2025 Chevrolet Equinox vs 2025 Hyundai Palisade

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox underwent a significant redesign, adopting a modern aesthetic that aligned it more closely with its larger siblings like the Chevrolet Traverse. The new design featured a flat roof, upright grille, and distinctive "shark fin" C-pillar, giving it a more robust appearance. Each trim level offered unique styling elements, with the base Equinox LT available in chrome or a contemporary Midnight Edition High Gloss Black treatment. The RS trim added sporty touches like black mirrors and badges, while the new ACTIV trim emphasized adventure with dark chrome accents and all-terrain tires. The interior of the Equinox was also revamped, with a focus on texture and space. The shifter was moved to the steering column, opening up the center console, and the new infotainment screen was integrated with the driver-information display. The RS and ACTIV trims featured distinct interior themes, with the ACTIV trim offering a "Maple Sugar and Black" theme that lightened the cabin, while the RS trim had a darker, sportier look with red highlights.

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade stood out with its bold and unmistakable design, which was refined in the 2023 refresh to feature a more angular and technical look. The Palisade's exterior design was balanced and upscale, making it a standout in its class. Inside, even the base SE trim offered a clean and modern look, while higher trims like the Calligraphy featured premium leather, artificial suede, and metal speaker grilles. The Palisade was packed with thoughtful details, such as USB charging ports in the front seatbacks, smartphone storage pockets, and drink holders accessible to children. The Palisade was available in seven trim levels, with prices ranging from $37,200 to $54,500. Our test vehicle, the Calligraphy trim, came with AWD, Robust Emerald paint, and carpeted floor mats, bringing the MSRP to $55,205.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox retained its 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 175 horsepower. Torque varied with the powertrain, offering 184 lb-ft in FWD models and 203 lb-ft in AWD versions. The FWD models came with a CVT, while AWD models featured an eight-speed automatic transmission, which was an improvement over the previous six-speed. The Equinox offered a responsive accelerator at low speeds, but its small engine struggled during highway merges. The ride was generally quiet and comfortable, with a towing capacity of up to 1,500 pounds for AWD models. The Equinox introduced selectable drive modes, with RS and ACTIV trims offering Normal, Snow, and Off-Road modes.

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade was powered by a 3.8-liter V6 engine, delivering 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission transferred power to the front wheels, with an optional AWD system available. The Palisade had a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and averaged 22 mpg in combined driving. Despite its age, the Palisade offered a firm ride at lower speeds and a softer ride on highways. The powertrain was smooth and refined, with the automatic transmission providing silky shifts. Although not fuel-efficient, the Palisade's V6 was a delight to drive. The steering and suspension offered a reasonable feel for the road, and the brakes were well-calibrated.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox offered heated front seats and a heated steering wheel as standard on the RS and ACTIV trims. A $950 package added front seat ventilation, heated rear seats, and driver's seat memory. The Equinox featured Evotex seats, which felt premium and on par with the rest of the cabin. The flat roof provided consistent headroom, with 38.2 inches in the front seats with the moonroof and 37.8 inches in the back. The moonroof extended into the rear seats, adding light for passengers. Cargo space was 29.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 63.5 cubic feet with them folded down, with a hidden storage compartment beneath the load floor.

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade offered three rows of seats, with our test vehicle featuring a seven-passenger arrangement with second-row captain's chairs. The Calligraphy trim included Nappa premium leather, eight-way power-adjustable front seats, and a massaging driver's seat. Both front seats had heating and ventilation, and the steering wheel was heated. The second-row captain's chairs were also heated and ventilated, with good thigh support and legroom. The third-row seat was heated, and adults could sit comfortably with the second row slid forward. The Palisade offered generous storage space, with adjustable front cupholders, door panel trays, and dedicated sleeves for devices. The Smart Liftgate provided hands-free access to the cargo area, which offered 18 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.8 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 86.4 cubic feet behind the front seats.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox came standard with Google Built-In, offering wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The native Google Maps projected onto the driver information display, allowing for simultaneous infotainment activity. The new infotainment system featured an 11.3-inch touchscreen, 30% larger than the previous model, with wi-fi hotspot capability and a six-speaker audio system. Wireless charging was standard for RS and ACTIV trims. However, the voice control system had issues with volume settings.

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade's technology was functional but starting to look dated compared to newer Hyundai models. Our test vehicle featured a 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto required a cable connection. The Palisade offered two-device Bluetooth support, wireless smartphone charging, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Bluelink+ connected services. The voice recognition system performed well, and the 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system provided commendable sound. The Palisade also featured a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, and a surround-view camera system.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox offered a Safety & Technology package for $1,085, adding rear pedestrian alert, HD surround vision, traffic-sign recognition, and a camera rearview mirror. The Chevy Safety Assist suite included standard features like rear park assist, lane-change alert, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. Teen Driver Technology allowed parents to program a key to enforce speed and volume limitations and provide a "report card" of driving behavior.

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade came with standard safety features under the Hyundai SmartSense umbrella, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and Highway Driving Assist. The Palisade SEL added an ultrasonic rear occupant alert system, while the XRT included front parking sensors and a surround-view camera. The SEL Premium offered a camera-based blind-spot warning system and evasive steering assist. The Calligraphy model featured automatic braking when parking and Remote Smart Parking Assist. The Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS through 2024 but did not receive the accolade in 2025 due to a Poor rating in a new frontal-impact test. The NHTSA awarded the Palisade five-star frontal impact and four-star rollover resistance ratings.