2022 Chevy Equinox vs 2022 Hyundai Tucson

• 2022 Chevy Equinox

  

  Starting at

  $25,800^[a]

  2022 Hyundai Tucson

  

  Starting at

  $25,800

  203	Torque (lb-ft)	178
  27	AWD Fuel Economy (mpg)	26
  6	USB Ports	4

  Comparing the 2022 Chevy Equinox vs 2022 Hyundai Tucson is the perfect opportunity for you, the shopper, to learn more about what each vehicle can offer you. After all, both compact SUVs have received tremendous fanfare throughout their time on the market, and for those who don't remember, the Equinox and Tucson were released the same year. In that time, the Tucson has seen the launch of four generations while the Equinox has seen three. Whether this is a good or bad thing is entirely subjective and isn't where the true differences lay, but it's interesting to see how these two SUVs released the same year deviated from one another down the line.

  Have the Tucson and Equinox always been neck-and-neck with each other? For the most part, yes, but Chevy isn't a stranger to competition as it's regularly other brands that are playing the catch-up game with Chevy. This leaves Chevy in an excellent position in the automotive industry, and it has certainly built up a considerable amount of trust with all of its drivers. Longevity is what keeps customers coming back, and that's what they can expect with the 2022 Chevy Equinox. That's not to say that the Tucson has an entirely uphill battle to climb, as there are several enhancements in the Tucson over the Equinox, but it doesn't quite make up for all of its faults in the grand scheme of things.

• Value & Affordability

  

  Chevy Wins on Price

  Value and affordability are primary concerns when it comes to anybody shopping for a vehicle, and that's because nobody likes spending money that isn't justified with a product or service that lives up to expectations. What may come as a surprise to many is that both SUVs share the same starting MSRP of $25,800 for their base models, the Equinox LS and Tucson SE.[a] Both SUVs have many comparable attributes in the base models, from infotainment center experiences to driver-assist technologies, which bodes well for the Tucson. However, this is the closest that the Tucson will get to the Equinox pricing as you look through the list of other available trims, and the worst part is that the extra cost isn't fully justified by noticeably better performance or features.

  Stepping up one trim from the base models will reveal the Equinox LT and the Tucson SEL. The Equinox LT starts at $26,900, which is slightly less than the $27,100 price tag of the Tucson SEL, yet there are no major advantages that can be found on the Tucson that qualifies for the price increase. It only gets worse from there, with the Equinox RS sporting an MSRP of $30,100 against the N Line with its MSRP of $31,200. Generally speaking, the N Line trim isn't egregiously priced given its inclusion of leather seats and a Bose premium audio solution, but the same can't be said for the top-tier trim, the Tucson Limited. This model starts at an expensive $35,300 while the priciest Equinox model, the Premier, caps out at $31,000.

  Value for Your Money

  The $4,300 difference separating the Equinox Premier from the Tucson Limited must mean the latter is far superior, right? That's far from the truth, and the only redeeming qualities that separate itself from the preceding trims come down to simple amenities such as a panoramic sunroof or a slightly larger infotainment center screen size. With the Equinox, Chevy has set out to give you everything you'd need without the extra fluff and certainly without the extra cost. Even those who aren't on a tight budget should consider the Equinox to save the extra money that would otherwise go towards no real noticeable improvements with the Tucson.

• Fuel Efficiency

  

  All-Wheel Drive vs Front-Wheel Drive

  Fuel efficiency between the Equinox and Tucson may seem relatively similar on the surface, but you'll ultimately be saving more money in the long run with Chevy's SUV. With the Equinox, there's one engine option, and the same can be said for the Tucson. Both models allow for FWD and AWD drivetrains, with the latter slightly affecting the ratings per usual. With that said, the EPA-estimated ratings for the FWD drivetrains sit at 26 MPG city and 31 MPG highway for the Equinox, against 26 MPG city and 33 MPGhighway with the Tucson. As you can see, the Tucson manages to slip ahead of the Equinox in FWD, but most drivers interested in either of these two vehicles will likely opt for AWD for the added versatility and capability.

  With that in mind, the EPA-estimated ratings with AWD sit at 25 MPG city and 30 MPG highway for the Equinox vs 24 MPG city and 29 MPG highway with the Tucson. This bodes even better for the Equinox when you consider its 15.6-gallon fuel tank against the Tucson's 14.3 gallons. This may not sound like a large difference, but you can travel an extra 49 miles with the Equinox against the Tucson when both tanks are full. As for the money you'll be saving, the EPA estimates state that it will cost the average driver around $100 more a year to drive the Tucson than the Equinox. While that isn’t a huge difference, it does add up over time.

  Travel Further, Pay Less

  Regardless of whether you plan on doing plenty of lengthy travel with your SUV or not, the Equinox will not only save you more money upfront but will continue saving you money compared to the driver who opts for the 2022 Tucson instead. Even better, the Equinox can travel much further between fill ups, so you will spend less time at the gas station. It's rather impressive how close these vehicles fare with fuel efficiency, but the numbers don't lie when they say that the Equinox not only allows for more fuel thanks to its larger tank, but it'll burn through it at a slower rate should you opt for the favorable AWD drivetrain.

• Infotainment Experience

  

  Ease of Use

  While they may seem comparable on paper, the infotainment centers inside the Equinox and Tucson are two different entities. Don't let the larger screen size of the Tucson's infotainment center fool you because several caveats make the Tucson not worth recommending. For example, many drivers may not consider the difference between an infotainment center with capacitive touch buttons and physical ones.

  Yes, the Equinox's infotainment center is a touchscreen, but it's combined with an array of physical media controls and knobs. The last generation Tucson used the same setup, but Hyundai, for some reason, saw the need to remove the physical media buttons altogether for the 2022 model. This matters because touch-capacitive controls are notoriously difficult to use when driving, and in some severe cases, simple specs of dust have been known to interfere with capacitive touch controls. Physical media controls have been a part of automobiles for a long time, but it's one of those things that everyone isn't going to willingly omit from their new purchase––nor should they.

  Infotainment Features

  As for the experiences you'll have with both infotainment centers, features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth are here. Interestingly, both models are among the small group of cars that offer wireless smartphone connectivity standard. One small digression that many shoppers are likely to never fully consider is the number of USB ports that vehicles offer within their interiors. This is becoming far more of a necessity as more drivers either charge their phones, plug-in USB media, and so on while they're driving. As for the Tucson, two USB ports come standard, but if you spend extra money, you can get two more USB ports in the back. However, while two USB ports are standard in the Tucson, the Equinox doubles down and offers drivers four USB ports in the base configuration, with another two available for a total of six.

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