Used 2022 Chevrolet Equinox

The 2022 Equinox is Chevrolet’s best-selling SUV and it’s a player in the 2-row/5-passenger compact crossover segment. It competes with a dozen other vehicles including the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Ford Escape. The Chevy Equinox has always been a good contender, if not the best in class. It has ample interior room, comfortable manners, and a handsome design. It has also been attractive thanks to a price that slightly undercuts competitors.

The Equinox offers a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Like its rivals, the Equinox includes a suite of active safety features such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist, though you’ll still have to pay up to get adaptive cruise control.

The Equinox has been refreshed for 2022 with restyled front and rear fascias and a sporty-looking RS trim. The update also remedies one of our former gripes with the Equinox: You can now disable the engine start/stop system with the touch of a button.

For 2022, all Equinox models use a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. That might sound small, but it’s normal for modern smaller SUVs and doles out surprising power for its size. In past models, we’ve found its 170 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque do a decent job moving this SUV, and the engine pairs well with the standard 6-speed automatic transmission.

We’ve found the Equinox’s ride to be on the softer and more comfortable end of the spectrum. It’s not as athletic as a Mazda CX-5 or as adventurous as a Jeep Cherokee or Subaru Forester, but it makes a fine Goldilocks in everyday driving. (Stay tuned for official driving impressions once the 2022 model arrives.)

With its update for 2022, Chevrolet has addressed a former complaint we had with the Equinox: You can now defeat the idle start/stop system with the press of a button. The defeat button sits on the center dash, to the left of switch for the hazard lights.

The Chevrolet Equinox has a 2-row/5-passenger cabin that is useful and roomy. The driver and passenger seats are supportive and comfortable. A touchscreen display sits in the center of the dash. Controls for commonly used functions like climate and audio are simple to use. Cloth material has been the standard upholstery for Equinox models, with leather available for high-trim versions.

The top-end Premier model is now fancier with French stitching. The new Equinox RS spices things up with black upholstery, red stitching, and an RS shift knob.

The rear passenger section has good legroom and a reclining bench seat. Cargo space is good, but not best in class. Folding the rear seats down creates 63.9 cubic feet of storage. That compares to 75.8 in the Honda CR-V and 73.5 in the Volkswagen Tiguan. The VW Tiguan is also among the few small SUVs that offer a third row.

With this year’s update, the Equinox gets new front and rear fascias. Up front, the grille has a wider and more aggressive design. In back, changes include new taillights. RS models stand out the most with a gloss black grille, dark 19-inch wheels, and blacked-out badging and other elements.

Top-end Premier Equinox models have gloss-black chrome, LED headlights, and a logo projection on the power tailgate.

Also new to the 2022 Equinox lineup are quad exhaust outlets for a sporty aesthetic. We think the updates keep the Equinox fresh while retaining a handsome design that should hold up well over the years.

STANDARD SAFETY SYSTEMS
Every new Chevrolet Equinox includes a suite of active safety features that includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and IntelliBeam automatic headlights.

The 2022 Chevy Equinox is available in four trims — LS, LT, RS, and Premier. The least expensive Equinox LS includes a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, keyless entry, and push-button start, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four USB ports, and the Teen Driver system that can set parameters and relay information on driving habits. Also standard is General Motors’ OnStar telematics system and subscription-based 4G LTE connectivity with Wi-Fi. Standard safety features include forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist.

Higher trims of the Equinox are more recommendable, as they offer popular features and more amenities. Those include power driver’s seat, surround-view camera, leather interior, and a power liftgate.

Adaptive cruise control can now be had beginning on the LT trim. Other safety features and driving aids include blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and parking sensors. Also available is GM’s nifty Safety Alert Seat, which vibrates the driver’s seat to get your attention, such as getting close to an object when backing up.

A new option for the Premier trim is automatic parking assist, which can help with tasks like parallel parking.

The new RS trim gets darkened exterior aesthetics and unique interior accents. Other options include amenities and features like heated seats, navigation, and premium audio.

The 2022 Chevy Equinox features a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard and all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional for better traction with either engine. Standard is a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 170 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque. That’s adequate for most tasks and gives the Equinox a tow rating of 1,500 pounds.

The 1.5-liter engine uses a 6-speed automatic transmission. All Equinox models have an idle start/stop system that cuts engine power at idle, such as at stoplights. New for 2022 is the ability to disable start/stop with the touch of a button.

1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4
170 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
203 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26/31 mpg (FWD), 25/30 mpg (AWD)