New 2012 Ecoboost SEL

[Gimp]

Following is the initial report on my 2012 Edge.

 

I ordered the vehicle in late October and took delivery last Wednesday afternoon. It is an SEL with Ecoboost engine, vision package (blind spot information, etc.), 205A package (leather seating, rear view camera, Touch system, media hub, etc.). I also chose the white platinum paint package. I preferred opting for the upgrades rather than going for the Limited which had a couple of things I didn't care for.

 

Between the time or order and delivery I had done a lot of reading on this site and had already ordered the NuShield protection for the display, four Polk DXi570 replacement speakers, and a Canvasback cover for the rear deck (I have several black and white sheepdogs whose hair really shows up on a black interior.) The deck cover, screen protection and the two rear speakers were installed immediately after I got home. (It took about 10 minutes per speaker from start to finish). The Canvasback cover went on easily and was an exact fit for the Edge.

 

On Friday morning I took the vehicle to my regular tire store. I wanted to get the tires siped and have the balance checked. I had already gone over the tire pressures and found one that was four pounds higher than the other three so it was worth the check. The tire balance only required very slight adjustment in the balance so the factory did a good job with that. (I also checked the oil level and it was also good. Sorry Ford but double checking those little things is just in my nature.) With only about thirty miles on the tires, the tire store offered me their warranty which I decided was a good investment. Besides, the siping probably violated the Ford warranty, and I didn’t really want to deal with them if I actually had a problem. This way I get the balancing, rotations and hazard protection from someone I am used to dealing with and who is also open on Saturday mornings. I drive about 20,000 miles a year so to me it was worth it.

 

I took advantage of the extra nice weather on Friday to wash the vehicle and apply a nice layer of wax to every painted exterior surface in every cranny I could reach as I know I’ll be getting a good winter salt bath pretty soon. I also applied RainX to the windows, and ‘Scotch guarded’ the carpeting. Yesterday I installed the front speakers in about 15 minutes per door. Lastly, I added two Husky winter weather mats to the front. Husky lists this version for the Edge. With easy trimming, the fit was great for the passenger side, not so great for the driver side. There are two plastic retaining lugs in the floor to hold the Ford drivers side mat in place. These cause the Husky mat to bulge upward. I ended up leaving the Ford carpet in place under the Husky mat the bulge isn’t as noticeable. The double layer doesn’t interfere with the floor pedals, but I’ll be pondering a better solution. I assume the Ford supplied winter mat would have fit on the studs.

 

First impressions. The very first impression out of the lot was that an annoyance I had expected was missing. When I test drove an Edge with my wife in October we both noted that the head rest / restraint was a bit too close. It felt like having a wedge at the back of my head. After reading comments here I decided that it was something that just required some seat adjustment and that I’d get used to it. To my surprise, my vehicle does not have this style of headrest so I’m happy about that.

 

The largest thumb drive in my desk was 2 Gb so I loaded that with music and tried it out in the sound system. It was very responsive and I didn’t note any unexpected delays that I’d read some people had experienced with the larger drives. I’ll note that the sound with the new speakers is much improved over the lightweight OEM speakers which sounded a bit muffled.

 

Driving. I’ve only driven the vehicle about 35 miles so far. The Ecoboost engine and transmission provide great, quiet, and smooth acceleration. I’m very happy with that. I hadn’t really liked the transmission shifting on the 3.5 equipped vehicle from my test drive. The interior controls were initially a bit overwhelming, but I’m slowly familiarizing myself with them. I think that once I find my best settings, I won’t have to fool around with the options too much. The interior ambient light colors are kind of neat and almost make me look forward to driving at night again. The cup holder lights even change.

 

That summarizes my comments for now. I’m anxious to put some miles on the vehicle to get some initial Ecoboost fuel efficiency numbers to report on. Driving in rush hour traffic tomorrow morning is going to have me feeling a bit nervous.

[wlepse]

Wow...did a lot of stuff right off the bat. I guess you don't suffer from analysis paralysis like I do. Congrats on the ride and let us know how you do on gas with that commute.

[Gimp]

I wanted to add a final note regarding the fuel as I saw this question raised previously. The Ecoboost uses Regular fuel with a minimum octane rating of 87. To quote the owners manual "Premium fuel will provide improved performance and is recommended for severe duty usage such as trailer tow."

 

I assume the dealership filled it up with regular. At this time of year it's probably 'winter gas'. I'm rarely a quick / jack rabbit start kind of person but I do like to have the capability as it's sometimes needed. The regular fuel seems to give me that. However, out of curiosity I will fill it up with premium gas once this tank reaches empty. I may even try mid-grade gas to see if I can discern any difference. The increased octane number should make a noticeable difference with the turbo, but my less than aggressive driving style may not pull the increased performance from the engine.

