DEARBORN, Mich  – The new 2019 Ford Edge with available all-wheel drive is smart enough to detect various driving conditions and automatically shift between two-wheel and all-wheel drive. The feature provides all-wheel-drive traction when it is needed, and helps reduce fuel consumption when it’s not.

The system is called all-wheel-drive disconnect, a first-for-Ford technology that uses a form of artificial intelligence that can calculate quicker than the human brain. Based on information received from dozens of high-tech sensors, the new Edge can determine in a fraction of a second whether all-wheel drive is needed.

The system uses an all-new dedicated electronic brain that receives inputs from dozens of sensors throughout the vehicle. It interacts with the traction control system to detect wheel slip, receiving inputs from the anti-lock brakes to learn if that system is active. It even detects if the windshield wipers are on, whether the Edge is towing a trailer, and the outside temperature.

An algorithm that uses “fuzzy logic” processes all of the data to determine if all-wheel or front-wheel drive are optimal. Constantly monitoring, the system can detect in 10 milliseconds the need to engage or disengage all-wheel drive. It can quickly distribute up to 100 percent of the available power from the front to the rear wheels, depending on driving conditions detected by the system.

All-wheel-drive disconnect is only one reason for the 2019 Ford Edge’s improved fuel consumption ratings. All-wheel drive equipped vehicles have an estimated fuel consumption rating of 11.4 l / 100 km in the city, 8.3 l /100 km on the highway and 10.0 l /100 km combined. Front-wheel drive vehicles have estimated fuel consumption ratings of 10.9 l /100 km city, 8.0 l /100 km highway and 9.6 l /100 km combined.

With standard all-wheel drive and a 2.7-litre V6 EcoBoost® engine, Edge ST, the first SUV from the Ford Performance team, has estimated fuel consumption ratings of 12.6 l /100 km, 9.2 l /100 km city and 11.0 l /100 km combined. Actual mileage may vary.

Those fuel consumption ratings represent improvements over current Edge models  improvements that the addition of several new technologies as well as a handful of aerodynamic enhancements help achieve excellent fuel economy, such as: a new 8-speed automatic transmission,   Active transmission warm-up,   Standard Auto Start-Stop, and Deceleration fuel shut-off .  The new 2019 Edge and Edge ST are due to arrive in showrooms later this month.