Chevrolet Equinox

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Comments

  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    Can't you guys get off the "engine war" and get back to the Equinox????
  • belgoboybelgoboy Member Posts: 17
    Hi Joey

    Could you explain what you meant by this: "I would take a look at the Vue RedLine and use those 18" with the 55 aspect ratio or you will be rubbing the tires to an early expensive death. I mean the Chevy 17" upgrade is only $300 for 17" rims and tires with 60 aspect and a simple change a dealer can do." Do you mean to suggest I just get 16inch wheels and ask the dealership to upgrade them their? I really am not a techie and I'm trying to find out what benefits, if any within reason larger tires might have (besides great looks).
  • joey2brixjoey2brix Member Posts: 463
    I just think it would be a safe upgrade to a size wheel/tire combo that was used on the customised Vue RedLine package since suspension offsets and wheel well clearances are probably the same on both cars. Yea, just take the stock 16" if you want to go something real big. You might get better cornering and braking with bigger wheels, but the ride will probably be rougher and get worse gas milage. I mention that the Dealer should be able to slap the 17" wheel/tire package Chevy offers onto any Nox. Remember all the Nox tires are only 235mm wide, the 17" wheels are just buying you looks.

    Hey Nortsr1: The squeaky wheel gets the oil. You gotta complain to get changes made for the better. This would be a boring thread if not for me since we still have not gotten any feedback from new owners yet. What hasn't been discussed on this car yet?
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    "Americans are wasteful spoiled cowboys. We live in the past with our Hemi V8's AGAIN from the 1960's, as gas is going to $3/gal. The consumer needs to push the car makers to give us better safety, economy, value, efficiency, etc".

    If that's what you think, then why are you looking at wasteful SUVs? Surely a Saturn L Wagon would be a much more efficient vehicle for you.
  • joey2brixjoey2brix Member Posts: 463
    an L wagon: poor quality, no one's buying them, and it's getting canned this year.

    I like the CRV and Vue since they have better power to weight ratios AND good MPG's. The Nox does worse in both those catagories.

    FYI

    If I was shopping for a wagon: Mazda6 wagon. Great price, great American made engine, great looks, great 5 speed man. tranny

    If you haven't noticed, the only thing GM sells that's kinda in the wagon class is the SRX? Another stupid move on GM's part.
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    Some people seem so against the Chevrolet Equinox, or even GM for that matter. If you can't stand anything about the Nox why are you in this forum. I am personally a GM person, every car that has been in my drive-way has been a Chevy or GMC. None of them have ever given me any trouble and think that they are of high quality. I also think that overall the Equinox is a good vehicle, and that GM will sell every Equinox they can throw out the door. But I would like to see the Driver Information Center thats in the Malibu.
  • belgoboybelgoboy Member Posts: 17
    Mr bots or anyone else for that matter, could you tell me about the Driver Information Center? Never heard of it prior to your posting. Thanks.
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    Its a trip computer that includes two trip odometers, gas milage, range, outside temperature, average speed, and other things like that, and it includes an interface to change some settings like remote lock feedback, auto locking, auto head lamps, and reset the oil life system, etc. Also it takes place of some "idiot" lights in the dash like "door ajar" "eng pwr reduced" "power steering" "low coolant" "change oil" things like that. All the messages are shown on the radio display, and accessed through three buttons on it: "info" "menu" and "enter."
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    "GM will sell every Equinox they can throw out the door."

    I bet they sell every Silverado too. Nut they are in the paper for $8000 off msrp right now. I'd buy a NOX in a minute if they were that cheap.

    p.s. I predict $15k NOX's next year.
  • belgoboybelgoboy Member Posts: 17
    Mr bots or anyone else for that matter, could you tell me about the Driver Information Center? Never heard of it prior to your posting. Thanks.
  • carsntruckscarsntrucks Member Posts: 22
    Am I the first person here that actually owns an Equinox?

    While I understand the issues about horsepower, gas mileage and engine origination, when it really comes down to it - it's about how the vehicle feels when you drive it. I was looking to get a loaded Colorado 4WD crew cab. But I didn't like the rough-riding Z71 suspension. So I test drove the Equinox. I was very impressed. Good power. Good handling. Absolutely incredible interior room. I am 6'8" tall. I can put the seat all the way back and have big legroom for the rear seat passenger. I got a salsa red metallic AWD loaded. Yes, it's a bit pricey before the big rebates kick in. But my wife loves driving a vehicle nobody has seen yet. I got $1900 off total and finally cashed in my dwindling $4500 of GM Card dollars.

