2022 Honda Odyssey vs 2022 Chevrolet Equinox

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that catered to families with its practical design and thoughtful features. Its sliding side doors made it easy to load children into car seats, even in tight parking spaces. The Odyssey offered a spacious and comfortable third-row seat, accommodating additional passengers like grandparents or carpool groups without hassle. With its ample cargo space, the Odyssey could transform into a cargo hauler by folding down or removing seats, rivaling the capacity of larger SUVs. Despite its utilitarian nature, the Odyssey maintained a sense of style with its kinked sliding doors and dark grey 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels on the Touring trim. The interior boasted quality leather upholstery and a well-organized centre stack, making it a practical yet stylish choice for families.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, on the other hand, presented a refreshed look with a new grille, LED headlights, and subtle rear fascia changes. It maintained a car-based crossover design, offering a balance between rugged SUV styling and car-like features. The Equinox's dashboard featured a creative design with a touchscreen and large air vents, providing a cohesive and visually appealing interior. While the RS model added black exterior trim and darkened wheels for a touch of personality, the interior felt subdued. The Equinox offered decent materials and fit and finish, with available perforated leather upholstery. It provided a tall seating position and good visibility, although rear visibility was slightly hampered by the small rear window. Overall, the Equinox aimed to offer a comfortable and practical driving experience.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It featured a front-wheel-drive system and a 10-speed automatic transmission with pushbutton controls. While it lacked all-wheel drive and hybrid options, the Odyssey offered a Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption estimate of 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. During testing, the Odyssey averaged 10.4 L/100 km. The Odyssey's driving character was enjoyable, with quick acceleration and responsive handling. However, repeated use of the brakes on downhill grades led to pedal vibration and audible grumbling, indicating a need for more heat-resistant brakes.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox featured a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. It came with a six-speed automatic transmission and offered both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. The Equinox's torque was advantageous in stop-and-go driving, but the lack of horsepower became apparent at higher speeds, resulting in a coarse and unresponsive engine. The automatic transmission's shifts were also a bit rough. While the Equinox wasn't designed for sporty handling, it provided decent comfort on poorly maintained roads. However, it lacked the refinement and solidity of some competitors.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey offered easy access with wide-opening doors and a lower ride height. Inside, it featured quality leather upholstery, supportive front seats with power adjustment, heating, and ventilation, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system. The Odyssey excelled in storage space, with numerous compartments and a handy floor tray. The second-row seats provided ample legroom and could be configured for various needs, including the Magic Slide feature for easier access to the third row. The third-row seat was comfortable for adults, and the Odyssey offered 929 litres of cargo space behind it. Folding the third-row seat increased cargo capacity to 2,452 litres, and removing the second-row seats provided a Suburban-sized cargo volume of 3,984 litres.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox offered seating for five across two rows, with decent headroom and legroom. However, some competitors provided more legroom for front seat occupants. The Equinox's tall seating position and unobstructed forward view were appealing, although rear visibility was slightly compromised by the small rear window. The climate control buttons were prominently placed, and keyless entry and start were standard. The Equinox provided 847 litres of cargo space with the rear seats up and 1,809 litres with the rear seats folded, which was near the bottom of the segment. While a power liftgate was available, the Equinox lacked features like a sliding second-row seat or cargo-area storage bins.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Touring was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It also featured on-board navigation and HondaLink connected services, including WiFi hotspot access. The Touring trim included CabinWatch and CabinTalk technology, allowing the driver to monitor and communicate with rear-seat passengers. The rear entertainment system had a 10.2-inch display screen and supported media from CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs. However, the Odyssey's infotainment system was considered outdated, lacking a larger screen and a tuning knob for the stereo. The embedded navigation system required specific voice commands and was less intuitive than smartphone-based navigation.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox came with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Higher trim levels featured an 8-inch touchscreen and a 4.2-inch instrument-cluster screen. The Chevy MyLink infotainment system was user-friendly, with large menu icons and good screen graphics. The addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was a significant advantage. The Equinox provided multiple USB ports and power outlets, although the centre-console slot for phones was too small. While tech-savvy buyers might desire more features, the Equinox's infotainment system covered the basics effectively.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with Honda Sensing, a comprehensive suite of safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centring assist. It also had automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. However, Honda Sensing lacked refinement, occasionally issuing invalid warnings or taking abrupt actions. The blind-spot monitoring system's warning light was not ideally positioned, and the radar's range was limited. The Odyssey received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox received top "Good" scores in most IIHS crash tests, but a "Marginal" rating in the updated side crash test. It earned a "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention in vehicle-to-vehicle situations and an "Advanced" rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian scenarios. The Equinox received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, and Chevy's Teen Driver system. Optional features included adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a surround-view camera system.