Month: March 2019

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson)

In the last Ars System Guide roughly one year ago, we took a slight detour from our long-running series. Rather than recommending the latest components focused on a particular niche like gaming or home entertainment PCs, we broadened our scope and focused on ideology rather than instruction and outlined what to look for when building a great desktop PC.

This time around, we're playing the hits again. The Winter 2019 Ars System Guide has returned to its roots: showing readers three real-world system builds we like at this precise moment in time. Instead of general performance desktops, this time around we're going to focus specifically on building some servers.

Naturally, this raises a particular question: "What's a server for, then?" Let's broach a bit of theory before leaving plenty of room for the actual builds.

Enlarge / The 2019 Ford Edge Titanium. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

If you want to know about the state of the auto industry in the US, look no further than Ford. Once the home of sedans like the Taurus and Crown Victoria, Ford has decided to largely give up on cars and focus its efforts on SUVs and trucks. That means more attention to models like the Explorer and Escape, plus the return of the Bronco (will it be available in OJ Simpson White?). Oh, and the Ford Edge has gotten some serious love from Ford for 2019—it has been redesigned with lots of help from the Ford Performance Team. Let's have a look.

The Ford Edge slots roughly into the middle of Ford's massive lineup of SUVs and crossovers. On the smaller side are the EcoSport and Escape; the Explorer, Flex, and Expedition complete Ford's range of SUVs. At 188 inches long (4,775mm), the Edge looks more like a squat SUV with a blunt-looking front end than other compact crossovers like the Volkswagen Tiguan. Ford's makeover for the Flex manifests itself with new bi-LED headlights, new 18-inch bright-machined aluminum wheels (20-inch wheels come with the Titanium Elite package), sportier-looking front and rear fascia, and a wider grille. And you can admire the new liftgate appliqué as you walk toward the Edge with your bags of groceries.

As is the case with most compact crossovers, Ford has equipped the Edge with a 2.0L, 16-valve turbocharged engine capable of 250hp (184kW) at 5,500rpm and 275lb-ft (373Nm) of torque at 3,000rpm, which comes with the SE, SEL, and Titanium trim. The Edge SL has a 2.7L 24-valve EcoBoost V6 that offers 335hp (246kW) at 5,500rpm. There's a new eight-speed automatic transmission with standard front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is standard on the SL and available across the rest of the lineup). Our review car had the four-banger under the hood.