    The car/truck is very good looking IMHO. In the red with body colored bumpers it is really striking. We shall see how it holds up over time. I think the interior looks much better than the Colorado. I like what they've done in the smallish cargo compartment with the movable cargo shelf and grocery bad hangers.

    Complaints: no grab handles! Inexcusable. All 5 doors are difficult to shut. They are fairly lightweight and the car seems to be very airtight. The odometer doesn't shown tenths.

    I had this same basic engine in a 1988 Chevy Beretta with a 3 spd auto. The Eq powertrain may not compete on paper with the imports, but it does a good job on the road and is light years ahead of that primitive 88 setup. I've owned big Mercedes S classes, Porsches and just came out of a BMW 330i. I've had the best and I don't think the Equinox is that far behind. We are very happy with our purchase.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Joey2brix, Actually the L-series is recommended in Consumer Reports so quality can't be that bad. Mazda 6 wagon or a Maxx would also certainly get better mileage than a VUE or a CR-V.

    Mr Bots, There seem to be a few Equinox haters here. Like you say, if you don't like it don't buy it. I personally don't care about mileage either so 24 mpg or 26 mpg is all the same even with higher gas prices. That said, my GP easily gets 30+ mpg which is nice.
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    I explained what the Driver Info Center is in post #1132
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    I like it. And I want to buy it. And GM has the parts on the shelf to make NOX a killer mini-ute. You'd think the largest automaker in the world would put it's best foot forward every time. But GM proves time and time again they'd rather shoot said foot.
  • turksteritisturksteritis Member Posts: 95
    My local dealer just got in a dark purple Nox. You guys gotta check this colour out in person!!! It looks absolutely amazing; very deep & rich! Too bad tho cus the have a Mercedes exterior with a Yugo interior. If they fixed that interior & gave it about 25 more hp this thing would be untouchable. I am not ready to trade in my Tribute ES on one quite yet!!!
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Refer to Turkster's post for how I feel about the intrior. And refer to the article about how I feel about the power/weight deficiency on the engine.

    Comparing the NOX to the Vue doesn't do me any good since I wouldn't buy a VUE either.
  • zeenzeen Member Posts: 401
    Now that I've decided to get a Volvo XC90 because it was only a couple of bucks more than the Nox LT on a lease, I get a call from the Chevy dealer today informing me of a new lease program on the Nox. Better late than sorry??
    I didn't get the details but thought that someone here might want to check it out. Had there been such a deal when I was ready to sign, I might have gone with the Nox notwithstanding the cheap interior. Of course, there's no comparison to the Volvo.
    Carsntrucks: Best of luck with your Nox. Hope you get many enjoyable miles out of it.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Great review on the Equinox. Thanx!
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Needsahemi. Kinda like the NOX. NeedsaOHC. Needsareardiscbrakes. LOL..
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    I would like to see disc brakes on all four corners, but in CR they rated the Vue's brakes as excellent and its probably identical to the system on the Nox
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Disc/drum can peform as well as disc/disc but when you have 17" wheels with such a large area between the spokes, you want to see discs in there.
  • murfdogmurfdog Member Posts: 61
    Is the dark purple an available color for us to chose from ?
    I was very disappointed when they got rid of the fusion orange metallic.

    I would like a dark purple. Could you find out if that is an available color and what the offical color name is. The closest to purple I see out on the website is a laser blue metallic.
  • turksteritisturksteritis Member Posts: 95
    It must be a colour only available in Canada. It is called Ultra violet metallic & looks absolutely stunning on the nox.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    But I went ahead and leased a Honda Odyssey for 2 years at no down $333 month. I got the brakes, engine, interior, reliability(for 24,000 miles I think even the NOX would have been OK), and the carrying capacity I was looking for. The only thing missing is XM and a sunroof. I figure by the time the 2 year lease is up, I'll have a few other choices.
    It's been great going back and forth guys. See you in a couple years.
  • joey2brixjoey2brix Member Posts: 463
    You made a good short term choice. When you come down to it, Honda is always the best value. The Ody just topped C&D's review of large mini-vans.
    Says alot when it still beats newer designs from the competion.

    The purple is laser blue in the US and called ultra violet in Canada, but they must be the same color. Maybe you saw it under different lighting.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Gee35, Wow a vans nothing like an SUV. You certainly jumped from one vehicle type to another quick. Congrats on the new wheels though. Even a Kia is solid for 2 years though.

    Joey2brix, "When you come down to it, Honda is always the best value". YA RIGHT! I'd give you an ear full, but that's for another forum. Not that they are bad cars but rarely the best value even with the better re-sale.

