agentl074 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) I was wondering what the differences between the Escape and Edge all wheel systems were? According to the manual, it looks like the Escape has more off road capability than the Edge and is marketed as a 4WD, but they both appear to do the same thing. I guess I am a little confused about the difference between the Edge's AWD and the Escape's 4WD. I was under the impression that the Edge and Escape had open differential all wheel drive systems... are they the same systems... and can they both go through the same stuff? Thanks! Edited December 31, 2017 by agentl074 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 This link from the Escape forum mau explain it better. http://www.fordescape.org/forum/engine-technical-discussion/7962-awd-4x4.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 All of Ford's FWD based AWD/4WD systems are exactly the same, how it's labeled just comes down to marketing. Escape, Edge, Explorer, Fusion, Flex, MKZ, MKX, MKT. All the same, what it can "get through" depends on tires and ground clearance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agentl074 Posted January 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 (edited) Thanks... I figured it was just marketing since I was reviewing both manuals and they seem pretty much the same -- just marketing verbiage differences Edited January 1, 2018 by agentl074 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 There IS a slight difference however. The 4WD uses the same systems as the AWD but is designed for more rugged terrain. https://www.buyfordnow.com/feature/awd-intelligent-all-wheel-drive?gnav=t2-footer-features Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefduane Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 When I was researching buying the Edge I was also interested in the Escape. I was coming from an Explorer with true 4x4 and I thought the Escape was the same (real 4x4.) Not so. So I decided on the Edge AWD. Not real 4x capability but we did have some ice and minor accumulation here in Dallas today and the Edge managed fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd92 Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 There IS a slight difference however. The 4WD uses the same systems as the AWD but is designed for more rugged terrain. https://www.buyfordnow.com/feature/awd-intelligent-all-wheel-drive?gnav=t2-footer-features It would be nice to know exactly what is different, since the hardware is the same. Ford skates around it, just marketing speak? Software tweak? Something that can be switched on with Forscan? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 It would be nice to know exactly what is different, since the hardware is the same. Ford skates around it, just marketing speak? Software tweak? Something that can be switched on with Forscan? http://www.dahlford.com/blog/4wd-vs-awd-model-comparison/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikula Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 if i would have known the awd wasn't like awd that i'm used to, i would have just gotten the fwd version. footbrake with traction control off and the front tires spin while the rears do nothing. guess i shouldn't have assumed anything, or maybe done more research on what it actually meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 http://www.dahlford.com/blog/4wd-vs-awd-model-comparison/ That article is comparing true 4wd systems not the Escape 4wd system. I don’t think there is ANY difference at all in the Escape and Edge AWD system. The Explorer system hardware is the same but I think it has different software settings for different terrain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 (edited) if i would have known the awd wasn't like awd that i'm used to, i would have just gotten the fwd version. footbrake with traction control off and the front tires spin while the rears do nothing. guess i shouldn't have assumed anything, or maybe done more research on what it actually meant. If you floor it from a standstill it will shift torque to the rear immediately even before the front wheels slip. It will also shift torque to the rear based on yaw sensors and steering wheel angle before slippage occurs. Its quite intelligent. Turning off TC probably defeated the normal AWD algorithm. Edited January 1, 2018 by akirby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd92 Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 That article is comparing true 4wd systems not the Escape 4wd system. I don’t think there is ANY difference at all in the Escape and Edge AWD system. The Explorer system hardware is the same but I think it has different software settings for different terrain. I agree that article is of no use. The Escape and the Edge have the exact same AWD hardware. Ford calls the system 4WD in the Escape based on some software difference that they give a nebulous explanation of. If there is any actual difference, there might a setting in ForScan to enable it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 I don’t think Ford even pretends that they’re different based on software. They just call it 4WD for the same reason they call Escape a SUV instead of a CUV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) I read in Car and Driver that the 2017 Escape 4WD can send 100% of the torque to either the front or rear axles. An AWD system can't do that of course. Here's a link to the issue, http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/refreshed-2017-ford-escape-first-drive-review Edited January 2, 2018 by enigma-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 The standard Ford AWD system on all Ford vehicles can send almost 100% to the rear wheels for short periods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Note it usually says 100% of available torque. So when you're just off idle and don't have a lot of torque, it can send all of it to the rear. But once you actually produce a reasonable amount of torque, it will be back closer to a max 50/50. The only controls the system has is one clutch in the rear RDU and individual brakes at each wheel. So even it the system engages the clutch 100%, all 4 wheels are still connected to the engine, so at best it will be 50/50. Only by using the brakes on the front wheels can it actually "send" torque to the rear more than 50%. I should point out that although the hardware is the same on all Fords as I mentioned above, each one is individually tuned based on all the different factors of the vehicle like engine characteristics, tires, wheelbase, suspension tuning and so on. There's nothing to "turn on" with Forscan, it's just different tables, much like engine and transmission calibrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 if i would have known the awd wasn't like awd that i'm used to, i would have just gotten the fwd version. footbrake with traction control off and the front tires spin while the rears do nothing. guess i shouldn't have assumed anything, or maybe done more research on what it actually meant. If you're using the brake, the AWD system wouldn't have any reason to engage the clutch pack, so it would act like FWD. Take your foot off the brake if you want AWD to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikula Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) If you floor it from a standstill it will shift torque to the rear immediately even before the front wheels slip. It will also shift torque to the rear based on yaw sensors and steering wheel angle before slippage occurs. Its quite intelligent. Turning off TC probably defeated the normal AWD algorithm. That's an interesting thing to note. I will have to try that out, but i think traction control defeats the purpose then in my case. once slip is detected, doesn't it add brake pressure to the slipping wheels until the slippage has ceased? basically what i'm saying/asking is, with traction control on, it will detect traction loss and will use braking pressure to "slow me down" so to speak until there is traction (no use to me) and with traction control off, it won't be AWD, but you'll have all available power to the front wheels with no braking/traction control interference. either way, i'd prefer to mash the gas and have all 4 wheels have the same power where the thing just goes until you take your right foot off the heck yes pedal. If you're using the brake, the AWD system wouldn't have any reason to engage the clutch pack, so it would act like FWD. Take your foot off the brake if you want AWD to work. I'm confused by your post a bit. I'm footbraking, not riding the brake while i accelerate. please elaborate for the dummy in me! Edited January 2, 2018 by Mikula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 If it shifts torque to the rear and no slippage occurs then it shouldn’t need to engage traction control. You can turn off traction control but don’t torque brake and spin the wheels - just floor it and go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Has anyone ever taken their Edge offroad? I drove my car in -36 over the holidays and at one point found myself next to a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk on an Icy Road. After a couple of intersections pulling away next to each other, our inner child "forced" us to see who could get away from the lights the fastest on the Ice. The Edge nailed the Jeep every time. If its good on the track, its good on the ice LOL! The brake actuated torque vectoring works great on the Edge sport and unless you plan on taking the car offroad, doubt you will ever need anything more from the AWD system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 I'm here at my local Lincoln dealer getting a piece of trim replaced, thought to ask the service manager about the difference between the AWD and the 4WD. He said the are the same (mostly), both have a PTU, but the only big difference is, the Intelligent 4WD has a switch to turn it off. It's mostly in software as to how it engages. The service rep spoke up and said he has an Escape and it can get a little "squirrelly" at times, not perfected yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikula Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 If it shifts torque to the rear and no slippage occurs then it shouldn’t need to engage traction control. You can turn off traction control but don’t torque brake and spin the wheels - just floor it and go. I'm chasing 1/4 mile numbers so i suppose i'm stuck dealing with a bit of spin until i find the sweet spot or get better track prep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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