Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2023 Chevrolet Equinox

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Tiguan 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 Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

The Tiguan has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Equinox’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tiguan has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Equinox.

Both the Tiguan and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Tiguan	Equinox
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	109
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	195 lbs.
Hip Force	337 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	288
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	55 G’s
Hip Force	510 lbs.	630 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	330	377

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Equinox has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Equinox’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Equinox’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Equinox.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Equinox’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (184 vs. 175) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volkswagen Tiguan is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Tiguan	Equinox
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	24.8 sec	26.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.9 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.4 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84 MPH	83 MPH
Top Speed	126 MPH	124 MPH

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Tiguan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Equinox.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tiguan	Equinox
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

The Tiguan stops shorter than the Equinox:

	Tiguan	Equinox
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	131 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Equinox (255/45R19 vs. 235/50R19).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Equinox’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan SEL R-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Equinox’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

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

The Tiguan has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Equinox (109.9 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line 4Motion® handles at .83 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Equinox can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 20.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (123.9 vs. 103.2).

The Tiguan has .3 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area provides more volume than the Equinox.

	Tiguan	Equinox
Third Seat Folded	33 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	29.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	65.3 cubic feet	63.9 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	63.9 cubic feet

The Tiguan’s cargo area is larger than the Equinox’s in almost every dimension:

	Tiguan	Equinox
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./34.9”/67.4”
Max Width	55”	53.7”
Min Width	39.8”	40.7”
Height	33.5”	31”

Servicing Ease

The Tiguan 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 Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all 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 passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Equinox can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Equinox doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Tiguan’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Equinox’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Equinox doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Tiguan is less expensive to operate than the Equinox because it costs $227 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Tiguan than the Equinox, including $294 less for a muffler, $157 less for front brake pads, $52 less for fuel injection, $195 less for a fuel pump, $208 less for a timing belt/chain and $78 less for a power steering pump.

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