Compare the2023 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2023 MINI Countryman

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 Countryman 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 Countryman scores only 3 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 Countryman 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 Countryman 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 Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Equinox and the Countryman 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.

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

There are almost 28 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

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

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 MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 13th.

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 MINI 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, MINI is rated lower.

The Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (175 vs. 134) and 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 162) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Equinox is faster than the MINI Countryman turbo 3 cyl.:

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Equinox higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Countryman (3 to 7). This means the Equinox produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Countryman every 15,000 miles.

The Equinox stops much shorter than the Countryman:

For better traction, the Equinox’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Countryman (235/50R19 vs. 225/55R17).

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 Countryman doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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

The Equinox’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Countryman’s (58.3% to 41.7%). This gives the Equinox more stable handling and braking.

The Equinox Premier handles at .83 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Equinox Premier executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Equinox has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (7.9 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 Countryman 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 Countryman doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Equinox has 6.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (103.2 vs. 96.9).

The Equinox has .5 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

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

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

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 Countryman can’t be towed flat on the ground.

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 Countryman doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Countryman doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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 Countryman only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Equinox has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Equinox and the Countryman 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 Countryman.

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 Countryman doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Equinox LT/RS/Premier offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Countryman doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Equinox will cost $20 to $1600 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because typical repairs cost less on the Equinox than the Countryman, including $31 less for a starter, $193 less for front struts and $46 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 $2260 to $8550 less than for the MINI Countryman.

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

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the MINI Countryman by over 22 to one during 2022.