 

I think that I mentioned in my introduction thread that I did some math on the cost differences between the 3.5 and 2.0 engines. With the 2.0 requiring a nearly $1,000 increase in price, using the EPA figures at my 20,000 miles per year, it would take about 4 years to pay that off using regular. For someone driving fewer miles annually, the extra cost may make the 3.5 engine the better choice. If I start using premium fuel on a regular basis that would blow any long term money savings in what I'm paying for fuel. Therefore, I will stick to regular. I'm actually hoping to beat the EPA figures as I normally do by about 20% with my other cars.

[wlepse]

The increased octane number should make a noticeable difference with the turbo

Without tuning increasing the octane will do nothing for power unless you are running really hot like towing. When it gets hot the charge temps rise and the intercooler ins't as effective so you run the risk of pinging so the higher octane will allow you to maintain power a little longer and hopefully avoid heat soak.

 

I'm actually hoping to beat the EPA figures as I normally do by about 20% with my other cars.

I hope you can but I think the EPA may have changed the way they rate cars. We have always been able to get the EPA rating for the highway for our commute which includes about 1/3 rural country road, 1/3 highway with lights and 1/3 highway. Average speeds for a tank are always around 35 but we can do no better than the combined EPA rating. While my modified Subaru Legacy GT on the same commute was able to get EPA rating for highway and the Audi A4 I am driving now (W/ 190k) is exceeding the EPA rating on the same roads. So at least from my observations they may have changed their estimates to math my driving style so I can no longer exceed what they list. Well at least that is the case with the Ford but a buddy with a new Subaru is seeing the same thing so I think it might be accross the board.

[mrdave]

Without tuning increasing the octane will do nothing for power unless you are running really hot like towing. When it gets hot the charge temps rise and the intercooler ins't as effective so you run the risk of pinging so the higher octane will allow you to maintain power a little longer and hopefully avoid heat soak.

I don't think that's quite correct. It sounds like Ford's factory program for the 2.0L Ecoboost will compensate for different octane levels, which means that using premium fuel definitely would increase the power. I'm guessing it's only about 10-15hp more with premium, but the fact that they allowed for different fuel grades is pretty cool.

[wlepse]

I don't think it will offer any extra power, for that they would need multiple maps so that they can change boost levels. If they had this capability they would surely advertise it and list this in the vehicles capabilities. In this country horsepower ratings sell cars so if they could bump it even 10-15 they would.

[akirby]

I don't think that's quite correct. It sounds like Ford's factory program for the 2.0L Ecoboost will compensate for different octane levels, which means that using premium fuel definitely would increase the power. I'm guessing it's only about 10-15hp more with premium, but the fact that they allowed for different fuel grades is pretty cool.

 

Correct. It means the factory PCM tune will advance the timing to take advantage of the higher octane to provide a slight power increase.

[wlepse]

Correct. It means the factory PCM tune will advance the timing to take advantage of the higher octane to provide a slight power increase.

I think you are wrong. When the car is tuned they develop a safe range for the timing advance based on the stock fuel. Whatever this range is it is fixed in the map and the ECU will adjust in that range that it is allowed. So when you put premium fuel in you are stuck with the same max advance on the timing you had with regular not to mention your boost levels will be the same. So the only time the use of premium will net you more power is if the temps are high enough that the ECU would have started to pull timing if you were running regular. If Ford could claim higher power ratings they would.

[akirby]

I think you are wrong. When the car is tuned they develop a safe range for the timing advance based on the stock fuel. Whatever this range is it is fixed in the map and the ECU will adjust in that range that it is allowed. So when you put premium fuel in you are stuck with the same max advance on the timing you had with regular not to mention your boost levels will be the same. So the only time the use of premium will net you more power is if the temps are high enough that the ECU would have started to pull timing if you were running regular. If Ford could claim higher power ratings they would.

 

Neither one of us knows for sure how they set up the timing, but if they say in the owner's manual that Premium yields better performance then the only possible explanation is that the PCM is able to advance the timing to take advantage of the higher octane. You see this in luxury vehicles all the time - except they advertise the higher power on Premium and they must advertise the fact that Premium is either required or recommended. Ford has specifically chosen to advertise Regular fuel only as a marketing advantage. People don't like to be forced to buy premium fuel.

 

You can easily set it up for Premium and retard the timing for Regular. Of course it could be a misprint in the owner's manual too.

[mrdave]

I don't think it will offer any extra power, for that they would need multiple maps so that they can change boost levels. If they had this capability they would surely advertise it and list this in the vehicles capabilities. In this country horsepower ratings sell cars so if they could bump it even 10-15 they would.

You don't necessarily need to increase the boost pressure to increase the engine's power output. As akirby said above, if they were to only increase the timing they could definitely get a few extra hp from using premium fuel, which is what seems very likely given what's printed in the owners' manual.

