Compare the2025 Subaru OutbackVS 2025 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback 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 Subaru Outback 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 Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Equinox.

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

The Outback’s optional 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 Outback and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Outback 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 has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Outback has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Outback XT). The Equinox’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 14 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (182 vs. 175) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Outback 2.5i’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (182 vs. 175) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 85 more horsepower (260 vs. 175) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Equinox doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

The Outback has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Outback has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.6 gallons).

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

The Outback’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 Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Equinox; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

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

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Equinox’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

The Outback has 4.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (109 vs. 104.3).

The Outback has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outback’s rear seats recline. The Equinox’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 29.8 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 63.5 cubic feet).

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

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (2700 vs. 800 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Equinox AWD is only 1500 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Equinox. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Chevrolet. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Chevrolet is ranked 14th.

The Outback’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 Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Equinox doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback 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 Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Equinox doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Outback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of automatic dimming mirrors.

Both the Subaru Outback and Chevrolet Equinox offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Outback offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Equinox’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.