fuel-saving cars like the Ford Focus to describe the success of the Cash for Clunkers rebate program. But what LaHood and other administration officials usually don't mention is that some trucks and sport-utility vehicles that get less than 20 miles per gallon, like the Ford F-150 truck and one version of the Cadillac SRX Crossover, also are being purchased with the new government subsidies. Both are bulky vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds when loaded that boast at least 248 horsepower. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Robots gear up for military duty in first Robotics Rodeo - Pueblo Chieftain Posted: 10 Sep 2009 07:50 AM PDT Today's Front Page @ Newseum.org Special Sections 2009 Football Guide Multimedia Chieftain Galleries, Slide Shows and Videos AP Video Network Blogs The Nightsider Obama Inauguration Haiti Saints & Angels Amy Matthew Hal Walter Special Features JustinSane Crossword Puzzle Eye in the Sky Contest Winners! Coupons Items of Interest Spring Runoff House Bill 1273 / Single-payer health-care proposal Photos Browse Our Galleries Upload Your Photos --> Find Ads Search for Ads Find A Business Pueblo Links Our Other Publications High Roller Friday Real Estate Pueblo West View Caminos Active Years Special Sections Calendar Special Publications Guide to Living Well TV Mag This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

One Dead, Driver Leaves Scene after Fatal Accident - WJLA Posted: 10 Sep 2009 07:43 AM PDT LEESBURG, Va. - Leesburg Police Department have reopened eastbound and westbound lanes on Route 7 after a deadly accident involving a car and a large dump truck on Thursday morning.  Authorities tell ABC 7 News that around 1:42 a.m. officers responded to a report of an auto accident in the 1300 block of East Market Street. They say a Toyota sedan and a large dump truck were traveling westbound of Rte. 7. The car apparently rear-ended the dump truck, killing a passenger in the front seat of the car. Sources say the driver of the car fled the scene, but was apprehended a short distance away. The accident caused major traffic delays as the roadway between Battlefield Parkway and River Creek Parkway was closed in both directions. Police say the driver of the vehicle is in custody and will undergo DUI testing. It is unknown if alcohol or speed was a factor in the crash. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The investigation is ongoing.     Email To Friend This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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