The 2025 Chevy Equinox vs the 2025 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: Who Wins the Compact SUV Race?

Shopping for a compact SUV isn’t an easy feat, with dozens of options accounting for the largest class under the SUV umbrella. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of options, which is where we play a pivotal role as your automotive partner. Comparing rival models like the 2025 Chevy Equinox vs 2025 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross helps streamline your options and showcases why the Equinox has been the second best-selling model in the Chevrolet lineup for years. While the Eclipse Cross may have a more affordable price tag for 2025, Chevrolet offers more for your money with the Equinox. How so? Here’s a closer look at five key areas where the 2025 Equinox outshines its Mitsubishi rival. 

#1 – More Value for Your Money With an Entry-Level Trim 

The 2025 Eclipse Cross seems to have an advantage because its starting price of $26,545 makes it more affordable than the 2025 Equinox, which starts at $28,600.^[a] However, Mitsubishi treats the SUV’s base trim as an afterthought. Chevrolet, on the other hand, offers more tangible value right out of the starting gate. 

The Eclipse Cross ES starts the 2025 lineup and sets the benchmark incredibly low with its mediocre packaging. For example, the entry-level trim features a 7-inch Display Audio system with Bluetooth capability, not Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capability. Mitsubishi also cuts costs with the ES’s smaller, 16-inch two-tone alloy wheels and minimal technologies, which are limited to industry-wide standards like Forward Collision Mitigation with Pedestrian Detection and Lane Departure Warning. 

The 2025 Equinox proves you get what you pay for, with its slightly higher price tag reflecting Chevrolet’s commitment to offering more value across its lineup. The entry-level Equinox LT defies expectations and rolls off the production line with an 11-inch Driver Information Center, 11.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. Chevy Safety Assist and Teen Driver are standard, offering far more intuitive and advanced safety and driver-assist technologies than the Eclipse Cross. 

#2 – More Room for People and Cargo

The 2025 Equinox and 2025 Eclipse Cross are compact SUVs that offer drivers the best of both worlds. They’re agile and responsive and provide ample room for passengers and cargo. However, despite sharing similar footprints, the 2025 Eclipse Cross is significantly more cramped than the 2025 Equinox. 

The 2025 Eclipse Cross offers a total passenger volume of 96.7 cubic feet, which doesn’t mean much until you consider the 2025 Equinox offers 104.3 cubic feet for passengers. Chevrolet added over two inches to the Equinox’s frame in 2025, giving it a broader and more athletic stance that yields more head, leg, hip, and shoulder room across both rooms. Likewise, the Equinox’s growth spurt also means more room for cargo. 

While the Eclipse Cross offers a modest 23.4 cubic feet behind the second row, the Equinox provides 29.8 cubic feet, plenty of space for groceries, luggage, backpacks, and other smaller items. Folding the second row offers up to 50.1 cubic feet in the Eclipse Cross, with the Equinox taking the lead with its 63.5 cubic feet. The additional room makes hauling cargo in the Equinox easier, whether golf clubs, luggage for the entire family, a stroller for your baby, or a unique find from the local antique store. 

#3 – More Standard Horsepower and Torque 

Inline-fours rule the compact SUV segment, and that’s no exception for the 2025 Equinox and 2025 Eclipse Cross. However, Chevrolet’s proven history of building reliable and responsive engines shines as the Equinox offers more standard horsepower and a broader band of torque. The difference is noteworthy because it makes the Equinox more engaging than the Mitsubishi. 

The 2025 Eclipse Cross relies on a 1.5L turbocharged inline-four to make 152 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. As an all-wheel-drive SUV, the Eclipse Cross offers all-season confidence, but its output is unremarkable, which makes for a less-than-stellar experience behind the wheel. Fortunately, Chevrolet strikes the perfect balance with its 1.5L turbocharged inline-four producing the same amount of torque on the front-wheel-drive model with an impressive 175 horsepower. The all-wheel-drive Equinox swaps its continuously variable transmission for an eight-speed, which increases the torque output to 203 lb-ft for better, more engaging performance in any condition. 

#4 – More Seamless Connectivity 

Can you imagine leaving the house without your smartphone? Your iPhone or Android is your lifeline, connecting you to family, friends, work, hobbies, and other interests. Automakers like Chevrolet recognize the significant role of our smartphones and offer seamless connectivity where we need it the most–behind the wheel. Unfortunately, Mitsubishi takes a different approach. 

The 2025 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES might have a budget-friendly price tag, but that affordability comes at a significant cost. The SUV has a 7-inch Display Audio system with Bluetooth, an AM/FM radio, and an HD Radio. Enjoying the convenience of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto requires spending more on a mid- and top-tier trim with the 8-inch Smartphone-Link Display Audio system. By then, you could’ve saved money on any trim in the 2025 Equinox lineup. 

The 2025 Equinox has an expansive digital landscape that starts with an 11-inch configurable Driver Information Center that provides vital performance insights, driver-assist alerts, and other diagnostics. It works with the larger 11.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display, which is a hub of connectivity. The Chevy infotainment system offers Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Google built-in, which adds Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Assistant. This combination of connectivity features ensures you stay connected without stealing your focus from the road, whether you need to add something to your grocery list, respond to a text, or want to listen to your favorite playlist. 

#5 – More Safety and Driver-Assistance Technologies 

Driver safety is paramount for Chevrolet and Mitsubishi, but the automakers take distinct approaches. Chevrolet goes above and beyond to offer drivers more peace of mind with the 2025 Equinox’s extensive suite of safety and driver-assistance technologies. Alternatively, Mitsubishi takes a simpler approach and sparsely equips the 2025 Eclipse Cross. 

The 2025 Eclipse Cross ES offers the basics, rolling off Mitsubishi’s production line with Forward Collision Mitigation with Pedestrian Detection and Lane Departure Warning. As you climb the SUV’s lineup, the mid and top-tier trims add automatic high beams and a few more features, like Blind Spot Warning with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Forward Collision Mitigation with High-Speed Braking capability. The additional technologies pale compared to what Chevrolet provides with the 2025 Equinox’s feature-rich packaging. 

The Chevy Safety Assist is standard across the Equinox’s lineup in 2025 and offers six driver-assist technologies. These tools include Automatic Emergency Braking, IntelliBeam automatic headlights, Forward Collision Alert, a Following Distance Indicator, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, and Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking. These features build on many other standard technologies that solidify the Equinox’s lead over the Eclipse Cross. How so? 

Chevrolet’s compact SUV also has a HD Rear Vision Camera, Rear Seat Reminder, and Adaptive Cruise Control. It features Chevy’s exclusive Teen Driver technology and other advanced technologies, like Side Bicyclist Alert, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, and Enhanced Lane Keep Assist. It also makes parking the Equinox straightforward, thanks to Rear Cross Traffic Braking and Rear Park Assist. Together, these tools equip the Equinox with a virtual spotter dedicated to enhancing your situational awareness and mitigating the potential for collisions. 

More of Everything and Why It Matters 

The 2025 Equinox outshines the 2025 Eclipse Cross in these five key areas, but why is this advantage significant? These areas showcase how Chevrolet fulfills its promise to offer drivers more for their money. With the 2025 Equinox, your money works harder and goes further. Chevrolet’s rich history as an American automotive pioneer and longstanding reputation for reliability sweeten the package. It’s a win-win that’s impossible to beat, at least for the Eclipse Cross. 

^[a] MSRP may change without notice. See dealer for complete details.