2010 Car Comparison: Chevrolet Equinox v Ford Edge v Hyundai Santa Fe
Crossover SUVs have taken over from truck-based SUVs as hot family vehicle, and buyers are choosing between models with three rows of seats, such as the Toyota Highlander, and those with two rows, like the trio we’re comparing here.
As with all crossover SUVs, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, 2010 Ford Edge, and 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe are built with car-type engineering that essentially combines body and frame into a single, “unibody” assembly. Conventional SUV, such as the Nissan Pathfinder, use a separate body and frame design typical of true trucks. Unibody construction allows a lower ride height for easier ingress and egress, more-nimble handling, a smoother ride and (usually) better fuel economy than comparable truck-based models. The trade off is in reduced towing capacity, given their car-like construction, and less off-road ability because crossovers lack a traditional SUV’s low-range four-wheel-drive gearing.
Equinox, Edge, and Santa Fe are the best-selling two-row crossovers. In many ways, these five-passenger wagons combine the best of sedans and SUVs. Not cramming a third-row bench into what isn’t a terribly large model leaves more room for backseat riders and cargo. Third-row seats are virtually useless for carrying all but the smallest kids among models in this class, anyway, and often wind up removed or folded flat most of the time. As with most crossovers, this trio comes with front-wheel-drive standard with all-wheel-drive (AWD) available for added grip on wet pavement.
The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox is the much-improved redesign of a vehicle first introduced for 2005. The 2010 Equinox is built at an Ontario, Canada, plant General Motors operates jointly with Japan’s Suzuki. It’s also the basis for the 2010 GMC Terrain and is mechanically related to the 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover.
Ford’s Edge debuted for the 2007 model year and shares its basic design with the more luxurious Lincoln MKX crossover and both are based on midsize Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan/Lincoln MKT sedans. The 2011 Ford Edge is due a major restyling.
The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is the latest version of a vehicle that originally reached U.S. shores in 2001 and was last redesigned for 2007, when production shifted stateside to Hyundai’s manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Alabama. The 2010 Santa Fe receives a mid-cycle makeover that features engine revisions and other updates.