Value, Economy, Quietness, Family Oriented - The 2010 Chevy Equinox Has it All
The Chevrolet Equinox has been around for a few years, but has not been a big seller.
GM's engineers heard the messages from consumers about mileage, costs, and other value-related aspects.
This new model is almost 80% all new compared to the current 2009 model.
Chevy will celebrate its 100 anniversary in November 2011.
Under the re-designed, after bankruptcy, GM, Chevy is designed to be the anchor brand of the car manufacturer.
Chevy is the broadest brand and more global than all the other GM products.
This year, Chevy has introduced their new Traverse and new Camaro.
For 2011, they will introduce the CRUISE, expected to have over 40 mpg and will probably replace the Cobalt, VOLT, the extended range all-electric vehicle, SPARK, a new mini-car, and ORLANDO, a seven passenger small crossover that will be more like a van.
The new Equinox has been completely redesigned and is a compact crossover with a new, more efficient powertrain.
Compact crossover might be misleading.
It is more like a mid-size in my opinion, but that is what the Chevy public relations people call it.
It competes with the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, and the Honda CRV.
With this new redesign, it will probably offer better competition than it did previously.
This really is a nice-size vehicle for a lot of families.
It is small, so it might not be good with a family of 5 or 6 or more.
But empty-nesters that occasionally take a grandchild or two on a short trip would love it.
A young couple with their first child or two small ones would be an excellent fit.
A divorcee with a couple of children would find adequate room for everything.
The Equinox is not being touted as a sporty, powerful vehicle that appeals to the race-car-driver in a lot of us.
It is designed for utility and efficiency.
The biggest change is the powertrain.
It offers a new 2.
4 liter, direct injected, four-cylinder engine, which is EPA rated at 32 mpg.
During our test drive, we averaged near that figure, although my driving partner and I were pushing the pedal down quite often.
We also were playing with the ECO button that allows more efficiency on trips.
We might have achieved better than the 32 if we had not pushed, pulled, accelerated, and done every other driving tactic we could interject during the test.
There is an available 3.
0-liter V-6.
All models are matched to a six speed automatic transmission.
There are some new design details on the 2010 Equinox which feature Chevy's new signature face - a two-tier grille.
The gold bow-tie Chevy insignia is prominently displayed as well.
The grill is the same as can be seen on the new popular Chevy Malibu.
Most consumers buy a smaller vehicle for the fuel economy, followed by value and quality.
The Equinox fits that profile.
There are some changes in the body design such as a multi-dimensional hood, wraparound rear side glass, rocker panels integrated into the doors, and more.
Most of these change the aerodynamic performance, translating into more fuel efficiency.
The powertrain engineers, generally just look at the exterior as a big piece of sheet metal, put there just to protect "their" engine from getting wet in rainstorms.
That may be a joke, but the powertrain and exterior design blend to produce a fuel-efficient vehicle that is large enough for a small family.
The interior is quiet.
A lot of folks equate quality with quietness in their cars.
Chevy's engineers have gone to great extremes to refine the interior of this new Equinox.
There is a noise barrier, the parts are very well sealed, there is a flex coupling in the exhaust system, and even a noise-cancellation system.
Some folks may already be familiar with those noise-cancellation headphones that are terrific for airplanes when there is an abundance of crying babies or engine noise from a bad seat selection.
This is the first time that General Motors has used the technology.
There are two small microphones in the ceiling, one near the front and one near the rear.
If loud, booming sounds are detected, counter-acting sound waves are sent through the car's radio speakers.
My driving partner and I tried this out repeatedly, covering the microphones, shouting out often, and banging on items to make noise.
The difference is noticeable, although the average person will not be aware of it.
What IS noticed is that the cabin interior is quieter.
There are a lot of other nice features on the Equinox, such as a convenient center stack of controls, ambient lighting, comfortable front and rear seats, USB connects for personal music devices, DVD rear seat screens mounted in the backs of the front seats, power tailgate, rear vision camera system, and a lot more.
The twin screens for the back seat area allows one passenger to watch a DVD movie while the other passenger plays a game on the other.
There is a lot more to be said about the new Equinox.
Obviously, I was impressed.
A final note that got my attention - Chevy lowed the pricing on the Equinox almost $2000 less than last year's model.
Base MSRP for the LS model is just $22,440.
The 1LT, next step up will probably be the most popular model, and will be about $23,360.
The LTZ is the top model of the lineup.
