Ford Edge vs Cadillac XT5

The 2021 Ford Edge retained styling elements reminiscent of the 2019 model year, when Ford refreshed the Edge's exterior to align with more contemporary designs. This refresh managed to neatly integrate Ford’s current design language with the existing Edge body, resulting in a cleaner alternative to the more extravagantly styled Chevy Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Titanium models of the Edge featured added chrome accents to signify their higher status, while the Edge ST trim stood out with a blacked-out grille, standard 20-inch wheels, and a sporty body kit. Ford also introduced the Edge ST-Line, which boasted the same exterior trimmings as the ST, minus the performance enhancements and higher price tag.

The interior of the 2021 Edge, however, betrayed its age. While the exterior retained its modern look, the interior appeared somewhat dated and awkwardly adjusted over time to incorporate newer features like a larger touchscreen. Titanium models offered leather upholstery, and ST models came with sporty front seats enhanced with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, both featuring contrast stitching.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5, on the other hand, presented a mix of styling elements that fell somewhere between the Cyberpunk angularity of the Lexus NX and the traditional looks of the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. Notably Cadillac, the XT5 featured a bold grille, daytime running lights extending below the headlights, and vertical taillights reminiscent of classic Cadillacs. This created a distinctive, albeit slightly awkward, combination with the XT5’s compact footprint and tall profile.

Cadillac differentiated the Premium Luxury and Sport models with unique styling cues. The Premium Luxury model embraced bright chrome accents for a more traditional Cadillac appearance, whereas the Sport variant sported darker trim and a mesh grille, indicating a performance inclination. Wheel options also varied, with standard 18-inch alloy wheels on Luxury and Premium models, and 20-inch wheels standard on Sport models. Cadillac further offered Onyx and Radiant styling packages featuring dark and bright chrome, respectively, with 20-inch wheels.

Inside, our test car, equipped with the optional Platinum Package, exuded luxury with semi-aniline leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped instrument panel and door trim, a microfiber sueded headliner, and a heated steering wheel. However, it was unclear if the XT5 lived up to luxury-car standards without these added features. Without a strong design theme, the interior struggled to make a distinct statement, lacking the brand-specific touches found in rivals like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes interiors.

The 2021 Ford Edge housed a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine in most models, delivering 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and offered either front-wheel drive (FWD) as standard or optional all-wheel drive (AWD).

The Edge ST was the performance-oriented model, featuring an EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 that produced 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque using 93-octane fuel. It came with standard AWD, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and specific suspension tuning. There was also an optional package that added upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires.

The Edge ST, although it faced some skepticism from enthusiasts due to the ST badge being used on an SUV, claimed to benchmark performance SUVs like the Porsche Macan during its development. While comparisons to Porsche were ambitious, the Edge ST was still an enjoyable drive within its segment, outperforming competitors that didn’t emphasize performance. The Edge also showed impressive refinement for a vehicle built on an aging platform, though the turbo-four engine in non-ST models felt somewhat sluggish.

Ford quoted maximum towing capacities of 3,958 pounds for base FWD four-cylinder models, 4,122 pounds for four-cylinder AWD trims, and 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered Edge ST. These figures were respectable but fell short of the 5,000-pound towing capacities of the AWD-equipped Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport when equipped with the optional VR6 engine.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5, in contrast, offered a base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine across the Luxury and Premium Luxury trims, producing 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel. The XT5 Sport, along with the optional choice for the Premium Luxury trim, had a 3.6-liter V6 engine that produced 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The V6-equipped Premium Luxury trim provided reasonable quickness for most driving situations, despite not being easily mistaken for Cadillac's high-performance V-Series models. Its power delivery was smooth and linear, complemented by the nine-speed automatic’s quick and seamless shifts, avoiding the pitfalls of gear over-selection seen in some nine-speed transmissions.

