2022 Chevy Equinox vs 2022 Ford Escape
Manufacturers have been putting their all into their respective SUV lineups, and it's generally not surprising that many of the most popular examples on the market often compete with one another for a larger market share. SUVs receive all the praise they do because of their versatility. Sometimes, you need a larger or even safer vehicle, and you're not looking for a pickup truck. And, those with families are more likely to purchase an SUV simply because of their size, which translates nicely over to cargo space and passenger comfort. Comparisons seem to get more intense each year, and this is because some manufacturers can be considered neck and neck, depending on who you ask. An example is the 2022 Chevy Equinox vs 2022 Ford Escape, and it's a perfect look into how two popular SUVs are dishing it out for superiority.
Pricing is crucial for any vehicle's success––not just SUVs. When a customer is interested in a vehicle, it's the price tag that instantly dictates whether or not a vehicle is in their budget. So, given that the Equinox can match or exceed the Escape in numerous ways, pricing is a massive draw to the Equinox. For example, the Equinox starts at an MSRP of $25,800, and the Escape has a starting price of $27,025. With a difference that exceeds $1,000, this puts the Equinox in a fantastic spot unless the Escape has a few tricks up its sleeve.[a] However, as far as pricing is concerned, the Equinox is the cheaper vehicle; there's no doubt about that.
| 2022 Chevy Equinox | vs | 2022 Ford Escape |
| $25,800[a] | MSRP | $27,025 |
| 4-Cylinder | Standard Engine | 3-Cylinder |
| Standard | Apple CarPlay | No |
| 7 in | Screen Size | 4.2 in |
Performance
The performance between the Equinox and Escape is quite interesting. In some ways, the Escape can outperform the Equinox. However, that comes at a high cost. Keep in mind that the Escape already exceeds the price of the Equinox, so adding anything special would raise the cost by a large margin. As for the engines that come standard with these two SUVs, the Equinox features a larger and slightly more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine, whereas the Escape sticks with a turbocharged three-cylinder engine. While they have the same displacement, the four-cylinder setup of the Equinox's base engine against the three-cylinder setup of the Escape's standard engine isn't made equal. The result is a vehicle that both starts at a lower price than its competitor, has a greater torque output, and can achieve similar horsepower.
The specifications of the engines are as follows: the Equinox's only powertrain produces 170 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque. The Escape's base engine, by comparison, has 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque. These numbers may not be substantial enough to warrant a true advantage over the other, but not only does the Equinox's base engine produce nearly 7% more torque than the Escape, but it costs over $1,000 less too. And, for a 6.5% reduction in horsepower, that's a fair trade-off if any sacrifices had to be made, at least in regards to the powertrain.
Upgrades Can Bring Downsides
Bringing an upgraded engine into the equation for the Escape will cost you significantly more money, as you will have to either opt for the top Titanium trim or pay extra to get the larger engine on the SEL trim. This means you will pay at least $36,745 for the engine upgrade. As for the performance differentials, they're certainly there. However, not only does this come at the aforementioned cost, but the larger turbocharged 2.0L engine loses in fuel efficiency against the Equinox's sole engine. When paired with this pricier yet more powerful engine, the 2022 Escape gets an EPA-estimated rating of 26 MPG combined. With the Equinox, however, city mileage is bumped up, resulting in a rating of 28 MPG combined.
Tech Features
Infotainment Technology
One thing that really separates the Equinox from the Escape is its sheer amount of features that are not only offered as additional extras, but that come standard with your SUV. It all starts with the technology because this is something that you'd expect to see plenty of in a brand new vehicle. As for the 2022 Equinox, it does exceptionally well in this category. The 2022 Escape, however, doesn't lack available tech features, but in its standard configuration, it's stuck in the past. The Equinox is the cheaper vehicle overall, so you may not assume that any technological advantage that Chevy's SUV may have over Ford's would be significant. One look into the Equinox and Escape is all you need to see to understand the value-to-feature ratio.The infotainment centers in these two vehicles couldn't be further apart in this situation, at least in their standard configuration. With the Escape, you'll get a 4.2-inch LCD display connected to what can be better described as a multimedia system. The bells and whistles commonly associated with modern-day infotainment centers are sorely missing, and drivers are left with a vehicle that costs them more but gives them less.
Smartphone Integration
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both missing from the base Escape. They're not absent entirely from the model, but you'll have to spend more money upgrading to a higher trim just to get these seemingly common amenities in your Escape. Again, the base Escape costs more than the Equinox, so this price-gouging of features that have come standard on vehicles for so long is rather pointless on Ford's end.With the 2022 Equinox, the base model comes standard with a 7-inch infotainment center that includes both Wireless Apple CarPlay and Wireless Android Auto. The wireless aspect is important to note because the Escape––even if you upgrade to the higher trims––only has the older tethered form of these two technologies. A shining light for the Escape is that it comes standard with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, much like the Equinox, but for the additional $1,000+ you'll be spending on the Escape, not to mention the extra you'd spend if you're securing a model with a comparable feature set, it's not worth it.
Safety
Maximizing Safety
Nowadays, it's not out of the left field to want a vehicle that can protect everyone aboard, whether it's your child, friend, grandparent, or yourself. For the most part, automotive manufacturers have made true to their promise of more rugged and well-designed frames coupled with an assortment of airbags that have been coming standard with vehicles around the late 1980s onwards. But now, manufacturers have had their research and development teams working on technology that aims to not only protect yourself and your vehicle's occupants but those around you on the road too, whether it be another driver or a pedestrian.
The way that manufacturers have taken the next step to maximize the safety of their drivers is by utilizing new tech that actively jumps in to assist the driver at a moment's notice. As for the Equinox and Escape, both vehicles offer a highly similar set of safety features, with each integrated function performing as intended.
Standard Safety Systems
For example, the 2022 Escape comes standard with Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, which is identically matched by Chevy with the 2022 Equinox's Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking. These features are designed to warn you of an impending impact, and whether it's another vehicle or a pedestrian crossing the street, your SUV will be brought to a halt to reduce the severity of any impact.
Both vehicles also come standard with Lane-Departure Warning in addition to Lane-Keep Assist. For the Escape, these features are simply compressed into its Lane-Keeping System. There's no doubt that both safety suites bring high levels of value to each vehicle, but considering that the Escape costs over $1,000 more than the Equinox, then it's clear that, from a value standpoint, the Equinox is the better ride for safety.
There's No Better Place to Visit!
When it comes to finding the right vehicle in the greater area of Castroville, TX, then there's no better place to visit than North Park Chevrolet. At our dealership, we work hard to bring you the best vehicles around at prices that will make you scratch your head and ask, "why isn't that other dealership doing that?" Combine this with an enthusiastic and passionate sales team who are both personable and experts on the vehicles that we sell, and you've got the best dealership around. When you walk onto our dealership lot, the experience is about you. After all, you're the one looking for a vehicle.