New Ford Endura could out-power Ranger Raptor

Ford of Europe has revealed the facelifted version of its Edge, which will be launched in Australia late this year as the Ford Endura, and the headline act is an upgraded ST-Line variant powered by a beefy new 175kW twin-turbo diesel engine.

No torque output has been announced, but Ford says the European Edge's new 2.0-litre four-cylinder oil-burner brings new bi-turbocharging technology that delivers 280PS (175kW) and improves low-end torque, refinement and efficiency.

In Europe's 2018 Ford Edge, the EcoBlue engine will also be available in 150PS (110kW) guise with a new eight-speed 'quick-shift' automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, and in 190PS (140kW) form with a six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive - all with standard idle-stop.

Last November Ford Australia confirmed the Edge/Endura will be sold here — as in Europe — only in five-seat diesel form, and we understand the entry-level 110kW engine will not be imported.

But if Ford Oz brings the 175kW EcoBlue engine, which replaces the European Edge's previous 154kW/450Nm 2.0-litre diesel, it will be more powerful than the closely related 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel in Ford's upcoming Ranger Raptor super-ute, which scores a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Just as North America's Ranger Raptor is expected to bring V6 petrol power instead of the small-capacity diesel offered in other markets, the 2019 US Ford Edge ST comes with a 264kW/515Nm 2.7-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 instead of the European Edge ST-Line's diesel four.

While they come with different turbo and cooling systems, the Asia Pacific Ranger Raptor and Euro Edge both employ an 'EcoBlue' 2.0-litre biturbo diesel from the Panther engine family seen in the latest Transit van from 2016.

They also employ a small high-pressure turbo and larger low-pressure turbo that work in series at low rpm for greater response and enhanced torque, before the bigger turbo works alone at higher revs to produce the boost required to deliver peak power.

For the Edge, Ford says enhanced turbo and exhaust manifolds feature approximately 30 per cent nickel to resist the 860-degree Celsius temperatures generated by the bi-turbo system. The turbo bearings and low-pressure turbo housing are both water-cooled.

Engines aside, the US Edge ST and Euro Edge ST-Line - a sub-brand we expect Ford Australia to introduce here with the Escape, Mondeo and Endura this year - share their basic design and technology suite.

For Europe's new Edge ST-Line - and therefore almost certainly Australia's new Endura ST-Line - driver aids include Post-Collision Braking, Evasive Steering Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go and Lane Centring Assist.

Also included in the flagship Edge/Endura will be 20-inch alloy wheels, a sports body kit with black mesh grille, twin chromed exhaust outlets, sports-tuned suspension and all-wheel drive.

Inside, there's Ford's latest SYNC3 infotainment system with 8.0-inch touch-screen, perforated partial-leather Miko-Dinamica seat trim, red stitching for the leather steering wheel and gearshift knob, aluminium sports pedals, black headlining and velour floor mats.

In Europe, ST-Line options include 21-inch painted alloys, premium 1000-Watt B&O PLAY sound, wireless phone charging, full-length panoramic glass roof, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

All versions of Europe's facelifted 2018 Edge bring standard LED headlights and tail-lights and a redesigned bonnet, and the option of LED daytime running lights.

Inside, they score a redesigned centre console with new rotary gearshift dial for the eight-speed auto, a bigger under-dash storage tray and a new configurable 3D digital instrument cluster that allows drivers to personalise the layout (and choose one of seven colours) of the speedo, tacho and vehicle information displays.

Carryover Edge features include Adaptive Front Lighting System, Blind Spot Information System, Glare-Free Highbeam, Intelligent Speed Limiter, Lane Keeping Alert, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Ford Australia is expected to import the Endura from Canada, where the five-seat Edge is produced for North America and Europe.

A longer, seven-seat, left-hand drive version of the Edge is produced in China. At 4850mm, the three-row Edge is about 70mm longer than the 4780mm Edge five-seater.

Ford Australia's belated replacement for the homegrown Territory crossover will be a different proposition to the large Australian-engineered, Thai-built Everest off-roader, which is also diesel-only but available with five and seven seats.

The five-seat, four-cylinder, Mondeo-based Endura should be available in front- and all-wheel drive form, offering a towing capacity of up to 2000kg and fuel consumption as low as 6.0L/100km.

The 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel-powered Everest off-roader, meantime, is based on the Ranger's rugged T6 ladder chassis, tows up to 3000kg and comes in rear-drive and 4x4 configurations - the latter including a dual-range transmission.

It's not yet known how many five-seat diesel variants of the 2019 Endura will be available in Australia, but in Europe the 2018 Edge is offered in base Trend, sporty ST-Line, luxury Titanium and top-shelf Vignale trims.

Expect the Endura - which could be followed on sale here by Ford's next-generation Explorer seven-seat crossover — to be priced from under the Everest's starting price, which is currently $47,990 for the RWD Ambiente.