Compare the2023 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2022 BMW X1

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

Safety

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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 X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking in the Equinox as “Superior.” The X1 scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The Equinox LT/RS/Premier offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The X1 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Equinox’s optional blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The X1 doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Equinox’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The X1 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Equinox and the X1 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 and daytime running lights.

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 BMW X1:

	Equinox	X1
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	159	328
Neck Injury Risk	17%	32%
Neck Stress	190 lbs.	360 lbs.
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	60 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	31%
Neck Stress	153 lbs.	175 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	264/236 lbs.	309/268 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the BMW X1:

	Equinox	X1
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	143
Hip Force	357 lbs.	486 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	55 G’s	65 G’s
Hip Force	630 lbs.	637 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Hip Force	730 lbs.	815 lbs.

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

Warranty

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Equinox 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 8 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

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 Equinox’s reliability 16 points higher than the X1.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 9th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

Fuel Economy and Range

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 X1 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Equinox stops much shorter than the X1:

	Equinox	X1
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Equinox’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X1 (235/50R19 vs. 225/50R18).

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 X1 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 X1 (107.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Equinox has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (7.9 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the BMW X1.

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 X1 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 X1 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Equinox has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.9 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

Cargo Capacity

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X1 with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 27.1 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 58.7 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Equinox LT/RS/Premier’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The X1 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Equinox has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The X1 has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Equinox uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X1 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Equinox offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The X1 doesn’t offer a remote starting 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 X1 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 X1 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 X1 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Equinox has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Equinox’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the X1’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Both the Equinox and the X1 offer available heated front seats. The Equinox Premier also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the X1.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Equinox Premier keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The X1 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 X1 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Equinox will cost $130 to $790 less than the X1 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the X1 because typical repairs cost much less on the Equinox than the X1, including $325 less for a water pump, $28 less for a muffler, $272 less for a starter, $84 less for fuel injection, $266 less for front struts, $493 less for a timing belt/chain and $551 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Equinox will be $5723 to $9218 less than for the BMW X1.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance. The BMW X1 isn't recommended.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the BMW X1 by almost 13 to one during the 2021 model year.