2022 Chevrolet Equinox vs 2022 Lexus RX

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox had undergone some notable styling changes. It featured a new grille, LED headlights, and LED daytime running lights, alongside subtle revisions to the rear fascia. The headlights were now bisected by trim pieces extending from the grille, presenting a somewhat sleeker look. The grille appeared more upright, flanked by large fake air intakes that gave the Equinox a chunkier appearance compared to the previous year's model.

Chevy did not try to mask the fact that the Equinox was a car-based crossover. Unlike the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, which channeled a rugged, truck-based SUV vibe, the Equinox focused on a balance. Its tall roofline and puffed-up front fascia made it look less car-like than the Ford Escape, striking a medium pleasing to many buyers. However, it lacked distinctive styling features similar to Hyundai Tucson’s innovative lighting.

Inside, the dashboard was creatively divided into two petal-like elements, with a central touchscreen and two large air vents. The design was cohesive—a rare effort in commodity crossovers. Materials and fit-and-finish were decent, with cloth seats standard across most trims, but perforated leather upholstery was available. The new RS model stood out with black exterior trim, darkened 19-inch wheels, a black interior with red stitching, and other RS-specific details, injecting more personality into its look, although some found the black interior somewhat bland.

In contrast, the 2022 Lexus RX was available in base 350, F Sport, and L trim levels, with a hybrid variant dubbed the RX 450h. Having had a facelift in 2020, the 2022 RX retained its modern and sporty design, characterized by razor-sharp character lines and angular features that stopped just short of excessive. This restraint resulted in a pleasing yet striking design language, even in less flamboyant colors like Nebula Gray Pearl. The updated color palette for 2022 included Cloudburst Gray and Iridium, with seven flattering paint options across all trims.

The F Sport trim, the performance-oriented variant, featured the most athletic appearance with 20-inch wheels, black-housing outside mirrors, dark window trims, F Sport badging, and unique front fascia with larger air intakes. Both front and rear bumpers were different from the base and L versions, giving the F Sport trims a subtle but noticeable edge.

Inside, the RX cabin exuded luxury across all trims, but the F Sport trim added sporty elements like model-specific badging and Scored Aluminum for trim and pedals, paired with NuLuxe synthetic leather. Non-F Sport models could be customized with various NuLuxe or semi-aniline leather options and a selection of metal and wood trims. The cabin was filled with soft-touch surfaces and high-quality hard plastics, although the center stack seemed outdated with an overabundance of buttons and unchanged layout since a 2020 update.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox featured a single powertrain option—a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. All models used a six-speed automatic transmission, offering standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and optional all-wheel drive (AWD).

Compared to rivals, the Equinox had more torque but less horsepower. For instance, the Honda CR-V also had a 1.5-liter turbo-four producing 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque, while the Nissan Rogue extracted 201 hp and 225 lb-ft from a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine. Vehicles like the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 used larger naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines, generating outputs of 182 hp and 176 lb-ft for the Subaru and 203 hp and 184 lb-ft for the Toyota.

The Equinox’s torque was advantageous in stop-and-go driving, allowing smooth acceleration from stops. However, at higher speeds, the engine felt unresponsive and coarse, making highway driving less pleasant. The automatic transmission exhibited rough shifts, which detracted from the driving experience.

In contrast, the 2022 Lexus RX 350 came with a standard 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid RX 450h added two high-torque electric motors for a combined output of 308 hp, with all RX models featuring an eight-speed automatic transmission. The RX 350 had standard FWD with AWD available, while the hybrid RX 450h exclusively featured AWD.

Despite the F Sport designation, the RX failed to deliver sporty performance. Its engine note was more akin to a turbocharged four-cylinder, offering a hum rather than a roar. Acceleration was sluggish, and the vehicle felt hesitant and unconfident. Even with available performance dampers and an F Sport Handling package, the driving dynamics did not reflect the sporty appearance.

The RX excelled in driving comfort and cabin quietness. It absorbed rough patches well, providing a serene cabin experience. The EPA estimated the RX 350 to achieve 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 combined, with AWD versions seeing a slight drop. The RX 450h provided better fuel efficiency at 30 mpg combined, 31 mpg city, and 28 mpg highway.