Value, economy, quietness, family oriented - these can all be found in the new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.
GM's engineers heard the messages from consumers about mileage, costs, and other value-related aspects.
This new model is almost 80% all new compared to the current 2009 model.
Chevy will celebrate its 100 anniversary in November 2011.
Under the re-designed, after bankruptcy, GM, Chevy is designed to be the anchor brand of the car manufacturer.
Chevy is the broadest brand and more global than all the other GM products.
This year, Chevy has introduced their new Traverse and new Camaro.
For 2011, they will introduce the CRUISE, expected to have over 40 mpg and will probably replace the Cobalt, VOLT, the extended range all-electric vehicle, SPARK, a new mini-car, and ORLANDO, a seven passenger small crossover that will be more like a van.
The new Equinox has been completely redesigned and is a compact crossover with a new, more efficient powertrain.
Compact crossover might be misleading.
It is more like a mid-size in my opinion, but that is what the Chevy public relations people call it.
It competes with the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, and the Honda CRV.
With this new redesign, it will probably offer better competition than it did previously.
This really is a nice-size vehicle for a lot of families.
It is small, so it might not be good with a family of 5 or 6 or more.
But empty-nesters that occasionally take a grandchild or two on a short trip would love it.
A young couple with their first child or two small ones would be an excellent fit.
A divorcee with a couple of children would find adequate room for everything.
The Equinox is not being touted as a sporty, powerful vehicle that appeals to the race-car-driver in a lot of us.
It is designed for utility and efficiency.
The biggest change is the powertrain.
It offers a new 2.
4 liter, direct injected, four-cylinder engine, which is EPA rated at 32 mpg.
During our test drive, we averaged near that figure, although my driving partner and I were pushing the pedal down quite often.
We also were playing with the ECO button that allows more efficiency on trips.
We might have achieved better than the 32 if we had not pushed, pulled, accelerated, and done every other driving tactic we could interject during the test.
There is an available 3.
0-liter V-6.
All models are matched to a six speed automatic transmission.
There are some new design details on the 2010 Equinox which feature Chevy's new signature face - a two-tier grille.
The gold bow-tie Chevy insignia is prominently displayed as well.
The grill is the same as can be seen on the new popular Chevy Malibu.
Most consumers buy a smaller vehicle for the fuel economy, followed by value and quality.
The Equinox fits that profile.
There are some changes in the body design such as a multi-dimensional hood, wraparound rear side glass, rocker panels integrated into the doors, and more.
Most of these change the aerodynamic performance, translating into more fuel efficiency.
The powertrain engineers, generally just look at the exterior as a big piece of sheet metal, put there just to protect "their" engine from getting wet in rainstorms.
That may be a joke, but the powertrain and exterior design blend to produce a fuel-efficient vehicle that is large enough for a small family.
The interior is quiet.
A lot of folks equate quality with quietness in their cars.
Chevy's engineers have gone to great extremes to refine the interior of this new Equinox.
There is a noise barrier, the parts are very well sealed, there is a flex coupling in the exhaust system, and even a noise-cancellation system.
Some folks may already be familiar with those noise-cancellation headphones that are terrific for airplanes when there is an abundance of crying babies or engine noise from a bad seat selection.
This is the first time that General Motors has used the technology.
There are two small microphones in the ceiling, one near the front and one near the rear.
If loud, booming sounds are detected, counter-acting sound waves are sent through the car's radio speakers.
My driving partner and I tried this out repeatedly, covering the microphones, shouting out often, and banging on items to make noise.
The difference is noticeable, although the average person will not be aware of it.
What IS noticed is that the cabin interior is quieter.
There are a lot of other nice features on the Equinox, such as a convenient center stack of controls, ambient lighting, comfortable front and rear seats, USB connects for personal music devices, DVD rear seat screens mounted in the backs of the front seats, power tailgate, rear vision camera system, and a lot more.
The twin screens for the back seat area allows one passenger to watch a DVD movie while the other passenger plays a game on the other.
There is a lot more to be said about the new Equinox.
Obviously, I was impressed.
A final note that got my attention - Chevy lowed the pricing on the Equinox almost $2000 less than last year's model.
Base MSRP for the LS model is just $22,440.
The 1LT, next step up will probably be the most popular model, and will be about $23,360.
The LTZ is the top model of the lineup.
Value, economy, quietness, family oriented - these can all be found in the new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.
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