Cockpit on the upswing
The first time you encounter the Equinox, it looks big for compact SUV duty; it’s roughly the size of a Dodge Journey although a little wider, but a little less spacious inside than the Honda CR-V, The Mitsubishi Outlander and the Toyota RAV4.
It does ride on a long wheelbase and has short overhangs, so the toughness look is accounted for. Okay, it doesn’t break any ground in terms of exterior styling, but the Equinox looks good; it sports clean, muscular lines and doesn’t look nearly as chubby as the Traverse.
Inside, the 1LT gets nice-looking honeycomb-style cloth patterns on the seats, and I really like the sporty appearance of that multi-tone color mix. The swoopy dashboard blends in with the door panels, and includes soft-blue ambiance lighting when the sun goes down. Some details could use a little more work, though; for example, reaching in the waist-level door storage pockets reveals some sharp plastic edges. Nobody noticed this before starting mass production?
The overall look of the switchgear is pretty good; every push of a button and twist of a knob feels solid, although the sound system control layout requires some getting used to, and the volume and tuning buttons are a far reach; unfortunately, wheel-mounted controls are standard only in the 2LT and LTZ, optional in the 1LT.
Competition
The base Equinox LS starts at a reasonable $25,995, while our front-wheel drive 1LT rolls off the showroom floor at $27,725. For an extra $2,385, the 2LT adds an 8-way power driver’s seat, standard Bluetooth connectivity, a rear view camera, a stereo upgrade with USB port and a few other features; we think it’s worth it. All-wheel drive adds $1,610 on all trims.
There are numerous front-drive, four-cylinder rivals to this Chevrolet, so it has its work cut out for it. Most are pretty close in pricing and equipment content: Escape, CR-V, Tucson, Sportage, Tribute, Outlander, Rogue, RAV4.
The first time you encounter the Equinox, it looks big for compact SUV duty; it’s roughly the size of a Dodge Journey although a little wider, but a little less spacious inside than the Honda CR-V, The Mitsubishi Outlander and the Toyota RAV4.
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| Inside, the 1LT gets nice-looking honeycomb-style cloth patterns on the seats. |
It does ride on a long wheelbase and has short overhangs, so the toughness look is accounted for. Okay, it doesn’t break any ground in terms of exterior styling, but the Equinox looks good; it sports clean, muscular lines and doesn’t look nearly as chubby as the Traverse.
Inside, the 1LT gets nice-looking honeycomb-style cloth patterns on the seats, and I really like the sporty appearance of that multi-tone color mix. The swoopy dashboard blends in with the door panels, and includes soft-blue ambiance lighting when the sun goes down. Some details could use a little more work, though; for example, reaching in the waist-level door storage pockets reveals some sharp plastic edges. Nobody noticed this before starting mass production?
The overall look of the switchgear is pretty good; every push of a button and twist of a knob feels solid, although the sound system control layout requires some getting used to, and the volume and tuning buttons are a far reach; unfortunately, wheel-mounted controls are standard only in the 2LT and LTZ, optional in the 1LT.
Competition
The base Equinox LS starts at a reasonable $25,995, while our front-wheel drive 1LT rolls off the showroom floor at $27,725. For an extra $2,385, the 2LT adds an 8-way power driver’s seat, standard Bluetooth connectivity, a rear view camera, a stereo upgrade with USB port and a few other features; we think it’s worth it. All-wheel drive adds $1,610 on all trims.
There are numerous front-drive, four-cylinder rivals to this Chevrolet, so it has its work cut out for it. Most are pretty close in pricing and equipment content: Escape, CR-V, Tucson, Sportage, Tribute, Outlander, Rogue, RAV4.
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| The overall look of the switchgear is pretty good; every push of a button and twist of a knob feels solid. |