Ford Edge vs Kia Telluride

The 2021 Ford Edge retained much of its styling from the 2019 refresh, which successfully modernized its exterior. This refresh harmonized the Edge's look with Ford's contemporary design language, making it a cleaner-looking alternative to the more aggressively styled Chevy Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe. The Edge Titanium models featured extra chrome accents, while the ST trim boasted a blacked-out grille, 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. The ST-Line offered the same sporty exterior without the performance enhancements. However, the interior of the Edge began to show its age, with a design that felt less fresh and somewhat awkward due to the integration of new features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models came with leather upholstery, and the ST models had sporty front seats with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2022 Kia Telluride's styling was a major draw for consumers, with its muscular design, balanced proportions, and trendy blacked-out wheels and trim. For 2022, Kia made only minor changes to the grille pattern and added new badges. The Telluride was available in LX, S, EX, and SX trims, with prices ranging from $32,790 to $44,590, plus a $1,225 destination charge. The SX trim with AWD and the SX Prestige Package totaled $48,325. The Telluride's interior was well-designed, with logical control placement, though the glossy plastic on the lower half of the cabin looked cheap, especially in the SX Prestige with its Nappa leather upholstery and simulated suede headliner. Despite this, the Telluride offered numerous new standard features for 2022, including a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, automatic climate control, Highway Driving Assist, and Smart Cruise Control-Curve. The S trim also gained a standard wireless smartphone charger.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It came with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The Edge ST performance model had an EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 engine delivering 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque on 93-octane fuel, with standard AWD, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and model-specific suspension tuning. An optional package added upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. The Edge ST aimed to compete with performance SUVs like the Porsche Macan, though it fell short of that benchmark. The Edge's towing capacities were 3,958 pounds for the base FWD model, 4,122 pounds for the AWD four-cylinder, and 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered ST.

The 2022 Kia Telluride, despite its size and higher center of gravity, was satisfying to drive. It featured a 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 engine with 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. AWD models included a Lock mode for even power distribution between the front and rear axles. The Telluride offered eight inches of ground clearance but limited wheel articulation, making it better suited for less challenging terrains. It performed well in snow and muddy conditions. On dry pavement, the Telluride's brake-based Torque Vectoring Cornering Control system and various driving modes (Eco, Comfort, Smart, and Sport) contributed to a good driving experience. The SX trim's 20-inch wheels and 245/50 tires provided good grip, and the ride quality was smooth. The Telluride achieved an EPA fuel economy estimate of 21 mpg in combined driving, with our SX AWD test vehicle returning 21.1 mpg. The Telluride's towing capacity was 5,000 pounds.

The 2021 Ford Edge remained competitive in interior space, offering the most rear-seat headroom among two-row midsize crossovers and ample legroom in both rows. It featured dual-zone automatic climate control. Cargo space was 39.2 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 73.4 cubic feet with them folded, trailing only the Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. Higher trims offered a foot-activated power liftgate. The rotary shift knob freed up some center console space, but the narrow console width limited its utility. The raised console provided a storage nook below, though it was hard to reach and easy to forget about.

The 2022 Kia Telluride balanced form and function with an upscale, organized, and appealing interior. Thoughtful details included overhead air vents, manual rear side window shades, rear smartphone storage pouches, USB ports in the front seatbacks, and accessible rear cupholders. Dual-zone automatic climate control served the front seats, while a single-zone panel served the rear. The LX and S trims featured SynTex simulated leather, while the EX and SX had real leather, with the SX Prestige package offering premium Nappa leather upholstery. The Telluride's interior felt luxurious, with heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, dual sunroof panels, and a Smart Power Liftgate. All three rows were comfortable for adults, though the third row was less preferred. The Telluride offered 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 46 cubic feet with it folded, and a maximum of 87 cubic feet. The flat load floor made it easy to haul large items.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured the latest Sync 4 infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST included a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The Edge had four USB ports, including two rear USB ports added for 2021. Sync 4's simple graphics and straightforward menus were user-friendly, and not all competitors offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2022 Kia Telluride came standard with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and voice recognition. However, it lost the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality of the previous 8-inch system, requiring a wire for these features. The Telluride had USB charging ports in all three rows, with airline-style ports in the front seatbacks. A wireless smartphone charging pad was standard in all trims except the LX. Kia Connect provided connected services, including 911 Connect, safe teen driving alerts, remote engine start, cabin climate pre-conditioning, Find My Car, and smart speaker integration. The Telluride also had ultrasonic rear occupant sensors and a Quiet Mode to play music only through the front speakers. The SX trim featured a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a head-up display, and a surround-view monitoring system.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS “Top Safety Pick,” with top “Good” ratings in all crash tests and a “Superior” rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention. It received an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention, an “Acceptable” rating for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and “Acceptable” and “Poor” headlight ratings. The NHTSA gave the Edge a five-star overall rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests. Standard safety features included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, post-collision braking, dynamic brake support, and rear parking sensors. Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centering was standard on all but the base SE trim, along with Evasive Steering Assist.

The 2022 Kia Telluride included numerous standard safety features under the Kia Drive Wise umbrella, such as forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and adaptive cruise control with curve speed reduction. Highway Driving Assist combined adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance. The Telluride also had Smart Cruise Control-Curve, which used GPS data to predict and slow for upcoming curves, though it could be irritating. Safe Exit Assist warned occupants of approaching vehicles or cyclists. The SX trim featured Blind-Spot View Monitor technology, showing camera-based imagery in the instrumentation display when using turn signals. The NHTSA gave the Telluride a five-star overall rating, with four stars for frontal-impact protection for the driver and front passenger. The IIHS awarded the Telluride a “Top Safety Pick” designation, missing the highest award due to headlight ratings.