Starting off in normal driving I would see the tachometer needle at 5,000 RPMs sometimes and wonder if I had accidentally bumped the transmission to manual. However, it is a vehicle that is simply too big for its engine. If you drive carefully, and without any semblance of haste (if you’re a slowpoke) the Equinox will be fine for you. With gas at $1.99 in my town, I’d take this trade off and not worry much about the couple hundred in fuel per year I could be saving in a smaller crossover. Safety, more room to stretch out or pack for a vacation, and a general feeling of solidity this vehicle has that some in its class lack. Then there is the upside of weight and size. Its 23 mpg combined does not compare favorably to the CR-V’s 27 mpg. The 2.4-liter engine has 182 hp, which is average for the class, but the fuel economy of the Equinox is about last. The heft has two disadvantages, weight and acceleration. The lightest Equinox is about 150 pounds heavier than the heaviest Honda CR-V trim. More room is always welcome, but it comes at a cost in the case of the Equinox. So long, that the back seats slide back and forth about a foot. The Equinox also has a very long cargo and back seat area. In most compact crossovers my right knee rests against the center console (annoyingly). You feel the extra size immediately as you sit inside. The Equinox is about seven inches longer and about one inch wider than a Honda CR-V. So, what is Chevy’s strategy for competing with the best in this hugely competitive segment? Make it bigger and make it easy to use seems to be the general idea. The Equinox outsells the Impala and Malibu by about 2 to 1. The only model that outsells this vehicle in the entire GM portfolio is the Silverado pickup line. Not their crossover models, the whole brand. Don’t believe me? Equinox outsells both the Buick and Cadillac brands. Aside from trucks, this is General Motors’ most important vehicle. According to GM, crossovers are the largest automotive segment now, making up 40% of the auto market. The 2016 Equinox is a hugely important vehicle for Chevy. For the right buyer, there is much to like about this crossover. Very few vehicles I tested this past year surprised me as much as the 2016 Chevy Equinox.
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