Comfortable, Roomy Crossover
I was considerably more impressed with the 2007 Chevy Equinox than I was with the 2006 Pontiac Torrent, which I tested sometime ago. The Equinox and Torrent are sister vehicles in the GM fleet. In keeping with Pontiac's performance image, the Torrent is oriented a little more toward sport than the Equinox, which could be considered the more comfort-oriented of the two compact SUVs. I use the term "compact" rather loosely, as these are both large vehicles within their rating of compact. Pushing the boundaries of "compact" produces sufficient real estate to comfortably accommodate five occupants.
Equinox Equilibrium
The Equinox is a V6-powered, crossover SUV. Like most crossovers, front wheels pull the Equinox unless the all-wheel-drive option is selected. As with many other crossover examples, low-range gearing is not available nor is a manual transmission. In fact the Equinox's only drivetrain is comprised of a 3.4 litre, 185 horsepower V6 bolted to a five-speed autobox. The engine isn't a particularly sophisticated unit. Although it produces a respectable rating of 210 foot-pounds of torque, it's not equipped with variable valve timing and has only two valves per-cylinder set in a standard OHV arrangement.
Still, this most basic of mills performs quite nicely. It provides more than adequate acceleration for most needs and undertakes hill-climbing duties with reasonable competence. It's also more refined than I recall it to be when I sampled the same engine in the 2006 Torrent I tested in December of 2005. Within normal driving parameters, the engine is quiet and unobtrusive. Under hard acceleration, it speaks its mind with a fairly aggressive but pleasing growl.
The Equinox's autobox is well suited to its powerplant; it shifts appropriately and always on-cue. Particularly useful in hilly terrain is the "I" (intermediate) shift position, which follows the conventional "D" (drive) position in the shift gate. The "I" setting allows the engine to perform limited engine braking when descending but more importantly, it programs the transmission to hold gears more effectively when dealing with hilly terrain. I took my tester skiing, which meant a long drive up a local mountain. With the transmission in "I," very little unnecessary up shifting took place. Greater engine braking is available by placing the shift lever into "L" (low), as in more traditional automatic setups. No manual-mode feature is available.
I was considerably more impressed with the 2007 Chevy Equinox than I was with the 2006 Pontiac Torrent, which I tested sometime ago. The Equinox and Torrent are sister vehicles in the GM fleet. In keeping with Pontiac's performance image, the Torrent is oriented a little more toward sport than the Equinox, which could be considered the more comfort-oriented of the two compact SUVs. I use the term "compact" rather loosely, as these are both large vehicles within their rating of compact. Pushing the boundaries of "compact" produces sufficient real estate to comfortably accommodate five occupants.
 |
| The Equinox is more comfort-oriented than the Pontiac Torrent. |
Equinox Equilibrium
The Equinox is a V6-powered, crossover SUV. Like most crossovers, front wheels pull the Equinox unless the all-wheel-drive option is selected. As with many other crossover examples, low-range gearing is not available nor is a manual transmission. In fact the Equinox's only drivetrain is comprised of a 3.4 litre, 185 horsepower V6 bolted to a five-speed autobox. The engine isn't a particularly sophisticated unit. Although it produces a respectable rating of 210 foot-pounds of torque, it's not equipped with variable valve timing and has only two valves per-cylinder set in a standard OHV arrangement.
Still, this most basic of mills performs quite nicely. It provides more than adequate acceleration for most needs and undertakes hill-climbing duties with reasonable competence. It's also more refined than I recall it to be when I sampled the same engine in the 2006 Torrent I tested in December of 2005. Within normal driving parameters, the engine is quiet and unobtrusive. Under hard acceleration, it speaks its mind with a fairly aggressive but pleasing growl.
 |
| The 3.4L V6 is not technology advanced but does the job. |
The Equinox's autobox is well suited to its powerplant; it shifts appropriately and always on-cue. Particularly useful in hilly terrain is the "I" (intermediate) shift position, which follows the conventional "D" (drive) position in the shift gate. The "I" setting allows the engine to perform limited engine braking when descending but more importantly, it programs the transmission to hold gears more effectively when dealing with hilly terrain. I took my tester skiing, which meant a long drive up a local mountain. With the transmission in "I," very little unnecessary up shifting took place. Greater engine braking is available by placing the shift lever into "L" (low), as in more traditional automatic setups. No manual-mode feature is available.