Ford Edge vs Kia Seltos

The 2021 Ford Edge had a design that remained largely unchanged since its 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, standard 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. The ST-Line offered the same exterior styling as the ST but without the performance upgrades and higher price tag. However, the interior of the Edge began to show its age, with a design that seemed less fresh and awkwardly modified over the years to fit new features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models came with leather upholstery, and the ST models had sporty front seats with added bolstering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrast stitching.

The 2022 Kia Seltos was positioned between the smaller Soul and the larger Sportage, offering five trim levels: LX, S, EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX. All trims except the Seltos S included standard all-wheel drive (AWD). The Nightfall Edition, our test vehicle, featured matte-black 18-inch alloy wheels, a turbocharged engine, a dual-clutch transmission (DCT), a black grille, added body cladding, and robust roof rails. The Seltos had an appealing design, though the headlights beneath the wide, horizontal running lights were not favored. The Nightfall Edition's intricate wheels were attractive but barely visible due to their matte finish. Inside, the Seltos displayed a good sense of style with its contrast-color dashboard panel, exposed stitching, gloss-black trim, and metallic accents. However, the abundance of shiny hard plastic made the interior look cheap, despite excellent build quality. The controls were logically arranged, with knobs for commonly adjusted features and buttons with a matte-black finish and clear markings. The infotainment system's purple accent color was not widely liked, but the Seltos was larger, more useful, more refined, and more powerful than many of its direct rivals.

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 with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque on 93-octane fuel, standard AWD, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and model-specific suspension tuning. An option package added upgraded brakes and 21-inch wheels with summer tires. The Edge ST was benchmarked against performance SUVs like the Porsche Macan, though the comparison was considered a stretch. The Edge was refined for a vehicle based on an aging platform, but the turbo-four engine in non-ST models was somewhat sluggish. The Edge had respectable towing capacities: 3,958 pounds for the base FWD four-cylinder, 4,122 pounds for four-cylinder AWD models, and 4,525 pounds for the V6-powered Edge ST.

The 2022 Kia Seltos LX, S, and EX had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The LX and EX included standard AWD, while the Seltos S offered both FWD and AWD. The Nightfall Edition and SX trims featured a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 175 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). The turbo-DCT combination made the Seltos more engaging to drive than some rivals. The Seltos had Normal, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Smart mode balancing fuel efficiency and responsiveness but sometimes being unpredictable. Sport mode quickened the powertrain's pulse, but the transmission occasionally struggled to find the right gear. The Seltos Nightfall Edition returned 27 mpg in combined driving during testing. The AWD system had a Lock function for even power distribution at lower speeds, but the 7.3-inch ground clearance was less than class leaders. The Seltos was suitable for light off-roading and snowstorms but not for more challenging terrain. The suspension tuning was the least appealing aspect, with the Seltos exhibiting lateral rocking motions and feeling bouncy on uneven roads. The Seltos was lively in urban environments, with excellent outward visibility and easy parking. On the highway, the steering was secure but not engaging, and there were no braking issues. Wind noise and road roar were significant, but the Seltos was still better than many rivals in its class.

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. Dual-zone automatic climate control was standard. Cargo space was 39.2 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 73.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, behind only the Honda Passport and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. 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 it was difficult to reach and easy to forget items placed there.

The 2022 Kia Seltos excelled in form and function, offering a roomy interior that was easy to live with daily. The ride height and large door openings made getting in and out easy. The Nightfall Edition had a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel for a comfortable driving position. The front passenger’s seat was not height-adjustable but provided proper leg support. The Nightfall Edition featured cloth upholstery with Sofino simulated leather bolsters and head restraints, single-zone automatic climate control, and heated front seats. The upper door panel trim was hard plastic, which was unkind to elbows. The rear seat was spacious for adults, with generous legroom and footroom, rear air conditioning vents, a USB charging port, and a center armrest with cupholders. However, the seatback angle was too reclined for comfort. The Seltos had decent storage space, including a smartphone shelf, and cargo space measured 26.6 cubic feet behind the back seat and 62.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. Plastic grocery sack hooks helped prevent items from rolling around.

The 2021 Ford Edge featured the latest Sync 4 infotainment system with a standard 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 was praised for its simple graphics and straightforward menu layouts, making it easy for new users to acclimate. Not all competitors offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

For 2022, Kia expanded the availability of its 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system to the S trim level, where it was an option. This system was standard on the Seltos EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX, with the SX trim pairing it with a Bose premium sound system. The system included Bluetooth that could pair with two devices simultaneously, a navigation system, connected services, satellite radio, and a six-speaker stereo. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto required a cable connection with this system, while the standard 8-inch touchscreen in the LX and S trims offered wireless smartphone connectivity. The infotainment system was intuitive to use, with a volume knob, a tuning knob, and physical buttons for quick access to primary functions. However, the voice recognition system was frustrating without an active subscription to connected services, and the purple theme color was not widely liked.

The 2021 Ford Edge was an IIHS “Top Safety Pick,” scoring the top “Good” rating in all crash tests and the top “Superior” rating for front crash prevention tech in vehicle-to-vehicle situations. It received a lower “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 depending on trim level. 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 included standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner, such as 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 but the base SE trim, along with Evasive Steering Assist.

The 2022 Kia Seltos came with numerous driving assistance systems, including forward-collision avoidance, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Seltos also had a Rear Occupant Alert system. The Seltos EX added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while the SX trim included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, Highway Driving Assist, and Safe Exit Assist. The Nightfall Edition test vehicle did not have adaptive cruise control or Highway Driving Assist, but the lane-centering assist technology was accurate and refined. The Seltos offered connected services with safety-related functions like 911 Connect and programmable alerts for parents of teen drivers. The IIHS gave the 2022 Seltos SX a Top Safety Pick rating, with other versions not qualifying due to inferior headlight performance. The NHTSA gave the Seltos an overall rating of four stars, missing a top five-star rating due to a four-star performance in the front-passenger, frontal-impact crash test.