Both the Equinox and the Encore GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Buick Encore GX:
|
Equinox |
Encore GX |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
159 |
185 |
Neck Injury Risk |
17% |
24% |
Neck Compression |
10 lbs. |
15 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
376 |
401 |
Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
29% |
Neck Stress |
153 lbs. |
153 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
51 lbs. |
82 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
264/236 lbs. |
409/383 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Equinox the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 119 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX has not been tested, yet.