 

(some time later...)

 

Actually, after doing a little bit of reading it seems that the advertised hp numbers for all of the Ford Ecoboost engines are achieved using premium fuel, but they will also run on regular. So if you're not using premium, it doesn't sound like you get the advertised power from your engine. I found the Explorer's official spec sheet, here. Note that it says "240 @ 5,500 rpm (premium fuel)."

[Dingo]

There are two knock sensors. Regardless of your chosen fuel, the PCM advances timing until it detects a knock and then backs back off a bit. The V6s in the Edge do the same thing.

[martunes]

 

First impressions. The very first impression out of the lot was that an annoyance I had expected was missing. When I test drove an Edge with my wife in October we both noted that the head rest / restraint was a bit too close. It felt like having a wedge at the back of my head. After reading comments here I decided that it was something that just required some seat adjustment and that I’d get used to it. To my surprise, my vehicle does not have this style of headrest so I’m happy about that.

 

 

I have a 2011 and have yet to get used to the angle of the headrest. Are you saying that the 2012s have a redesigned headrest? I would be SO happy if that were the case. (Assuming they'll fit in a 2011)

[Gimp]

I have a 2011 and have yet to get used to the angle of the headrest. Are you saying that the 2012s have a redesigned headrest? I would be SO happy if that were the case. (Assuming they'll fit in a 2011)

 

After reading this question I took a closer look at my headrests to see if I could figure out what had changed. I test drove the 2011 in the dark and hadn't paid that much attention to the headrest but I was sure that something was different. With my vehicle I can clearly see that the driver headrest has the same angle as the back of my seat. I have to push my head back to touch it. Then I looked at my passenger headrest and noticed it wasn't the same. It angles inward. I stopped at my Ford dealer on my way home and sat in a 2011 model in the showroom. The drivers headrest was clearly angled forward, identical to the passenger headrest. It's clear that Ford has made an adjustment to the drivers seat. I am attaching a photo from the interior of my vehicle. I think this shows you what I'm talking about regarding the differences between the passenger and driver headrests.

[martunes]

After reading this question I took a closer look at my headrests to see if I could figure out what had changed. I test drove the 2011 in the dark and hadn't paid that much attention to the headrest but I was sure that something was different. With my vehicle I can clearly see that the driver headrest has the same angle as the back of my seat. I have to push my head back to touch it. Then I looked at my passenger headrest and noticed it wasn't the same. It angles inward. I stopped at my Ford dealer on my way home and sat in a 2011 model in the showroom. The drivers headrest was clearly angled forward, identical to the passenger headrest. It's clear that Ford has made an adjustment to the drivers seat. I am attaching a photo from the interior of my vehicle. I think this shows you what I'm talking about regarding the differences between the passenger and driver headrests.

I'm really surprised that they'd make one for the passenger seat and a different one for the driver seat. Are you sure yours aren't adjustable? In any case, this is great news to me and I thank for going to the trouble of taking a picture. I'll check with Ford and see what I can find out about replacing mine.

[Dingo]

The Ford parts catalog lists the same part number for both sides, and for both years. That driver's side headrest looks more like a 4th gen Explorer one to me.

[Gimp]

O.K. Here's a further surprise on the headrest. They are both exactly the same. The head rests both angle forward to several different positions and finally spring back to the 'straight' position that my drivers seat showed. They may be designed partially to give during a head strike from the rear due to the extremely sharp angle that they can bend too before releasing back. I probably should have figured that out before, but I've got a car full of stuff that I'm familiarizing myself with right now.

[martunes]

The Ford parts catalog lists the same part number for both sides, and for both years. That driver's side headrest looks more like a 4th gen Explorer one to me.

I called my local Ford Dealership's Parts Dept and was told that it is the same part number for both sides, but a different part number for 2012. They could not tell me why. So, I talked to a Sales guy and he went out to the 2012 Edges on his lot and said that they're all just like the 2011s, angled forward and non-adjustable. So, now I'm really confused.

[Gimp]

These three photos show the drivers side headrest movement from 1. furthest back or straight along the seat back, to 2. sharpest angle setting, to 3. furthest forward angle. (Note that the photos are clearly in the opposite order than I described.) After the furthest setting you can press it forward with your finger but it will spring back to the 'straight' position. Both headrests do this. My Ford sales rep didn't know about this until I told him.

 

 

I drove home in a rush hour rainstorm with flooded roads today and the traffic was slow stop and go. My display said that I averaged 24.6 MPG over that 38 mile trip. I'm not sure if I should be pleased with that number, or even if I should trust the display. I don't want to be disappointed by the Ecoboost engine. The tank should be approaching empty by Friday and I'll have a better sense of what my initial numbers are for my daily commute after I fill it back up. Now I just have to figure out why my heat went from my 72 degree setting down to a 60 degree setting mid way home as I can't figure out how I could have fumble fingered that on the display. My first assumption is operator error followed by poltergeist co-driver. First snow of the season is expected tonight so it will be a nerve wracking drive tomorrow as I worry about all the people who could be sliding my way as they discover that their tires need to be replaced.

