Compare the2025 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2025 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Tiguan are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Volkswagen Tiguan has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Tiguan has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Equinox doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Tiguan 4Motion’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the Volkswagen Tiguan’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system costs extra on the Chevrolet Equinox.

Both the Tiguan and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Equinox’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Equinox’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Equinox.

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Equinox’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The Tiguan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (201 vs. 175) and 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (207 vs. 184) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (201 vs. 175) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (207 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Tiguan’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (201 vs. 175) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Tiguan gets better mileage than the Equinox:

			MPG
Tiguan
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. (207 TQ)	26 city/34 hwy
		SE/SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/28 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Tiguan’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Equinox doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

For better stopping power the Tiguan’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Equinox:

	Tiguan	Equinox
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

For better traction, the Tiguan’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Equinox (255/40R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The Tiguan’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Equinox RS’ optional 50 series tires.

The Tiguan has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tiguan flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Tiguan has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Equinox (109.9 inches vs. 107.5 inches).

The Tiguan has .2 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Equinox.

The Tiguan’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (1500 vs. 800 pounds).

Standard trailer stability control on the Tiguan uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Equinox doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Tiguan R-Line has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Equinox’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Equinox can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Equinox’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Equinox doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SEL has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Tiguan SE/SEL’s standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Both the Volkswagen Tiguan and Chevrolet Equinox offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Tiguan offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Equinox’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Tiguan SEL has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Equinox.

The Tiguan has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Equinox.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Tiguan has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Equinox.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Equinox doesn’t offer an automated parking system.