Compare the2023 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2023 Dodge Durango

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
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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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 Durango doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Equinox’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.

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 Durango 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.

Both the Equinox and the Durango have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems 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 Dodge Durango:

	Equinox	Durango
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	17%	34%
Neck Stress	190 lbs.	236 lbs.
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	11 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	26%
Neck Stress	153 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	86 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Durango:

	Equinox	Durango
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	86	119
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	22 cm	26 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	.7/.1 kN	5.3/2.5 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	6%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.47/.51	1.53/.59
Tibia forces R/L	1.2/.2 kN	1.9/1.4 kN

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 Dodge Durango:

	Equinox	Durango
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	43 G’s

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Equinox is 1.3% to 4.8% less likely to roll over than the Durango.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Equinox the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 233 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Durango was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Durango’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 20 percent more Chevrolet dealers than there are Dodge dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Equinox has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Durango.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox first among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Durango isn’t in the top three in its category.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better mileage than the Durango:

			MPG
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
Durango
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Equinox uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Durango with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 51.4 cents more per gallon.

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 Durango 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 Dodge Durango (5 to 7). This means the Equinox produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Durango every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Equinox stops much shorter than the Durango:

	Equinox	Durango
60 to 0 MPH	132 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	160 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 Durango doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Equinox Premier AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Durango GT pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Equinox Premier executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Durango GT 4x4 (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Durango’s (37.4 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1500 to 1850 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

The Equinox is 1 foot, 5.7 inches shorter than the Durango, making the Equinox easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 Durango 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 Durango doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Equinox has .1 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the Durango.

The front step up height for the Equinox is 2.5 inches lower than the Durango (17.2” vs. 19.7”). The Equinox’s rear step up height is 2.2 inches lower than the Durango’s (17.5” vs. 19.7”).

Cargo Capacity

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume than the Durango with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 17.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Equinox easier. The Equinox’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Durango’s liftover is 31.4 inches.

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Equinox Premier’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Durango doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

All models of the Equinox can be flat towed on all four wheels, 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. Only the Durango V8 4WD can be dinghy towed.

Ergonomics

The Equinox’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Durango’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Equinox’s front and rear power windows all lower 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 Durango’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

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 Durango doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Equinox Premier has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Durango doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Durango doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Equinox will cost $420 less than the Durango over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the Durango because typical repairs cost much less on the Equinox than the Durango, including $32 less for a starter, $267 less for front struts, $123 less for a timing belt/chain and $58 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 $7116 to $20293 less than for the Dodge Durango.

Recommendations

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

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Dodge Durango by almost four to one during 2022.