Compare the2022 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2021 Hyundai Tucson

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the Chevrolet Equinox’s rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Hyundai Tucson doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Equinox are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tucson doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Equinox and the Tucson 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, 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 Hyundai Tucson:

	Equinox	Tucson
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	159	172
Neck Injury Risk	17%	21%
Neck Stress	190 lbs.	219 lbs.
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	97 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	37%
Neck Stress	153 lbs.	162 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Equinox	Tucson
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	730 lbs.	1028 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Equinox has a standard 700-amp battery. The Tucson’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 10th.

Engine

The Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (170 vs. 161) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 150) than the Tucson’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 28 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Equinox is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Equinox	Tucson 2.0	Tucson 2.4
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	9.7 sec	8.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.7 sec	17.2 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83.1 MPH	81.1 MPH	84.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better fuel mileage than the Tucson:

			MPG
Equinox
	2WD	1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
	4WD	1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
Tucson
	2WD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	4WD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/25 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Equinox’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Tucson doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Equinox has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Tucson doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Equinox higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Tucson (5 to 7). This means the Equinox produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Equinox stops shorter than the Tucson:

	Equinox	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Equinox has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tucson doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Equinox’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Tucson (107.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Equinox’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Tucson’s (58% to 42%). This gives the Equinox more stable handling and braking.

The Equinox Premier handles at .83 G’s, while the Tucson Limited AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Equinox has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tucson (7.9 vs. 6.4 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the Equinox offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tucson doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Equinox uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Tucson doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Equinox has .4 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room and 1.7 inches more rear legroom than the Tucson.

The front step up height for the Equinox is 1.8 inches lower than the Tucson (17.2” vs. 19”). The Equinox’s rear step up height is 2.5 inches lower than the Tucson’s (17.5” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Equinox has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tucson with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 61.9 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Equinox LT/RS/Premier’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Tucson doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Equinox can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Equinox can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Tucson can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Equinox Premier, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Tucson doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Equinox Premier’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tucson doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tucson does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Equinox’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its driver’s window also automatically closes, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Tucson’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Equinox’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tucson can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Equinox’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Tucson doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Equinox’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Tucson Value/SEL/Sport/Limited/Ultimate.

When the Equinox Premier is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Tucson’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Equinox Premier’s standard rear view mirror and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tucson offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Equinox and the Tucson offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Equinox has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Equinox (except LS) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tucson doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Equinox Premier’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Tucson doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Equinox with a number “8” insurance rate while the Tucson is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the Tucson because typical repairs cost less on the Equinox than the Tucson, including $28 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Equinox and the Hyundai Tucson, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox second among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Tucson isn’t in the top three.