Chevrolet Equinox vs 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 newer designs, making it a cleaner alternative to the more elaborate 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 enhancements and higher price tag. Inside, the Edge's design showed its age, despite updates 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 2022 Chevrolet Equinox received several styling updates, including a new grille, LED headlights, and LED daytime running lights, along with subtle changes to the rear fascia. The grille became more upright, flanked by large fake air intakes, giving the Equinox a chunkier appearance. Unlike the rugged styling of the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, the Equinox maintained a car-based crossover look, with a tall roofline and puffed-up front fascia. The dashboard featured a creative design with a touchscreen and two large air vents at the center, forming a coherent whole. Materials and fit and finish were decent for the price. Most trims came with cloth seats, but perforated leather upholstery was available. The new RS model added black exterior trim, darkened 19-inch wheels, a black interior with red stitching, and a model-specific shift knob.

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, 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 with 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 2022 Chevrolet Equinox was powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It came with standard FWD and optional AWD. The Equinox had more torque than most rivals but less horsepower. In city driving, the Equinox's torque was beneficial, but at higher speeds, the engine felt coarse and unresponsive. The automatic transmission's shifts were also a bit rough. Despite the RS model's sporty appearance, the Equinox wasn't designed for sporty handling and lacked the solidity and refinement of competitors like the Honda CR-V.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered competitive interior space, with the most rear-seat headroom among two-row midsize crossovers and ample legroom in both rows. It had 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 73.4 cubic feet with them folded. A foot-activated power liftgate was available on higher trims. The rotary shift knob freed up space on the center console, but the narrow width limited its usefulness. The raised console provided a storage nook below, but its out-of-the-way location made it easy to forget items placed there.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox had seating for five across two rows, with decent headroom in both rows and good second-row legroom. However, some competitors offered more front-seat legroom. The tall seating position provided an unobstructed forward view, but the rear pillars created a slight blind spot, and the small rear window hampered rear visibility. The climate control buttons and knobs were prominently placed below the touchscreen, making them easy to access. The Equinox offered 29.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 63.9 cubic feet with them folded, which was near the bottom of the segment. A power liftgate was available, but it lacked features like a sliding second-row seat or cargo-area storage bins.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured the latest Sync 4 infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen, 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 were user-friendly, and not all competitors offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox came with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Higher trims had an 8-inch touchscreen and a 4.2-inch instrument-cluster screen. Navigation and a Bose 7-speaker audio system were available. The 8-inch touchscreen was responsive and easy to use, with large, smartphone-like menu icons. The addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was a significant advantage, as most competitors still required users to plug in. The Equinox had several USB ports and power outlets, but the center-console slot for a phone was too small.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS “Top Safety Pick,” with top “Good” ratings in all crash tests and a “Superior” rating for front crash prevention tech in vehicle-to-vehicle situations. It received an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention tech, an “Acceptable” rating for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and “Acceptable” and “Poor” headlight ratings. The NHTSA gave the Edge a five-star overall safety rating. 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 2022 Chevrolet Equinox received top “Good” scores in most IIHS crash tests but a “Marginal” rating in the updated side crash test. It earned a “Superior” rating for front-crash prevention tech in vehicle-to-vehicle situations and an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios. The NHTSA gave the Equinox a five-star overall safety rating. Standard driver-assist features included automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, following distance indicator, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, a Safety Alert Seat, and Chevy’s Teen Driver system. Optional features included adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change alert, and a surround-view camera system.