Compare the2024 Honda CR-VVS 2024 Chevrolet Equinox

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V 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 seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Equinox’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CR-V EX-L/Sport-L/Sport Touring has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the CR-V’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The CR-V’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 CR-V and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda CR-V is much safer than the Equinox:

	CR-V	Equinox
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.3 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	119	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Honda CR-V achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Equinox is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, 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 Honda CR-V’s reliability 22 points higher than the Equinox.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 15 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (190 vs. 175) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The CR-V Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 29 more horsepower (204 vs. 175) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (247 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Honda CR-V is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	CR-V turbo 4 cyl.	CR-V Hybrid	Equinox
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	8.4 sec	9.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.5 sec	5.4 sec	6.2 sec
Quarter Mile	17 sec	16.7 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86 MPH	84 MPH	82 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Equinox:

			MPG
CR-V
	FWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	43 city/36 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	40 city/34 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the CR-V Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Equinox doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The CR-V has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Equinox. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The CR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Equinox doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	CR-V	Equinox
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.3 inches

The CR-V stops shorter than the Equinox:

	CR-V	Equinox
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Equinox (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17).

Suspension and Handling

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

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Equinox.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Equinox LT AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CR-V’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the Equinox’s (37.3 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The CR-V’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the Equinox RS’ (37.3 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Equinox (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CR-V’s minimum ground clearance is .2 inch higher than on the Equinox w/18” Wheels (8.2 vs. 8 inches).

Passenger Space

The CR-V has 2.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (106 vs. 103.2).

The CR-V has .4 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

Cargo Capacity

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 29.9 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 63.9 cubic feet).

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Equinox’s in every dimension:

	CR-V	Equinox
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	36.6”/74.7”	34.9”/67.4”
Max Width	58”	53.7”
Min Width	41.5”	40.7”
Height	36.5”	31”

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

Servicing Ease

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Equinox uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The CR-V’s standard front power windows 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 front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

The CR-V’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Equinox’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The CR-V Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

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 CR-V’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Equinox’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The CR-V’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

Insurance will cost less for the CR-V owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CR-V will cost $75 to $875 less than the Equinox over a five-year period.

The CR-V will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CR-V will retain 57.72% to 58.67% of its original price after five years, while the Equinox only retains 49.47% to 53.1%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda CR-V will be $474 to $1792 less than for the Chevrolet Equinox.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda CR-V and the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 8 more times in the last 23 years. The Equinox has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Equinox has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Chevrolet Equinox by 70% during 2023.

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