2020 Kia Telluride vs 2021 Ford Edge

The 2020 Kia Telluride marked a significant departure from Kia's previous reputation for producing adequate but uninspiring vehicles. This model appeared far more expensive than its price tag suggested, although the Kia badge on its large grille was seen as a drawback. The Telluride's design was a blend of upscale elements, featuring a boxy presence reminiscent of a big Chevy and the fluid curves of a new Volvo. The front was defined by upright, rectilinear themes, with wide-spaced vertical headlights and a silver mesh grille. The shoulder line along the vehicle's side gently protruded, similar to the XC90. The design was clean and minimal, with special details like amber LED running lights that doubled as turn signals and thin taillights echoing hockey sticks. The large "TELLURIDE" badges on the hood and rear glass added a touch of luxury.

Inside, the Telluride's interior could easily be mistaken for a Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class. It featured twin grab handles, wide air vents, an ultra-wide touchscreen, matte wood, silver-painted buttons, and knurled metal knobs. While some materials like the wood were not entirely real, the overall fit, quality, and colors were tasteful and classy. The SX-trim test vehicle with the Prestige Package included Nappa leather seats and a soft headliner, making it feel like a $60,000 to $70,000 vehicle, despite its actual cost of $46,930 fully loaded.

The 2021 Ford Edge, on the other hand, retained much of its styling from the 2019 refresh, which successfully integrated the current Ford look with the existing Edge body shell. The Edge was a cleaner-looking alternative to the more elaborate designs of the Chevy Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe. The Edge Titanium models featured extra chrome, while the Edge ST trim had a blacked-out grille, standard 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. The Edge ST-Line offered the same exterior styling as the ST but without the performance upgrades.

Inside, the Edge's design was starting to show its age. The interior had been awkwardly tweaked over the years to accommodate new features like a larger touchscreen. Titanium models had leather upholstery, while ST models featured sporty front seats with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2020 Kia Telluride came with a single engine: a 3.8-liter V6 producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This power was routed through an 8-speed automatic transmission to either the front wheels or all four wheels, with AWD available as a $2,000 option. While the transmission could be manually shifted using the gear selector and had a Sport mode, its response was sometimes delayed and inconsistent. Despite this, the Telluride could move quickly when the power arrived, and its braking was strong with a firm pedal feel. However, the steering was slow, and there was noticeable body lean, indicating that Kia did not benchmark higher-end SUVs for agility. The ride was smooth, aided by double-paned glass and acoustic insulation. The Telluride had a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds with the $795 Towing package and an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered 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. The Edge ST performance model featured an EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, standard AWD, and model-specific suspension tuning. The Edge ST had an option package with upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. While the Edge ST was not quite on par with performance SUVs like the Porsche Macan, it was still enjoyable to drive. The Edge had maximum towing capacities of 3,958 pounds for the base FWD model, 4,122 pounds for the AWD model, and 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered Edge ST.

The 2020 Kia Telluride could seat seven or eight passengers, depending on the trim. The base LX and third-tier EX seated eight, while the second-tier S offered eight as a $100 option. The S and top SX seated seven, with reclining captain's chairs in the second row. The SX trim added heating and cooling for the second-row seats, manual side-window shades, and a third climate zone. All trims had air vents on the ceiling, USB ports, and cupholders for second and third-row passengers. The Telluride's cabin was spacious, with ample room in the second row and a tolerable third row for adults. Cargo capacity was 21 cubic feet with all seats raised and 87 cubic feet with them all flat. The interior featured analog gauges, buttons, knobs, and a regular PRNDL shifter, complemented by two displays: a 3.5-inch for the instrument panel and an 8-inch screen for the dash. EX and SX models had a 10.3-inch screen and a larger 7-inch screen for the instrument panel.

The 2021 Ford Edge remained competitive on interior space, offering the most rear-seat headroom among two-row midsize crossovers and ample legroom in both rows. It had a cargo capacity of 39.2 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 73.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Higher trim levels offered a foot-activated power liftgate. The Edge featured a rotary shift knob to free up space on the center console, but the narrow width of the console limited the available space. The raised console left room for a storage nook below, but it was difficult to reach and easy to forget about.

The 2020 Kia Telluride came standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Kia's UVO link, which allowed remote car location and unlocking via an app. A proximity key was also standard. Upper trims with navigation had fast and accurate voice inputs and online search capabilities. However, the lack of onboard WiFi was a shortcoming. The SX trim featured a live feed of blind spots on the instrument cluster, Highway Driving Assist, a quiet mode, and an intercom for the third row. The SX also had bright LED headlights, dual moonroofs, and a Harman Kardon surround stereo.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured Ford's latest Sync 4 infotainment system with standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a 12-inch touchscreen. It also had Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST models had a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The Edge had four USB ports, including two rear USB ports added for the 2021 model year. Sync 4's simple graphics and straightforward menu layouts were user-friendly.

The 2020 Kia Telluride had not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS at the time of writing, but it was expected to receive top scores. It came standard with active driver assists, including forward-collision alert with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and automatic braking, lane-keep assist, a driver-attention monitor, and adaptive cruise control. Safe Exit Assist was also standard, preventing passengers from opening the rear doors if an approaching vehicle or object was detected. Surround-view cameras and front parking sensors were optional.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS "Top Safety Pick," scoring top ratings in all crash tests and front crash prevention tech in vehicle-to-vehicle situations. It received lower ratings for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention tech, LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and headlights. The NHTSA gave the Edge a five-star overall safety rating. The Edge came standard with Ford Co-Pilot360 safety features, including 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 and Evasive Steering Assist were standard on all but the base SE trim.