2019 Ford Edge vs 2019 Toyota RAV4

The 2019 Ford Edge was stylishly refreshed to offer a sportier appearance. The front fascia featured a redesigned grille, new headlights, and an updated lower front fascia, contributing to its modern look. The rear end received new taillights and a larger black panel replacing the older red connector, giving the Edge a more aggressive stance. Despite these exterior updates, the interior felt largely unchanged from earlier models, reminiscent of the 2014 Edge. The heavy reliance on plastic materials and a dated design left the cabin feeling outmoded. The rotary shifter was a new addition, but the cabin still felt like a relic from the past.

The Ford Edge was offered in SE, SEL, Titanium, and ST trims. The SE came with 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, push-button start, and rain-sensing wipers. The SEL added black roof rails, dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable front seats, rear parking sensors, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Additional packages for the SEL included leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a hands-free power liftgate. The Titanium trim added 19-inch alloy wheels, a Bang & Olufsen 12-speaker sound system, and several other luxury features. The ST trim went further, adding blacked-out grille, front lip and side skirts, 20-inch machined aluminum wheels, and multiple performance enhancements.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 presented an aggressive and futuristic design, drawing inspiration from the Toyota Tacoma pickup. Its chunky design and sharp edges conveyed strength, extending to the side-profile and taillights reminiscent of Lexus models. The RAV4's design included a distinct character line breaking up the rear C-pillar, which was functional for two-tone roof options but perhaps added unnecessary design clutter for monotone color variants.

Inside, the RAV4's cabin leaned towards simplicity and elegance. The center stack featured a “pod” design grouping essential controls and a minimalistic shifter design, creating a tidy and functional layout. Trims ranged from LE to XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, and Limited. The base LE offered a suite of features including 17-inch steel wheels, LED lighting, and privacy-tinted windows. The XLE trim added 17-inch alloy wheels, a power moonroof, sport bucket seats, and dual-zone climate control. The XLE Premium upped the ante with 19-inch wheels, a power liftgate, an 8-way power driver’s seat, and SofTex leatherette upholstery. The Adventure trim, which focused on ruggedness, included unique 19-inch wheels, black fender cladding, and orange interior accents. The Limited trim aimed for luxury, with chrome-finished wheels, unique grille design, and a suite of upscale features.

Under the hood, the 2019 Ford Edge equipped the SE, SEL, and Titanium trims with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. This powertrain produced a robust 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, available in front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. The ST trim, however, boasted a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, delivering an impressive 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque, exclusively with AWD. This engine, shared with the Ford F-150, provided the ST with jaw-dropping acceleration and agile cornering capabilities. Despite its power, the ST maintained a balanced, precise ride. The base engine's fuel economy was rated at 22 mpg city, 29 highway, and 25 combined for FWD, whereas the ST returned 19/26/21. Our Edge ST test car averaged 19.9 mpg in a week of spirited driving.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 featured a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine across all trims, generating 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This engine was mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, available in FWD or AWD. The RAV4 offered two types of AWD systems: the base AWD, featuring Snow, Sand & Mud, and Rock & Dirt drive modes (included in most trims), and the Adventure trim’s torque-vectoring AWD, which could distribute power dynamically to the wheels that needed it the most. While our XLE test model featured base AWD and had sufficient power for highway speeds, it lagged in low-end power during stop-and-go traffic, resulting in a noisy engine during acceleration.

The RAV4 handled uneven terrain with relative ease but exhibited noticeable body roll and a twitchy steering response during fast cornering, making it less refined than some competitors. Fuel economy was a strong point for the RAV4, with the FWD version achieving 26 mpg city, 35 highway, 30 combined. The AWD variant returned 27 city and 34 highway, while the torque-vectoring AWD came in at 25/33/28. Our AWD test vehicle achieved an impressive 29.3 miles per gallon in mixed driving conditions.

The 2019 Ford Edge offered a competent, though dated, cabin with practical storage solutions. The center console featured a deep cargo bin and another bin at the bottom of the center stack, housing USB ports and an optional wireless charger. The in-door pockets were spacious, including large bottle holders. The front seats were comfortable, with the ST trim featuring performance-oriented bucket seats from Ford Performance, though not ideal for taller drivers. Rear seats provided ample space, especially for taller passengers, and offered 39 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 73.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

On the other hand, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 boasted a clean, upscale interior with practical storage solutions and user-friendly controls. The center stack’s “pod” design grouped drive-mode controls, climate controls, and the shifter efficiently, and a thin tray above the glove box added extra storage. While the RAV4's cargo capacity of 37.6 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 69.8 cubic feet with them folded was slightly lower than the Edge, it still offered plenty of space for most needs.

The basic infotainment system in the 2019 Ford Edge was somewhat underwhelming, featuring a small 4.2-inch non-touchscreen with limited functionality for the base SE trim. It included a USB port, a WiFi hotspot, streaming music, Bluetooth, and voice recognition but felt cheap compared to competitors. Upgrading to the 8-inch Sync 3 system available on the SEL and standard on the Titanium and ST trims improved the technology offering significantly. This system was more user-friendly, despite its average graphics, and included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration.

For the 2019 Toyota RAV4, the LE trim featured a 7-inch touchscreen with the latest Entune 3.0 system, functional and straightforward but lacking Android Auto. This system included Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, and a WiFi hotspot. The XLE trim further offered five USB ports and a slightly upgraded infotainment layout. The Adventure trim provided enhanced tech with a panoramic reversing camera, a 7-inch instrument display, and an 8-inch Entune screen. The Limited trim allowed for pairing with a JBL premium stereo system.

Safety was a priority for both vehicles. The 2019 Ford Edge came standard with a reversing camera, traction control, and a comprehensive array of front- and side-impact airbags. It included Ford's Co-Pilot360 suite, featuring automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, automatic high-beams, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Higher trims offered the Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package, which added adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, and a lane-centering system.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 matched up well with a full complement of front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, and traction control. It came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, automatic high-beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. Additional features like traffic-sign detection and Lane-Tracing Assist exemplified Toyota’s commitment to safety.