What’s the first thing you look for in a prospective vehicle? Do you immediately look at the size of its engine and the horsepower it delivers? Or do you hone in on its infotainment system and technology like connectivity, safety, and driver-assist features? There’s no right or wrong answer, but your response is impacted by the automotive brand and model you’re considering. The American automotive industry’s stringent safety standards guarantee automakers prioritize your safety, regardless of where the latest safety and driver-assist features fall on your list of must-haves. Comparing models like the 2022 Chevy Equinox vs the 2022 Hyundai Tucson is an exceptional example of this.
Chevy and Hyundai are committed to your safety behind the wheel, outfitting each model with an array of active and passive safety features that enhance your visibility, optimize your focus, and minimize the potential for impact or a collision. You’ll discover the Equinox and Tucson share many similar features with brand-specific names. So, how do the best-selling SUVs differ, and which model makes your safety a bigger priority? That’s a question that requires a deeper dive into each model!
Eyes on the Front
Chevrolet and Hyundai equip their best-selling SUVs with virtual spotters that constantly keep an eye on traffic. The Equinox is outfitted with Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Front Pedestrian Braking. The Tucson’s features are comparable, known as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection. These safety features work similarly, constantly monitoring the roadway ahead for pedestrians and vehicles, alerting you to potential collisions. If you fail to respond to the alerts, the systems can enhance your braking or bring the SUV to a controlled stop.
In an effort to constantly monitor traffic and the road, the Equinox and Tucson enhance your visibility and promote safe driving habits. For example, both SUVs feature automatic high beams that optimize your visibility in low-light conditions. When the technology senses oncoming traffic, the lights are automatically dimmed and then reset to high once traffic has passed. Chevy calls the feature “IntelliBeam,” while Hyundai calls it “High Beam Assist.”
Along with optimizing your visibility, Chevy and Hyundai also ensure you have the tools you need to build safe driving habits. The Equinox‘s Following Distance Indicator and the Tucson’s Lane Following Assist are designed to do precisely that. The tools notify you when you’re following another vehicle too closely, putting you at a heightened risk of collision.
Eyes on the Sides
It only takes a second for an accident to occur, and blind spots are often to blame. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re driving, whether by your smartphone, a young child begging for a snack, or your dog aimlessly pacing from window to window in the backseat. These distractions can cause us to make quick decisions such as changing lanes or pulling out into traffic without checking our surroundings. It’s the perfect recipe for an accident.
Chevy and Hyundai mitigate this risk by outfitting the SUVs with blind-spot monitoring systems. The Tucson’s Blind-Spot View Monitor is reasonably straightforward, alerting you to vehicles in your blind spots with visible cues in the side mirrors. The Equinox’s feature, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, is a combination tool that makes changing lanes easier by alerting you to traffic in your blind spots, even when traveling at highway speeds.
Eyes on the Back
Rearview cameras are standard across the automotive industry, which means you’ll find the Equinox and Tucson come equipped with the feature. However, while the standard camera is sufficient, Chevrolet and Hyundai offer impressive upgrades for an enhanced view. You can upgrade to the HD Surround Vision camera on the Equinox, and on the Tucson, you can upgrade to the Surround View Monitor. Both cameras extend your visibility, giving you a 360-degree bird’s eye view around the SUVs.
Along with delivering a better view, the Equinox and Tucson have tools that constantly keep an eye out for traffic behind the SUVs. The feature is known as Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Equinox, and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Assist on the Tucson. Each system monitors the back of the SUV when in reverse, alerting you to traffic crossing the rear path to save your rear bumper and minimize the risk of a collision. These tools make it easy to navigate the SUVs out of congested areas, such as grocery store parking lots or heavy traffic areas like a downtown city street.
Parking Like a Pro
Driving an SUV puts you in a higher driving position, giving you better visibility. However, it also means a taller and larger vehicle to navigate into a parking space. Fortunately, Chevy and Hyundai already thought of this and outfitted their SUVs with tools to make the task easier. The Equinox’s Front and Rear Park Assist and the Tucson’s Remote Smart Parking Assist will help you position the SUVs in the designated areas, alerting you to potential obstacles with audible cues, visual alerts, gridline overlays via the center touchscreen display, and even helps with the parking process autonomously.
Cruising Made Easy
Cruise control dramatically changed how we drive at highway speeds by allowing us to set a cruising speed and take our foot off the accelerator. However, there was room for improvement, and advanced systems like the Equinox’s Adaptive Cruise Control and the Tucson’s Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go proved as much. The newest cruising technology improves upon traditional cruise control by actively monitoring the traffic ahead and adjusting the SUV’s cruising speed as needed to stay within the speed limit and maintain a safe distance. This requires minimal input from the driver, adding greater convenience during those long highway drives.
Young Driver Safety Features
So far, the Equinox and Tucson have been on a fairly level playing field, with both SUVs offering comparable technology that functions the same way. However, that changes when you venture into the category of young driver safety features. Thanks to Chevrolet’s exclusive Teen Driver Technology, the Equinox is legions beyond the Tucson.
Teen Driver promotes safe driving habits, giving parents greater peace of mind when their young driver gets behind the wheel. The built-in system is akin to a virtual driving coach and allows parents to set speed alerts and audio volume limits. It also features the industry’s first Buckle-to-Drive tool that mutes the audio until the front seatbelts are secure. Once your driver returns home, parents can use the in-vehicle report card as a hands-on teaching tool to promote better and safer driving habits.
Your Safety Matters: The Results
There’s no question that the 2022 Chevrolet Equinox and the 2022 Hyundai Tucson prioritize your safety. Chevrolet and Hyundai set new standards in the industry by equipping every model with advanced safety and driver-assist technology. The result is better-equipped, safer, and more valuable SUVs that engineer confidence around every turn.
So, which SUV is better equipped and puts your safety above everything else? If you’re looking purely at numbers and rankings, the Equinox takes the lead with its five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compared to the Tucson’s four-star rating. This advantage is enough for many customers to decide, but what about parents with teen drivers anxiously waiting to get behind the wheel? The Equinox’s five-star safety rating takes on new meaning, especially to parents with a teen driver who will be using the family vehicle on a regular basis. In this case, there’s no question that the Equinox takes the lead with its exclusive Teen Driver Technology and exceptional safety ratings. After all, peace of mind is priceless when it comes to your teen in the driver’s seat. For families with younger drivers, the Equinox, without question, comes out on top.
