Three vehicles wear this badge, and only one deserves your attention. The Equinox EV promises 250+ miles of range for potentially under $25k after tax credits, if GM actually ships the base trim instead of burying it under dealer markups and option packages. That's legitimately game-changing pricing for a long-range EV, though ditching CarPlay will cost them sales. The current gas Equinox (2018+) is competent appliance-grade transportation that's genuinely improved from the pre-2018 disaster years, but noisy cabins and cheap plastics remind you it's built to a price. Pre-2018 models earned their bad reputation with timing chains that jump and engines that burn oil before 100k miles. If you're shopping the EV and can live without CarPlay, it's the value play of the decade. If you're considering a used gas model, 2018 or newer only, and even then, a RAV4 will age better.
Mazda built a compact crossover that drives like a sport sedan and lasts like a Toyota, then fumbled the 2026 redesign by burying climate controls in a touchscreen. The 2017-2025 generation is the sweet spot: upscale interior, engaging handling, and owners routinely hitting 200k+ miles with nothing but oil changes. The rotary dial infotainment that reviewers love actually works once you learn it. But the new model ditches those physical controls just as competitors are bringing them back, and the community is furious. Shopping used or hunting a leftover 2025? You're golden. Eyeing the 2026? You're the guinea pig for Mazda's cost-cutting experiment, and early sentiment suggests they read the room wrong. Buy the outgoing model while you still can.