2021 Ford Escape vs 2021 Ford Edge

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 current design language, making it a cleaner alternative to the more aggressively styled Chevy Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe. The Edge Titanium models featured additional chrome accents, while the ST trim boasted a blacked-out grille, 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. However, the interior of the Edge showed signs of aging, with a design that struggled to integrate newer features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models offered leather upholstery, and the ST models included sporty front seats with contrast stitching.

The 2021 Ford Escape, in its fourth generation, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback with its curved snout and sleek roofline, resembling an enlarged Focus. Despite its car-like appearance, it maintained the tall ride height of an SUV. For 2021, the Escape introduced new appearance packages for three of its four trim levels, including the SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package. These packages added features like 19-inch alloy wheels, ActiveX upholstery with Miko Suede seat inserts, and leather trim. The interior design, however, lacked cohesion, with an angular instrument cluster that didn't match the exterior's sleekness. Interior materials were also found to be subpar, and even the top Titanium model didn't come with standard leather upholstery.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, producing 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and came with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The Edge ST performance model featured an EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 engine, delivering 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque on 93-octane fuel. The ST model included 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, while not quite matching the performance of a Porsche Macan, offered a sporty driving experience. The Edge's towing capacities were 3,958 pounds for the base FWD model, 4,122 pounds for the AWD model, and 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered ST.

The 2021 Ford Escape provided a variety of powertrains, including two gasoline engines, a hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid. The base engine was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost, producing 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available in FWD or AWD. An upgraded 2.0-liter turbo-four engine offered 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, available only with AWD. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid models used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, producing a combined 200 hp. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery allowed for significant electric-only driving. The hybrid was available in FWD or AWD, while the plug-in hybrid was FWD only. The Escape's towing capacity was 3,500 pounds with the 2.0-liter engine, but figures for the hybrid and plug-in hybrid were not provided.

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 as standard. Cargo space was 39.2 cubic feet with the rear seats up 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. A storage nook below the console was hard to reach and easy to forget.

The 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like styling, compared well with traditional compact SUVs in terms of interior space. It offered near-top segment headroom and legroom in both rows, with a standard sliding rear seat to adjust legroom or cargo space. Sliding the rear seat back provided 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models, second only to the Hyundai Tucson. However, the battery placement in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models reduced legroom. Cargo space was 33.5 cubic feet with the rear seat up in gasoline models, expandable to 37.5 cubic feet by sliding the seat forward. Folding the rear seat provided 65.4 cubic feet in gasoline models and 60.8 cubic feet in hybrid/plug-in hybrid models. Competitors like the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester offered more cargo space.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured Ford's latest Sync 4 infotainment system, with standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a 12-inch touchscreen. Standard tech included Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST models added a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The Edge also 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 2021 Ford Escape used the older Sync 3 infotainment system, with base Escape S models getting only a 4.2-inch touchscreen. Standard features included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Upgrading to the Escape SE added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Titanium trim level included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. While Sync 3 was easy to use, the Escape lacked some standard tech features compared to competitors and missed out on wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available with Sync 4.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS “Top Safety Pick,” scoring 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, “Acceptable” for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and mixed headlight ratings. The NHTSA awarded the Edge a five-star overall safety 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 and Evasive Steering Assist were standard on all but the base SE trim.

The 2021 Ford Escape also earned an IIHS “Top Safety Pick” rating, with top “Good” scores in all crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It received high marks for front-crash prevention tech but had mixed headlight ratings. The NHTSA gave the Escape a five-star overall safety 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 with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The optional Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, park assist, and Evasive Steering Assist.