The Equinox seated five across two rows, offering decent headroom in both rows and competitive second-row legroom. However, some competitors provided more legroom for front-seat occupants. We found that the lack of legroom and a telescoping steering wheel made it challenging to find a comfortable driving position, despite the optional power driver's seat.

The Equinox's tall seating position provided an excellent forward view, although rear visibility was compromised by thick rear pillars and a small rear window. Climate control buttons were awkwardly clustered below the touchscreen but were at least prominently placed, avoiding the need to navigate touchscreen menus for adjustments.

Cargo space was near the bottom of the segment with 29.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.9 cubic feet with the seats folded. It lacked a sliding second-row seat or cargo-area storage bins found in competitors like the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue.

On the other hand, the Lexus RX boasted 99.8 cubic feet of passenger volume, comfortably accommodating four adults, with room for five if needed, though the rear middle seat was best for short trips. The front seats offered headroom of 39.4 inches and rear seats 39.1 inches, while legroom was 44.1 inches up front and 38.0 inches in the rear.

The three-row RX 350L had less space, with only 7.45 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats up, expanding to 23.03 cubic feet with the third row down, and 58.48 cubic feet with both back rows down. In the standard two-row version, cargo capacity was 16.0 cubic feet behind the rear seats, increasing to 32.6 cubic feet with the seats down. Although the power liftgate offered a wide opening, the load-in height was high due to the large bumper.

The RX featured thoughtful interior details, such as a dedicated smartphone slot, adjustable-height cup holder, quick-access head-up display button, and a flat-bottomed cargo net to secure items.

The Equinox came standard with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. It also included a 3.5-inch display screen within the instrument cluster. Higher trims offered an 8-inch touchscreen and a 4.2-inch instrument-cluster screen. Available options included navigation and a Bose 7-speaker audio system.

We found the 8-inch touchscreen responsive and easy to use. Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system had large, smartphone-like menu icons and decent screen graphics. The addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was a significant advantage. Chevy also provided ample USB ports, although the center-console slot for phones was too small.

For the Lexus RX, the standard infotainment setup included an 8-inch touchscreen, with a 12.3-inch version available across all trims. Despite being moved 5.5 inches closer to the driver in a 2020 refresh, the positioning was still awkward. The screen’s placement within a cove on top of the center stack created access issues, partially obstructing icons and making it difficult for some users to tap correctly.

While the touchscreen was responsive, the alternatives—voice commands and a touchpad—were less intuitive. Voice commands required specific inputs to be useful, and the touchpad was overly sensitive and frustrating. The drive mode selector, placed next to the touchpad, could easily be mistaken for an infotainment control knob.

Despite this, the RX offered a wealth of tech features, including six USB ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, Amazon Alexa compatibility, a WiFi hotspot, and various premium audio systems. Its climate control offered dual- and tri-zone configurations, and optional features included heated and ventilated seats across both rows and advanced navigation options.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox earned top "Good" scores in most IIHS crash tests, though it received a "Marginal" rating in the updated side crash test. It achieved the highest "Superior" rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front-crash prevention and a second-tier “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios. The Equinox also earned an acceptable score for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. The NHTSA awarded the Equinox a five-star overall safety rating, with stellar ratings in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests.

Standard safety features included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian braking, forward collision warning, following distance indicator, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, a Safety Alert Seat, and Chevy’s Teen Driver system. Optional features were adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change alert, and a surround-view camera system. Notably, some features like adaptive cruise control that are standard on competitors like the Honda CR-V were optional for the Equinox.

The Lexus RX came with the Lexus Safety System 2.0+ as standard, encompassing adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-departure warning with steering assist, road-sign recognition, lane-keeping and lane-tracing assist, a pre-collision system with cyclist and pedestrian detection, and intelligent high beams. Additional standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a head-up display, and Lexus Enform Safety Connect for GPS vehicle tracking.

The RX earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick designation, but only with the optional triple-beam LED headlights. Without these, it missed a top-tier rating. The NHTSA awarded the RX four stars overall, with five stars for side crash tests and four for frontal crashes and rollover resistance. Despite not being significantly updated for almost a decade, the RX’s safety ratings remained competitive.