Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2022 Chevrolet Equinox

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Toyota Highlander has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Highlander AWD’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

The Highlander’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Highlander and the Equinox 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 Toyota Highlander weighs 633 to 1176 pounds more than the Chevrolet Equinox. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Highlander	Equinox
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	109
Chest Movement	.3 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	79 G’s	195 G’s
Hip Force	300 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	288
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	55 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	630 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	366	377
Hip Force	664 lbs.	730 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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Equinox is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

The Highlander’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Equinox.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 12 points higher than the Equinox.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Equinox isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 12th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 17th.

Engine

The Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 125 more horsepower (295 vs. 170) and 60 lbs.-ft. more torque (263 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Highlander is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Highlander	Equinox
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	9.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.2 sec	6.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	82 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Highlander has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Highlander has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Highlander, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Equinox.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Highlander’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Equinox:

	Highlander	Equinox
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	11.3 inches

The Highlander’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Equinox are solid, not vented.

The Highlander stops shorter than the Equinox:

	Highlander	Equinox
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	120 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Highlander has larger tires than the Equinox (235/65R18 vs. 225/65R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Highlander L/LE/XLE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Equinox LS/LT. The Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Equinox.

Suspension and Handling

The Highlander has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Highlander flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Highlander’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Equinox (112.2 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Equinox.

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander XLE AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Equinox LT AWD (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Equinox (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Equinox can only carry 5.

The Highlander has 38.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (141.3 vs. 103.2).

The Highlander has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Equinox.

	Highlander	Equinox
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	29.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	63.9 cubic feet

The Highlander’s cargo area is larger than the Equinox’s in almost every dimension:

	Highlander	Equinox
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.8”/48”/80.7”	n.a./34.9”/67.4”
Max Width	50”	53.7”
Min Width	45.8”	40.7”
Height	31”	31”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Highlander. The Equinox doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Highlander Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Highlander’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Equinox’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Highlander the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Equinox can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Highlander has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Equinox doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Highlander Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Equinox’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Highlander’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Equinox’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Highlander to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Equinox doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Highlander has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Equinox and isn’t available on the Equinox LS.

The Highlander’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Equinox LS doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Highlander is less expensive to operate than the Equinox because it costs $564 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Highlander than the Equinox, including $200 less for a water pump, $801 less for a muffler, $176 less for front brake pads, $15 less for fuel injection, $172 less for a fuel pump, $55 less for front struts and $269 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Chevrolet Equinox by 21% during the 2021 model year.