The new Equinox compact sports utility vehicle, Chevy’s first based on a car chassis, isn’t intended for rural markets, but the company doesn’t phrase it that way. What it says is that median household income will be about $90,000, which eliminates most farmers I know.
Also, Chevy says that roughly 60 percent of its sales of small trucks happens in Ontario and east. Items such as these are not in large print when you read the News release
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Now that we know what the dark side is, let’s balance it with a bit of light. The Equinox I tested was a LT front wheel drive model with a manufacturers’ suggested retail price of $31,765 plus taxes. As the ads always say, “Dealer may sell for less.”
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For this hard-earned chunk of change, you get a 3.4 litre, 18 horse V6 hooked to a five-speed automatic transmission. Standard features include dual power mirrors, 16-inch wheels, air, cruise and tilt. This tester had the preferred equipment group, which added a leather interior, heated front seats and 17-inch wheels.
Fuel economy, according to EnerGuide Canada, is 22 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.
Since I never managed to get anywhere close to that, I can only assume government highways all run down hill. I think the best I managed was about 18 mpg in town and 25 mpg on the highway.
This was with my normal driving with no attempt to get better mileage by doing something as drastic as traveling at 77 km-h like the feds do for their testing.
Once you get past the statistics, the Equinox is a sharp-looking little vehicle with flowing lines and a stance that suits the way it looks, sort of a “don’t mess with me” attitude. The 17-inch wheels and tires fill the wheel wells and with the chrome accents help maintain a visual sharpness to the design.
As a front-wheel drive, it looks capable off road and when you order an all-wheel drive version the power-on-demand system does a decent job of going down all but the worst of trails. True off-road utility is limited.
The all season tires are compromises with good traction off pavement and a slight increase in noise on pavement.
The view from the driver’s seat is well thought out. Instruments are clear and easily read. Controls fall readily to hand and all the warning indicator lightsare bright and out in the open.
Chevy claims that the Equinox has seating for five and it does, except that there are only four head rests and shoulder belts. The middle set makes due with a lap belt.
Sitting in the back seat is another story. Both myteenagers managed to find other things to do when it came time to go somewhere in the Equinox. Without their expert opinion, I had to give it a try. The two out-board seating positions are not as comfortable as I think they should be and the centre position is nearly unbearable. I hated it.
Up front, the bucket seat wasn’t quite the same size as my bucket, so I wasn’t as comfortable as I would have liked. I could still drive for hours, but I did have to squirm about more than usual. The power adjuster made life a bit easier because I could vary the seating position without stopping.
On the move, the Equinox held its own in the corners. There was a mild push in the front end as you got close to traction limits. That bit of front-end push was consistent regardless of road surface. Getting onto a well paved road offered a ride that is more like a car than a truck. Normal cornering turned up just a bit of body lean without creating any discomfort inside.
The seat puts the driver up high, providing a clear view of all that is around you. When trying to make a lane change, the mirrors and large glass area allow good visibility.
Also, the tall seating position and sharply defined edges make parking a breeze.
Some creativity went into the design of the cargo area. A height adjustable tray alters the floor height so that you can have two layers of cargo if needed. Or, you can use the grocery hooks to steady your grocery bags. A cargo net can be spread over loose items to keep them under control and you can pull the cargo cover over it all to keep the mess out of sight.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of the writer.
