“Home is where your family is.” What this saying means is that your spouse, kids, and relatives are the single most important thing to you. A home doesn’t necessarily mean a house, but rather that everywhere you go will feel like home as long as your squad is with you. Why do we mention this? Well, since you’re here, that tells me that you’re looking for a vehicle, more specifically an SUV. Luckily for you, this year, we’ve got some interesting comparisons to discuss, such as the 2022 Chevy Equinox vs 2022 Jeep Compass.
These two SUVs are made by two of the most well-respected manufacturers with two of the most prolific SUV lineups in the entire industry. If you were to ask a variety of drivers which brand they would choose between these two, you wouldn’t always get the same answer – but looking beyond brand loyalty, which is really the better buy for the small family on the go?
Trims and Pricing
We first want to touch upon the pricing between the two vehicles because things aren’t quite as they seem. For starters, the 2022 Equinox starts at an MSRP of $25,800. Yes, this is higher than the Compass’ starting price of $24,995, but it’s rather close. In fact, the wide number of trims for the Compass can result in a vehicle that actually has a higher price than the best Equinox. For example, only the first three of the six trim levels for the Compass are priced below the top-of-the-line Equinox Premier!
The three succeeding trims are all priced higher, and this begs the question, what is Jeep able to accomplish that the Equinox can’t? It’s debatable for sure, but we feel that fewer trim levels are usually better. Why do we say this? We believe that in certain instances, shoppers won’t feel conflicted about losing out on features with their selected trim, making more trims ultimately more confusing to the shopper. Still with us? Good, let’s discuss performance, or more specifically, fuel efficiency.
Are We There Yet?
While road trips with the kids can be moments of bliss, it doesn’t take too long before the children can get cranky. “Are we there yet?” is a common sound that most parents hear if you’ve ever taken the kids on vacation. Do you know what slows down the trip and makes it longer? Stopping, especially at a gas station. Larger vehicles are usually prone to chugging through gas, and trips to refill the tank are more of an everyday occurrence. This isn’t the case with either the Equinox or Compass, but which vehicle will let you travel further distances with fewer stops and also save you more money?
Ultimately, it’s the Equinox that ends up being more efficient than the Compass, but it’s not quite as simple as that. Let’s talk about the engines themselves. The Equinox is powered by a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder, while the Compass has a 2.4L four-cylinder. It’s worth noting that the fuel efficiency ratings that we’ve seen for the Compass are still speculatory, but we’re hard pressed to think the final numbers will be much different, if at all.
Estimated ratings for the 2022 Equinox and Compass are both similar and dissimilar. What do we mean by this? For starters, the turbocharged engine inside of the Equinox was expected to be more fuel-efficient than the larger non-turbocharged engine inside of the Compass, and this is exactly what we see here, albeit with a catch. Interestingly, both vehicles have the same highway mileage, but in the city, it’s a completely different story. Fuel ratings for the Equinox sit at 26 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, and the Compass is expected to get 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. While the road trips may remain similar, when you’re driving the kids to soccer practice or picking them up from school, you’ll be saving money at every corner in the Chevy.
A True Family Vehicle
Something that we feel makes a vehicle suitable for parents, kids, and relatives is cargo space. This is something that SUVs are known to excel in, so you’re in luck. Cargo space is important for a multitude of reasons, so many that we can’t even talk about them all. But a few that we’d like to mention include taking the kids on vacation, driving to the store and loading the vehicle with groceries, and so much more. Something that I’ve grown to find annoying is overestimating the amount of space a vehicle has. Better safe than sorry is something that seriously applies to cargo space in a vehicle that you plan on utilizing for more than just yourself.
Let me spin you a tale. One time, I purchased a television set just to realize that it wouldn’t fit into my vehicle, something I thought wouldn’t be a problem. Boy, I was wrong. I had to go inside the store, trade the television set I had just bought for the smaller set. Sure, I saved fifty dollars, but it was unnecessary and embarrassing. The 49-inch television set fit within the vehicle just fine, but the 55-inch one wouldn’t. Why am I bringing up this random moment in my life? Because, if I had an SUV, things could have worked out differently.
The takeaway from this story is that the more space, the better, especially if you’re shopping for the family, and yes, that includes TVs. Between the 2022 Equinox and Compass, which vehicle has the most cargo space? The answer is the Equinox, and that’s both with every seat upright and even when they’re all folded down. When the kids are aboard and the backseats are occupied, the Equinox has 29.9 cubic feet of space, and the Compass has 27.2 cubic feet of space. With the seats folded down, the Equinox has 63.9 cubic feet of space, and the Compass has 59.8 cubic feet of space. Sure, a 7% increase in cargo space may not sound like much, but it could very much be the difference between you getting that 55-inch television instead of the 49-inch one.
A Vehicle For Everyone
Between the 2022 Equinox and Compass, both vehicles have pros and cons, but that’s unavoidable with every vehicle on the market. For those who are purchasing a vehicle for more than themselves and who plan on regularly driving with relatives, it becomes a bit clearer which vehicle you should buy. For our money, and yours, we think the 2022 Equinox is a far better purchase. Jeep vehicles are certainly noteworthy, even the Compass, but if it’s between that and the Chevy Equinox, it loses its appeal quicker.
To summarize why we’ve come to this conclusion, Chevy’s offering will save you more money, both upfront and in the long run, thanks to better fuel efficiency. You shouldn’t be fooled by the lower starting price of the Compass, as the lower price doesn’t last long the higher up you move on the trim list. Secondly, more cargo space means there are more activities that you and your loved ones can take part in, and a more spacious vehicle is never a bad thing. With the newest Equinox already available at Chevy dealerships, it’s the model you should check out over the Jeep Compass.