Edited November 29, 2011 by Gimp

[wlepse]

Now I just have to figure out why my heat went from my 72 degree setting down to a 60 degree setting mid way home as I can't figure out how I could have fumble fingered that on the display.

 

Have you set your "MyTemp"? Maybe it is curently set at 60 and you accidently bumped it?? Not sure about the Edge but know some other cars I had if you hit Max AC it would go to the lowest temp setting.

[Gimp]

Have you set your "MyTemp"? Maybe it is curently set at 60 and you accidently bumped it?? Not sure about the Edge but know some other cars I had if you hit Max AC it would go to the lowest temp setting.

 

O.K. now I understand. It was cold, rainy and my windows were fogging quickly. On my old car Max AC in the winter meant it went to recirculate and dried out the air quicker at the heat setting I was using. I'll pull out the manual tomorrow and figure that out as I quickly climb the learning curve. The automated everything computer is out thinking me.

[martunes]

These three photos show the drivers side headrest movement from 1. furthest back or straight along the seat back, to 2. sharpest angle setting, to 3. furthest forward angle. (Note that the photos are clearly in the opposite order than I described.) After the furthest setting you can press it forward with your finger but it will spring back to the 'straight' position. Both headrests do this. My Ford sales rep didn't know about this until I told him.

Thanks again for the pictures. I'm taking my Edge in to the dealership this weekend for some warranty repair work and will have to personally checkout the headrests in the 2012's while I'm there. I would LOVE to have adjustable headrests!!!

[Theakerr]

Many thanks about the headrest. Please keep us informed. As an "old" member of the forum it has been an issue for sometime. It might even be appropriate to create a specific thread.

[Gimp]

Many thanks about the headrest. Please keep us informed. As an "old" member of the forum it has been an issue for sometime. It might even be appropriate to create a specific thread.

 

If Martunes could confirm that the 2012 headrest is backward compatible to the previous years and get the price from the parts department that would provide the full story for for a thread under "Interiors". Right now it's only good news for the 2012 model buyers.

 

I assume there would be two prices, one for leather and one for the cloth headrest. My front headrests pop right out of the seat quite easily. I don't know if that's true of older models. If it were me I'd probably check the fit with a headrest.

 

I'm assuming that the headrests will be a bit pricey once the dealerships have marked them up. Still, it could be worth it for many people. The dealerships have the potential to make quite a bit of money off of replacements.

 

BTW, I had a chance to drive on the highway in light traffic for about an hour today. If the meter is to be believed, the highway MPG was around 31 - 32. The 31 came at 70 MPH. The 32 came at about 65 MPH when I moved over into the right lane just to see how the slower speed would do. My commute MPG is about 25 so far and this has been in some extremely bad stop & go traffic due to rain and ice. These number will make me quite happy. I'll be making my first full tank fill up tomorrow and see how that turns out.

[RJG]

I think you are wrong. When the car is tuned they develop a safe range for the timing advance based on the stock fuel. Whatever this range is it is fixed in the map and the ECU will adjust in that range that it is allowed. So when you put premium fuel in you are stuck with the same max advance on the timing you had with regular not to mention your boost levels will be the same. So the only time the use of premium will net you more power is if the temps are high enough that the ECU would have started to pull timing if you were running regular. If Ford could claim higher power ratings they would.

 

 

Agree. ECU may pull timing and add fuel if necessary if charge air is hot, but doubt if it has sensors in the combustion to notice an increase in octane. Also.....since high octane fuels have additives to slow combustion under higher temps and pressures, high octane fuel has very slightly less energy BTU's. So if engine is tuned for 87, and runs well on 87, best fuel economy is with 87. Higher octane fuels are a waste of money and hurt fuel economy for an engine tuned for 87.

[akirby]

Agree. ECU may pull timing and add fuel if necessary if charge air is hot, but doubt if it has sensors in the combustion to notice an increase in octane. Also.....since high octane fuels have additives to slow combustion under higher temps and pressures, high octane fuel has very slightly less energy BTU's. So if engine is tuned for 87, and runs well on 87, best fuel economy is with 87. Higher octane fuels are a waste of money and hurt fuel economy for an engine tuned for 87.

 

You don't need sensors in the combustion chamber - you only need knock sensors. The software advances the timing until it detects knocking. Premium fuel allows the timing to be advanced more than regular fuel. If the rest of the system is tuned to take advantage of the advanced timing then you can get more performance.