Ford Edge vs Hyundai Palisade Hybrid

The 2021 Ford Edge maintained a consistent styling since its 2019 refresh, which successfully aligned its exterior with Ford's contemporary design language. This refresh gave the Edge a cleaner look compared to the more elaborate designs of competitors like the Chevy Blazer and Hyundai Santa Fe. The Edge Titanium models featured additional chrome accents to signify their premium status, while the Edge ST trim boasted a blacked-out grille, standard 20-inch wheels, and a sporty body kit. The ST-Line offered similar styling without the performance enhancements and higher price tag of the ST. Inside, the Edge's interior began to show its age, with a design that struggled to keep up with new features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models offered leather upholstery, and the ST models included sporty front seats with extra bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid was available in four trim levels: SEL, SEL Premium, Limited, and Calligraphy. Each trim exuded style and presence, with the base SEL trim featuring 18-inch alloy wheels and a massive grille with horizontal slats framed by LED projector headlights. The Palisade's profile included body-color, heated side mirrors, with power-folding and auto-dimming features added on the SEL Premium. The Calligraphy trim featured body-color side sills and acoustic side glass on the rear windows. The rear of the Palisade was equally striking, with wide-spaced letters spelling the vehicle's name and stacks of LED taillights. Inside, the Palisade impressed with its organic design and thoughtful storage solutions. The SEL trim offered H-Tex synthetic leatherette upholstery and eight-way power adjustment for the driver's seat. Higher trims added features like Nappa leather upholstery and integrated driver's seat memory settings, creating a rich feeling of craftsmanship.

The 2021 Ford Edge primarily utilized a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, delivering 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, available in front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The Edge ST performance model featured a more powerful EcoBoost twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 engine, producing 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque on 93-octane fuel. The ST came with standard AWD, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and model-specific suspension tuning. An optional package included upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. The Edge ST aimed to compete with performance SUVs like the Porsche Macan, although some found this comparison ambitious. The Edge offered respectable towing capacities, with the V6-powered Edge ST capable of towing up to 4,525 pounds.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid redefined hybrid performance with its 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors and a 1.65-kWh battery. The turbo-four engine alone produced 258 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, while the combined output with the electric motors reached 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain was complemented by an advanced eight-speed automatic transmission and Hyundai's next-generation hybrid system, which optimized power distribution and improved fuel efficiency. The Palisade Hybrid offered a smooth and quiet ride, with noise-absorbing carpet and acoustic glass minimizing road and engine noise. The steering was sharp and responsive, although the pedal feel was somewhat soft. Overall, the Palisade Hybrid provided a refined and enjoyable driving experience.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered competitive interior space, with the most rear-seat headroom among two-row midsize crossovers. Legroom in both rows was only surpassed by the Hyundai Santa Fe. The Edge provided 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 73.4 cubic feet with them folded, trailing only the Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. A foot-activated power liftgate was available on higher trims. The center console featured a rotary shift knob to free up space, but its narrow width limited storage capacity. A storage nook below the console was difficult to reach and easy to forget.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid offered 86.7 cubic feet of total cargo capacity, trailing some competitors but surpassing others like the Ford Explorer and Nissan Pathfinder. The battery's position under the front passenger seat slightly reduced second-row legroom, but the third row offered competitive space with 32.1 inches of legroom, extendable to 33.6 inches in the Calligraphy trim. The Palisade Hybrid featured a comfortable cabin with three-zone climate control, six USB-C power outlets, and seating for seven, with an optional second-row bench increasing capacity to eight. The interior was filled with convenient storage solutions, including a rubberized cargo space and a small shelf ahead of the front-passenger seat.

The 2021 Ford Edge was equipped with Ford's latest Sync 4 infotainment system, featuring a 12-inch touchscreen and standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Bluetooth, SiriusXM with 360L satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot were also standard. The Edge ST models included a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The Sync 4 system was praised for its simple graphics and straightforward menu layouts, making it user-friendly.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid came with a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a matching digital instrument cluster. It supported HD and Sirius XM satellite radio, wireless Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. The Palisade Hybrid featured a Passenger Talk intercom system for easy communication between rows. Higher trims added a 14-speaker Bose stereo and a built-in dashcam. A 15-watt wireless charging pad was standard, although it could overheat on warm days. The Palisade Hybrid introduced "Stay Mode," allowing the climate control and infotainment system to run while the gas engine was off.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS "Top Safety Pick," with top ratings in crash tests and front crash prevention tech. It received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control and Evasive Steering Assist were standard on all but the base trim.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid came with a comprehensive suite of ADAS, including blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic assist, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection. The blind-view monitor was standard on the SEL Premium and up. The Palisade Hybrid's ADAS performed flawlessly during testing, although it had not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS.