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Are you the next Ford Edge? [UPDATE]

What looks to be the next Ford Edge has been leaked in an apparent corporate Powerpoint presentation deck. Despite the thumbnail image's blurry and pixelated quality, it appears as if the next generation crossover will be staying close to its current aesthetic despite an all-new front clip with redesigned grille, headlamps, and lower fascia with integrated fog lights.
The upscale-minded Blue Oval CUV is due for a redesign in 2015, having just received a mid-cycle refresh for 2011. It isn't clear what changes lie beneath the new skin, either in terms of mechanicals or interior refinement, but we suspect Ford will be looking to put some distance between the next generation model and the new Escape, which is suddenly much more car-like and not that far off the more expensive Edge in terms of overall size, power or refinement.
UPDATE: Substituted clearer image - thanks, Sean!

Chrysler called out over lackluster Ram Runner by racer who helped develop it

Fans of off-roading and desert blasting might recall that Chrysler offers an aftermarket conversion that can turn a Ram 1500 into a road-legal desert racer, called the Ram Runner. The kit, sold through Mopar, includes some significant suspension upgrades, body tweaks and a brawnier cat-back exhaust for the truck's 5.7-liter V8.
Considering all of this, comparisons with the almighty Ford F-150 SVT Raptor are common. Among the off-road community, that makes these two a sort of Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang for people that prefer driving on dirt. In the Race-Dezert forum, the discussion as to which truck was better was proceeding as normal - Ram fans said their piece and Ford fans said theirs. Then, a man named Kent Kroeker offered up his two cents.
See, Kroeker is a Baja racer, and the man that helped develop the Ram Runner. Despite his association with the truck, though, he had some less than kind words for Chrysler and the Ram Runner.

New Ford Police Interceptor tech protects cops' backsides

It was only a matter of time before law enforcement agencies would realize the potential of driver-assist technology for use in their Ford Police Interceptors, and, now that they have, those back-up cameras and radar systems won't be used just for parking, but for security, as well.
The surveillance mode system works when the camera or radar detects movement from behind the vehicle, and if it does when it's activated, an alarm will alert the officer inside the car, the driver's side window will roll up and the doors will lock, protecting the officer from an unwanted intrusion. The officer, of course, has the option to turn surveillance mode off, mainly in urban areas where pedestrians would constantly set the alarm off, and it can only be activated when the police car is in park.
Randy Freiburger, Ford's police and ambulance fleet supervisor, came up with the patent-pending idea when researching the needs of police officers and riding along with them, during which time he realized officers would be safer with an extra set of eyes watching the area behind their cars, especially at night or when they're completing paperwork, using the in-car computer or handling a radar gun. "Unfortunately, there are people with bad intentions who sneak up on police officers," he says.