Our XT5 test car, also equipped with the Platinum Package, had a performance suspension with adaptive dampers that excelled in providing a comfortable ride suitable for luxury car expectations. It effectively smoothed out bumps while maintaining excellent body control, and paired with steering that was quick enough to feel nimble yet stable for relaxed driving. The cabin’s serene quietness further enhanced the luxury experience.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered spacious interiors, maintaining competitiveness with its ample rear-seat headroom among midsize crossovers. It also had commendable legroom in both rows, trailing only the Hyundai Santa Fe. Standard features included dual-zone automatic climate control.

With 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 73.4 cubic feet when the seats were folded, the Edge ranked third behind the Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. Higher trim levels offered a foot-activated power liftgate. The Ford’s rotary shift knob aimed to free up space on the center console, yet the console’s narrow width only provided average extra space, with a lower storage nook that was somewhat hard to access and easy to forget.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 compared favorably to German luxury crossovers with regard to interior space. It offered more front headroom than the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, though less than the BMW X3. In rear headroom, it trailed all three. However, the XT5 had more legroom in both front and rear compared to its German competitors, though it provided less front legroom than the Lincoln Corsair.

While the seats were decent, they left room for improvement. The front seats had narrow bottom cushions that could have benefitted from more padding, and the rear seats needed additional cushioning overall. The XT5’s seats could be considered above average for mainstream SUVs but fell short of luxury vehicle standards.

Cadillac quoted cargo space figures of 30 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 63 cubic feet with them folded. These measurements surpassed the Q5, X3, and GLC, although the Infiniti QX50 offered more capacity in both configurations. The XT5 also featured a hands-free power liftgate.

In the front, Cadillac included a small storage cubby under the touchscreen, which was useful for small items and helped compensate for the limited space on the center console, which housed a rotary controller for the infotainment system and the shifter.

Ford equipped the 2021 Edge with its latest Sync 4 infotainment system for that year, featuring standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a sizable 12-inch touchscreen. Other standard technological features included Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio (offering a three-month trial), and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST models went further with a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.

Four USB ports were incorporated, two of which (including one USB-C) were added for the rear passengers in 2021. While we hadn’t driven a Sync 4-equipped Edge specifically, previous experiences with Sync 4 in other models were generally positive, noting the system’s user-friendly graphics and straightforward menu layouts. Notably, Ford’s competitors didn’t universally offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5’s standard infotainment setup included an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Additional features in the optional Technology Package included an 8-inch digital instrument cluster display and a head-up display.

Usability saw improvements over previous Cadillac infotainment systems but still lagged behind competitors with larger screens, more advanced graphics, and sophisticated voice-recognition tech. While the touchscreen itself was relatively easy to use, secondary controls like the rotary controller proved cumbersome. The capacitive touchpads suffered from poor placement and a lack of physical feedback, requiring more attention than ideal.

Safety ratings and features were substantial for both vehicles. The 2021 Ford Edge achieved IIHS “Top Safety Pick” status with top “Good” scores in all crash tests and a “Superior” rating for front crash prevention in vehicle-to-vehicle circumstances. Nevertheless, it received only an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention, an “Acceptable” for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use, and “Acceptable” to “Poor” headlight ratings based on trim level.

NHTSA gave the 2021 Edge a five-star overall safety rating, including five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests.

Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking (with pedestrian detection), post-collision braking, dynamic brake support, and rear parking sensors. Adaptive cruise control (with stop-and-go and lane centering) was standard on all trims except the base Edge SE, which also offered Evasive Steering Assist.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 came with standard safety features such as forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear park assist, automatic high-beam headlamps, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning. Cadillac’s unique Safety Alert Seat vibrated to provide warnings for specific alerts.

The optional Driver Assist Package included adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and rear automatic braking. The Technology Package added a rear pedestrian alert function, a surround-view camera system, night vision, and automatic parking assist, with blind-spot monitoring available as well. However, it lacked the advanced Super Cruise driver-assist system found in other Cadillac models.

The 2022 XT5 scored “Good” in all IIHS crash tests and achieved a “Superior” rating for front crash prevention tech (with optional enhanced automatic emergency braking), though it received a “Marginal” headlight rating and an “Acceptable” rating for LATCH ease of use. NHTSA also awarded the XT5 a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests, and four stars in rollover testing.