Chevrolet Equinox.
There’s a reason it seems practically everyone I know is driving a Chevrolet Equinox these days: GM’s hit SUV offering addresses a tempting sweet spot for Americans at the intersection of style, functionality and price. So Equinox has become a sort of destination that is difficult for mainstream consumers to resist.
In fact, U.S. sales of Equinox rose during the third quarter by about two percent compared with a year earlier — a record performance during that period by the model — and, for the first nine months of the year, by about eight percent, to nearly 254,000 units. That occurred while overall industry sales in Equinox’s compact-ute segment rose only by 0.1 percent, as Equinox solidified its hold on the No. 4 spot in the segment after the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue.
Notably, Equinox sales significantly outpaced those by its most significant competition offered by cross-town rivals, Ford Escape and Jeep Cherokee, which are the biggest-volume nameplates in the segment that actually have been losing ground lately.
It’s easy to see why Equinox is ascendant. With the latest version that has been around since the 2018 model year, General Motors has managed to position Equinox comfortably between its Chevrolet Trax subcompact crossover and below the family-capable, recently redesigned Chevrolet Traverse three-row SUV.
With an all-new exterior and interior, GM has slimmed down Equinox a bit, inside and out, giving the model a weight savings of more than 400 pounds compared to the second generation model that it offered from 2010 to 2017. More germane to consumers, Equinox achieves much-better-than-average fuel economy for the segment of 26 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway with the base engine.
And while Equinox’s base 170-horsepower, 1.5-liter turbocharged engine may seem wan to drivers with a performance bent, gunning it isn’t what Equinox is about. Plus, there is an available 252-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder that provides notably stronger acceleration and overall capabilities and is a very popular option for Equinox buyers.
Handling-wise, Equinox proves sure-footed on even winding roads and gives drivers a lot of confidence in every routine situation. Its turning radius could be tighter, but in tight spaces Equinox proves very nimble overall.
GM wisely has packed its star mid-market SUV with a rich list of standard infotainment features including a seven-inch touch screen, a six-speaker audio system, two USB ports, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and a Wi-Fi hot spot. Available are options including an upgrade to an eight-inch touch screen, satellite radio, a Bose audio system and wireless device charging.
Most important, GM has priced Equinox to be well within reach of most American car-buying households, per the Chevrolet tradition of being the company’s brand for bread-and-butter vehicles. Equinox prices start at $23,800 and max out with a version of the handsomely appointed Equinox Premier — complete with goodies such as all-wheel-drive, ventilated front seats and adaptive cruise control — in the mid-$30,000s.
