Which Compact SUV Has the Best Standard Safety Features: The Chevy Equinox or Ford Escape?

If you’re looking for a pre-owned vehicle that’s ready for commutes around Harris County and has all-wheel drive capabilities, you might be in the market for a compact SUV. For many compact SUV shoppers, it comes down to the Chevy Equinox or the Ford Escape. As a Chevy dealer near Jersey Village, we work with many drivers who are curious about these two models and are unsure about the differences between these two standout compact models.

With car insurance premiums increasing yearly, safety has become a major concern for our customers. Drivers want to know that their particular model is equipped with features that can help reduce the chances of accidents or reduce the severity of accidents when they do occur. It allows drivers to feel safer and more confident on the road, and it can even lead to lower insurance premiums since insurance companies love to see that your model has features that help you be a safer driver. That’s why today, we’re going to look at the driver-assist features that come standard on the Chevy Equinox and the Ford Escape and see which one has the edge.

Chevy Safety Assist

Let’s start with the Equinox’s standard suite of driver-assist features, known as Chevy Safety Assist. Below, we’ll cover each feature and its benefits.

Automatic Emergency Braking

It can happen to anyone. You’re cruising to work, glance away from the road for just a second, and when you look back, you find that the vehicle in front of you has slammed on its brakes. That’s when this feature comes into play. When traveling at speeds lower than 50 mph, Automatic Emergency Braking will provide hard emergency braking (including enhancing the braking you’re already doing) to help you avoid a front-facing collision or reduce the severity of impact. It works along with a Forward Collision Alert to notify you when a front-facing crash is impending.

Front Pedestrian Braking

Given that Jersey Village is such a nice place to raise a family, it’s common to find children playing in the quiet streets here. But you can’t always count on children or pedestrians of any age to behave in a predictable manner. Kids sometimes chase after balls into the street without looking both ways. Adults jaywalk when the crosswalk is too far away. So what happens when you can’t react in time? The Equinox’s Front Pedestrian Braking can help. Like Automatic Emergency Braking, it also works at speeds of 50 mph or slower and can apply hard braking if a collision with a pedestrian becomes imminent.

Lane Keep Assist With Lane Departure Warning

Whether you’re simply tired or the lane markers are hard to see, sometimes, you might find yourself drifting out of your lane. But, if you’re on a multi-lane road, this can be very dangerous, posing the risk of collisions with vehicles on either side of you—and even head-on collisions if you drift into oncoming traffic. Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning uses a gentle alert to let you know when you’re drifting and provides a mild steering wheel turn to remind you to stay in your lane.

IntelliBeam

When you find yourself in a low-light setting, you might not always remember to turn on your headlamps. Even if you do, turning them on and off as the flow of oncoming traffic changes can be a nuisance. You might not always turn them off in time to avoid blinding an oncoming vehicle. Luckily, IntelliBeam does this for you, turning your headlamps on when it is safe to do so and off when a vehicle is headed towards you.

Following Distance Indicator

Even though we all know that tailgating is unsafe and inconsiderate, sometimes, our impatience gets the best of us. You might not even realize you’re following too closely, especially in high-speed traffic. That’s where the Following Distance Indicator can be helpful. It displays the gap time in seconds between your vehicle and the one in front of you. So, if your driving teacher taught you the old rule that it should take you at least three seconds to get to a given point that the vehicle in front of you just crossed, you’ll know if you’re breaking the golden rule.

HD Rear Vision Camera

When moving in reverse at low speeds, this camera projects real-time footage of the area behind your vehicle onto your touchscreen. So, when you’re backing out of a driveway or into a parking spot, you can ensure you have a clear path.

Ford Co-Pilot360

Now we’ll take a look at the Ford Escape’s standard driver-assist suite, Ford Co-Pilot360. It shares some similarities with Chevy Safety Assist, but there are some differences.

Pre-Collision Assist With Automatic Emergency Braking

Like the Equinox, the Escape has these two features that alert you to an impending crash and provide hard braking to help you either avoid a collision, or reduce the severity.

Lane-Keeping System

Also found in the Equinox, the Lane-Keeping System helps Escape drivers remain in their lane.

Blind Spot Information System With Cross Traffic Alert

This system notifies you of vehicles approaching in your blind spot when you’re changing lanes and alerts you to vehicles approaching in your rear when you’re in reverse.

Auto High-Beam Headlamps

This functions similarly to the Equinox’s IntelliBeam lights, turning on automatically in low light settings, and off when they sense oncoming traffic.

Rear View Camera

Like the Equinox, the Escape has a rear vision camera for safer backup jobs.

Why We Choose the Equinox Over the Escape

As you can see, the Equinox has a more robust suite of driver assist features that are standard across its models than the Ford Escape. Both models do have additional driver assist features available on upper trims. However, we’re specifically looking at the ones that come standard on every trim because we want our shoppers to have access to quality safety features, no matter their budget and regardless of which trim most suits their lifestyle.

We’d have to recommend the Equinox over the Escape. Only the Equinox has that Front Pedestrian Braking, which is very important to have in a suburban area like Jersey Village, where kids can run into the street at any moment. Additionally, only the Equinox has the Following Distance Indicator. When you’re driving across the US 290, it’s easy to accidentally follow the vehicle in front of you too closely. The Following Distance Indicator can give you the encouragement to hang back and be a safer driver.

Come in Today and Check Out the Chevy Equinox

By now, you probably know that the Equinox is the way to go if you want a quality, safe compact SUV and want to know you’ll get great driver-assist features, no matter what model you select. We have this terrific model at Parkway Chevrolet, and we can’t wait to help you find yours. One of our friendly team members will learn how you spend your time in Jersey Village and put you in the model that best compliments your lifestyle.

We have tons of pre-owned models arriving daily and at competitive prices! Chevy vehicles are well made and built to last, so shopping for a pre-owned Chevy is a smart choice for your safety and your finances. If you want to work with a team that is passionate about pairing you with a model that meets your requirements and fits your budget, then visit us today.