The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V are both really popular small SUVs. However, buyers who are car shopping have plenty of small SUVs to choose from these days. Based on third-quarter 2020 sales of small SUVs, the Chevrolet Equinox, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, and Ford Escape join the RAV4 and CR-V in the top six. And, it looks like the Chevy Equinox is winning the battle over the Ford Escape. 

The Chevy Equinox outsold the Ford Escape in the third quarter of 2020

GoodCarBadCar tracks vehicle sales and recently looked at third-quarter sales for 2020 compared against sales from the third quarter of 2019. It found that the 2020 Chevy Equinox outsold the Ford Escape by more than 20,000 vehicles.

Coming in third in Q3 2020 sales behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, the Chevy Equinox sold 67,475 vehicles. The 2020 Ford Escape was sixth on the list behind the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester. It had 46,956 vehicles sold. Compared to 2019, the Chevy Equinox improved a spot, passing the Nissan Rogue, while the Ford Escape fell one spot, dropping behind the Subaru Forester.

All the top-selling small SUVs sold fewer vehicles in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to the third quarter of 2019, but the Escape did worse than the Equinox. The Equinox saw its sales drop 15.4 percent, while the Escape saw a decline of 22.6 percent in sales.

The 2020 Chevy Equinox

Car and Driver says the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox is a “solid choice,” but that it “lacks the star-factor of segment leaders.” The 2020 Equinox offers a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine or a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Car and Driver prefers the 2.0-liter engine, calling the standard engine “sluggish.”

The interior of the 2020 Chevy Equinox is spacious and comfortable, although most luxury features are only standard at higher trim levels. It features a 7.0-inch touchscreen, although an 8.0-inch screen is optional. Both are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

For 2020, a number of driver-assist features are now standard on all trim levels. That includes automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, as well as automatic high-beam headlamps. The 2020 Equinox has a starting price of $24,995, which Car and Driver found to be a bit high for the segment.

The 2020 Ford Escape

Now that Ford is eliminating sedans, the 2020 Ford Escape has been redesigned to appeal to both car and SUV buyers. Car and Driver liked the exterior, car-like style of the 2020 Escape, but found that the interior design includes too many “cut-rate” plastic materials. 

The Escape offers four different powertrains – two gas and two hybrids. The base engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that generates 181 hp. The second gas engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 250 hp. One of the two hybrid powertrains will be a plug-in option.

The base trim of the 2020 Escape comes with just a 4.2-inch radio screen, but higher trims have an 8.0-inch touchscreen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.All trim levels do come standard with Ford’s Co-Pilot360, which includes forward-collision warning with automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The 2020 Escape starts at $26,130, which is pretty expensive for the class.

The 2020 third-quarter sales show that buyers have been picking the 2020 Chevy Equinox over the 2020 Ford Escape. While the Escape has been newly redesigned for 2020, it does offer a little less at a slightly higher starting price.