2021 BMW X7 vs 2021 Ford Edge

In some parts of America, large luxury three-row SUVs are commonplace, but the list of available models is relatively short. Until recently, one famous German automaker was missing from the menu, but when the X7 arrived for the 2019 model year as a new BMW, that changed.

Based on the BMW X5 and built in the same South Carolina factory, the 2021 BMW X7 sees a few changes for 2021. The standard xDrive40i model gains a 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain offering an incremental increase in efficiency, BMW cancels the xDrive50i version, and the performance-tuned Alpina XB7 debuts.

BMW also modifies the SUV’s standard, optional, and package equipment this year, restricting many of the X7’s most decadent features to the Alpina XB7.

The Ford Edge proves that trends run in cycles. Launched in the early 2000s, the original Edge was one of the first midsize crossover SUVs, sporting car-like styling that sharply contrasted the more traditional-looking Ford Explorer of the time. However, new-car buyers realized they liked the roominess of three-row SUVs like the Explorer more, and interest in the two-row Edge waned.

Now, however, car shoppers are once again eyeing two-row midsize SUVs, this time as an alternative to sedans. The Edge is now part of a growing market segment that includes the Chevrolet Blazer, Honda Passport, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Murano, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Yet while market dynamics have changed, the Edge hasn’t. The current second-generation Edge dates back to the 2015 model year, and even a substantial update undertaken for the 2019 model year is quickly receding in the rearview mirror. The Edge now sits between the much newer Explorer and Ford Escape in the automaker's SUV-heavy lineup.

Aside from some new tech features, the 2021 Ford Edge doesn’t get many significant changes, so we can evaluate it based on our experience with previous model years. As with the 2020 model year, trim levels include SE, SEL, ST-Line, Titanium, and ST.