The Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-size CUV and sister-ship to the GMC Terrain. It's a tidy execution of Chevy's current design language, which means it's attractive inside and out. This Black Granite Metallic LT AWD example was well equipped with Chevys MyLink system, back-up camera, power everything, alloy rims, sunroof, heated seats, and more. Wide doors make for easy entry and exit. Pleasant, masculine cloth covers the firm seats and is adorned with contrasting red stitching. It's easy to get familiar with controls, although I found the wiper control stalk to be particularly confounding. Who puts a rocker switch on the tip of a stalk? MyLink is essentially similar to my Buick's IntelliLink, so pairing my phone was a no-brainer.
Equinox was the best rental yet for my purposes here in Chicago.
Chevrolet is located on the first rung of the GM brand ladder. And the divisional difference in terms of cabin comfort and refinement is immediately apparent when comparing Chevy to the next level up (Buick). The Chevy's cabin surfaces are all hard plastic. Seats are stiff yet comfortable. And while features are plentiful, some are lacking simple and inexpensive touches that leave me scratching my head. Perhaps these nuances help to differentiate the escalating eleganza when graduating to the next GM class. But why have auto-down windows that don't also have auto-up? Why not have trajectory markings on the back-up camera image?
For our interior discussion, I've decided to give my developers the Seussian monikers: Dev1 and Dev2. Dev1 had nothing but good things to say about the comfort of the Equinox. Svelte and 5'8", he fits into just about anything and loved our time in the FIAT 500. Dev2, however, is 6'1" and a self-proclaimed "Big Guy". He found the adjustable back seat of the Equinox supremely accommodating. Leg room was outstanding. His only gripes came from the front seat, where he felt as though his shoulder was jammed against the B pillar. I found the driving position just right, thanks to power seat adjustability and the tilt/telescope steering wheel. Blind spots, while huge, are mitigated by convex mirror segments on both sides.
On the road, the Equinox is well planted in corners for a tall vehicle. The taut and communicative ride is even smooth over the low, raised center islands that Chicagoans can legally thump over. Turning radius is pretty wide—A u-turn became a k-turn inside 3-1/2 lane widths. The sound insulation deficit (when compared to Buick products) is most evident during hard acceleration. The 4-cylinder engine wails as the transmission downshifts, returning modest propulsion compared to the din. Equinox is no cruise missile with this engine. The 182 HP 4-cylinder returns about 20/29 mpg. Upgrade to the 301 HP V-6 and get the thrust you want, but pay at the pump with a 16/23mpg return.
After a week behind the wheel, I have to say that Equinox was the best rental yet for my purposes here in Chicago. While the Grand Caravan certainly gave us more room that we could ever need, it was a lot of barge to haul around. And the fuel economy of some of the micro-car offerings was great, but we suffered a bit with comfort and entry/exit ease. The Chevy Equinox LT AWD came packed with the right amount of equipment, carried us and our stuff in great comfort, wasn't too thirsty at the pump, and was just the right size for gliding through traffic and easy parking.
As for its handling in the snow, I'm hoping not to find that out until after the NEXT equinox.
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