2021 Kia Sportage vs 2021 Ford Edge

The 2021 Kia Sportage featured a distinctive design with its tiger-nose grille and bulbous headlights, which some might have described as frog-like. Kia, however, marketed the Sportage’s styling as “Euro-focused.” This two-row crossover SUV had a relatively short wheelbase and short overhangs, making it ideal for city driving. The headlights carried over from the 2020 model, and the Sportage could be equipped with 17-, 18-, or 19-inch wheels. Inside, an 8-inch touchscreen display served as a stylish centerpiece, flanked by air vents and physical buttons and knobs for tuning and volume. The interior, while not the most tech-forward, was still a pleasant place to sit.

In contrast, the 2021 Ford Edge retained much of its styling from the 2019 refresh, which successfully integrated the current Ford look with the existing Edge body shell. The Edge Titanium models featured extra chrome, while the Edge ST trim boasted a blacked-out grille, standard 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. The interior, however, showed its age with a design that had been awkwardly tweaked over the years to accommodate new features like a larger touchscreen. Titanium models came with leather upholstery, and ST models had sporty front seats with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2021 Kia Sportage offered three trims: LX, EX, and SX Turbo, with either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The LX and EX trims were powered by a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. The SX Turbo trim featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged GDI four-cylinder engine, delivering 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. All Sportage models had a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy for the FWD Sportage with the 2.4-liter engine was 23 mpg city, 30 highway, and 26 combined, while AWD models saw a slight dip. The turbocharged models had lower fuel economy, with the FWD version at 20/28/23 and the AWD at 19/24/21. The Sportage’s McPherson-strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension provided a smooth ride, though the steering and tire grip left something to be desired.

The 2021 Ford Edge primarily used 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 FWD or optional 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 offered an option package with upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. The Edge had respectable towing capacities, with the base FWD model towing up to 3,958 pounds, the AWD four-cylinder model up to 4,122 pounds, and the V6-powered Edge ST up to 4,525 pounds.

The 2021 Kia Sportage, while on the smaller side of the compact crossover segment, offered good interior space for both the driver and passengers. The SX Turbo trim featured a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and an 8-way power-adjustable passenger seat, with heated and ventilated seats. Rear legroom and headroom were adequate, but cargo space was limited, with 30.7 cubic feet behind the second row and 60.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

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 generous, with 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’s rotary shift knob freed up space on the center console, though the narrow width of the console limited the available space.

The 2021 Kia Sportage came with an 8-inch touchscreen interface for its infotainment system, which included Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and USB ports as standard. Most trims also featured Kia’s UVO Link connected services. The SX Turbo trim added wireless charging and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system. The technology was user-friendly, with logical menus, physical buttons, and handy knobs.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured Ford’s 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 also 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 easy for new users to acclimate.

The 2021 Kia Sportage excelled in safety, with standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, automatic high beams, and a driver-monitoring system. The SX Turbo trim added adaptive cruise control. The Sportage earned Top Safety Pick status from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and performed well in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash tests.

The 2021 Ford Edge was also an IIHS Top Safety Pick, scoring top ratings in all crash tests and front crash prevention tech in vehicle-to-vehicle situations. However, it received lower ratings for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention tech, LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and headlight performance. The NHTSA gave the Edge a five-star overall safety rating. The Edge came with standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner, 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.