Day-by-Day Review: 2013 Chevrolet Equinox

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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There are some good things to say about the Equinox: the average buyer will love that the Equinox is quiet. It is also comfortable and easy to drive, although the A pillars are rather large, making visibility at four-way stops a little cumbersome. But nobody really reads these reviews for all the good stuff, do they? Good gets boring – but I do want to make it clear the Equinox is a nice drive… but not for the nit-picking.

I would avoid (pun intended) the collision avoidance system that is available on the Equinox. It’s just plain annoying – constantly warning me I may run into the car in front of me, hammering on the brakes as I pass a car that is changing lanes. If you pay attention while you drive it’s really a pain, but if you tend to fiddle with your smartphone, play with the radio or yell at your kids in the back seat, i.e. get distracted, then by all means order this system – it does work to warn and pre-brake.

On to the 300-hp upgraded V6 engine! As others have pointed out it seems odd that GM has gone with this larger displacement engine while the competition is moving to 2.0L turbo engines to save fuel and still develop the power needed to move these larger vehicles. But it is not just odd in concept; it seems like the horsepower has gone on vacation as it is difficult to extract it in the Equinox for some reason.

Even mashing your foot to the floor the Equinox just does not feel like it has 300 hp, but it sure makes a lot of noise trying. There is a bonus to point out, though, and that is that the six-speed transmission does shift smoothly and quickly.

It’s not all bad as I mentioned, visibility to the sides is good when checking your blind spots, but parking lots are not a breeze as in a compact car though they are easy enough to navigate, and the seat heaters warm up your buns to nearly burning levels in just a few minutes!

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