2021 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2021 Ford Edge

The 2021 Ford Edge retained much of its styling from the 2019 refresh, which successfully aligned its exterior with Ford's more recent designs. This refresh gave the Edge a cleaner look compared to the more elaborate styling of competitors like the 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 exterior styling as the ST but without the performance upgrades. Inside, the Edge's design showed its age, despite updates to accommodate new features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models had leather upholstery, and the ST models included sporty front seats with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus, previously known as the second-generation Lincoln MKX, underwent a significant transformation in 2019, adopting a more attractive design and moving away from the alphanumeric naming convention. For 2021, the exterior remained unchanged, but the cabin received a major update with a new dash design featuring clean lines, soft materials, and a large, crisp touchscreen. The "Piano Key" shifter-button layout was easy to use, although finding the stop-start button took some extra time. The standard 13.2-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen system was user-friendly and visually appealing, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Nautilus came in three trims: Standard, Reserve, and Black Label, each offering a range of luxury features and driver-assistance technologies.

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. It came with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and 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, with standard AWD and model-specific suspension tuning. The Edge ST also had an option package for upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. The Edge's towing capacities ranged from 3,958 pounds for the base FWD model to 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered Edge ST.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The Reserve and Black Label trims offered a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 engine, generating 355 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The four-cylinder engine had standard FWD and available AWD, while the twin-turbo V6 came with standard AWD. The V6 provided smooth and controlled power delivery, especially at highway speeds, complemented by the adaptive suspension that minimized road bumps. The engine stop-start feature conserved fuel but caused a slight delay in response. Overall, the Nautilus offered a pleasant driving experience in various scenarios.

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. The Edge provided 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 73.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, trailing only the Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. Higher trim levels offered a foot-activated power liftgate. The rotary shift knob freed up some space on the center console, but the narrow width limited its utility. The raised console allowed for a storage nook below, though it was difficult to reach and easy to forget items placed there.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus offered up to 68.8 cubic feet of cargo space, surpassing the Lexus RX 350 and Cadillac XT5. With the rear seats in use, it provided 37.2 cubic feet of cargo space. A power liftgate was standard, with an available hands-free option. The Nautilus emphasized two-row comfort, with ample head- and legroom in the rear seats and optimal front seats, especially with the available 22-way multi-contour power-adjustable units. The soft-touch center console and door handles added to the comfort. The Nautilus featured a large center console bin, deep in-door pockets, and storage below the floating center controls.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured the latest Sync 4 infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen, standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST models included 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 made it user-friendly, and not all competitors offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus came with a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring high-definition graphics and a sensible menu layout. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto displayed well on the large screen, with no unnecessary repackaging of CarPlay. The available wireless charging pad enhanced the phone-car relationship. The Revel 19-speaker premium audio system provided excellent sound quality. The Nautilus's tech was easy to use, with no barriers to entry or complicated controls.

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 headlight ratings. The NHTSA gave the Edge a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. The Edge's 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 Lincoln Nautilus came with the standard CoPilot360 package, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Additional available features included adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, surround-view parking monitor, and adaptive headlights. However, the standard backup camera was low-quality, making it difficult to see in low-light scenarios.