Toyota Land Cruiser vs Ford Edge

The 2021 Ford Edge maintained a familiar design since its 2019 refresh, which successfully aligned its exterior with Ford's contemporary styling. 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, while the ST trim boasted a blacked-out grille, 20-inch wheels, and a body kit. Inside, the Edge's design began to show its age, with awkward tweaks to accommodate new features like a larger touchscreen. The Titanium models offered leather upholstery, and the ST models included sporty front seats with contrast stitching.

In contrast, the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, in its final year of the current form, offered a Heritage Edition trim to celebrate its 65th anniversary. This edition looked striking in Midnight Black with bronze BBS wheels and retro badges. However, the standard Land Cruiser, with its Magnetic Gray paint and Terra leather upholstery, appeared more like a first-generation Highlander with excessive chrome and oversized lights. Inside, the Land Cruiser mixed Toyota parts-bin switchgear with high-quality materials, featuring a traditional hand-operated parking brake and a CD player. The interior felt like a nostalgic trip back in time, lacking the modern flair of its competitors.

The 2021 Ford Edge offered a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, delivering 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It came with standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive. The Edge ST performance model featured a twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 engine, producing 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque, with standard all-wheel drive and model-specific suspension tuning. The Edge ST could tow up to 4,525 pounds, while the base model had a maximum towing capacity of 3,958 pounds.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, powered by a 381-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 engine, offered a quiet ride with a full-time four-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed automatic transmission. With 401 pound-feet of torque available at 2,200 rpm, it provided impressive thrust. The Land Cruiser's off-road capabilities were enhanced by a Torsen limited-slip differential, mud-and-snow tires, and a suite of off-road features like Crawl Control and Multi-Terrain Select. It could tow up to 8,100 pounds, making it a formidable choice for those needing serious towing capacity.

The 2021 Ford Edge provided competitive interior space, with the most rear-seat headroom among two-row midsize crossovers. It offered 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 73.4 cubic feet with them folded. The Edge's rotary shift knob freed up space on the center console, though the console's narrow width limited its utility.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser's interior, while luxurious, lacked impressive storage space. It featured plush leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, and a four-zone climate control system with 28 air vents. The second-row bench seat was roomy, and the third-row seat could accommodate adults if the second row slid forward. Cargo space measured 16.1 cubic feet behind the third row, expanding to 82.8 cubic feet with the second-row seats folded.

The 2021 Ford Edge came equipped with Ford's Sync 4 infotainment system, featuring a 12-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The Edge ST models included a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The system's simple graphics and menu layouts made it user-friendly.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser's technology felt dated, with a 9-inch touchscreen that required tapping rather than swiping. It lacked Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the voice-recognition system was basic. The Land Cruiser featured a 14-speaker JBL Synthesis audio system and a dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system, though it lacked modern streaming capabilities.

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 Ford Co-Pilot360, with automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and more.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, with 10 airbags and substantial curb weight, offered a good chance of survival in collisions. It included Toyota Safety Sense (TSS-P) with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. However, it lacked advanced driving assistance systems like stop-and-go adaptive cruise control.