    Mr Bots, Rear drum front discs can be just as good if not better than all discs. Reviews seem to point to strong braking on the Equinox also. It's a cosmetic thing for some here it would seem.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    The NOX is an SUV in name only. It's a FWD unibody independent suspensioned wagon. Just like a.....minivan. So they styled it like a SUV. Big deal. That just means it has less room inside.

    Even if my Honda isn't the best value. It beat the NOX as it's currently priced. I have more power, same gas mileage, DVD entertainment option, all power, etc for the price of a 3 year NOX lease. Had I been able to spread the historically awesome depreciation history of the Ody over 3 years, there would have been an even larger disparity in price vs. the NOX. In the case of the NOX vs. Ody there is no value comparison. By the way, the insurance came up to $200/6 months. WOW!!!!

    A agree I wanted the 4 wheel discs for looks. I have 4 cars out there now with 4 wheel discs. From a little Civic Si to the new Ody. Sure the Ody is no SUV but isn't the first letter in SUV "Sport"? How can you be "sporty" without 4 wheel discs? But then again...how can you be "sporty" with 185 hp in what equates to a 2 ton vehicle when you add passengers?
  • orangelebaronorangelebaron Member Posts: 435
    My experience in 22 years of driving is that rear drums tend to lock up more easily than disks. And drum brakes look cheap. No excuse putting them on a vehicle well over twenty grand.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Some people prefer rear drums. They are cheaper to maintain and usually perform as well as rear disks.

    I can't see my wheels when I'm cruising anyway :-)

    Steve, Host
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    If you can do them yourself. Buy lifetime pads and replacing em is free. Rotors are surprisingly cheap these days. And some places even warrant them as well.
  • snowmansnowman Member Posts: 540
    What you get is what you pay, if you get low quality pads (all life time pads are low quality) for 5K pounds vehicle (NOX), you are going to have brake performance problem and squeak.
  • snowmansnowman Member Posts: 540
    I am definetely interested in NOX and Ford Escape. However, I didn't get a chance to look at it closely @ dealer. I saw some posts regarding cheap interior but ...

    Carsdirect.com is advertising 19/25 for gas mileage. Has anyone experienced differently?
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Keep checkin em at rotations and change em out when they wear. If it ain't shudderin when I stop, I'm good to go.

    Plenty of name brand lifetime pads out there.
  • murfdogmurfdog Member Posts: 61
    I checked the GM Canadian website and it only listed the following colors. Any way of finding out fi the ultra violet metallic will be sold in the US or Canada.

    Exterior Colour Interior Colour
    Sandstone Metallic
    Galaxy Silver Metallic
    Black
    Laser Blue Metallic
    Dark Silver Metallic
    Salsa Red Metallic
    Meander Green Metallic
    Summit White
     Dark Gray
    Cashmere
  • turksteritisturksteritis Member Posts: 95
    OK..I saw one in person at a dealership in Winterpeg & the GM Canada also lists the colour on the bottom link!
    http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehicles/chevytrucks/equinox/equi- _showroom.html
  • murfdogmurfdog Member Posts: 61
    Thanks for the link. Its really strange. They list the ultra violet metallic and they also list the orange fusion metallic.

    I was set on buying an Equinox with the orange fusion metallic when they then pulled that color of the available list down here on the US GM website.

    I would take either of those colors if they were available down here.

    My earlier comment above on colors was what I found if you follow the build your own off the website you listed.
  • driverdmdriverdm Member Posts: 505
    Gee35 now you done gone too far. So are you saying that the baseline Porshe Cayenne, base Volkwagon Toureg, the Volvo XC90 T6,the base BMW X3, and I believe the revered BMW X5 (base ofcourse)aren't sporty? Horsepower and torque mean nothing, if they aren't translated into speed. The Equinox has 0 - 60 of 8.5 seconds. That's the sport in it. Raceone in your minivan and you'll find out. I usually keep quiet but I had to jump in here.

    Also, even though the Equinox is not meant for off roading, it must do better than an average car, the ground clearance alone should help that out some bit. That may also be the definition of the word "sport" in SUV.
  • joey2brixjoey2brix Member Posts: 463
    I don't think the Canadian web page has been updated yet. No orange and the Violet and Laser Blue are one in the same. The old displays at the NYIAS still had Orange listed as a color also.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Gee35, The Oddy is still a van and the Equinox is clearly not. As long as you are happy, that's all that matters. Just a surprising move is all. Insurance on vans is cheap no doubt. You will save there.

    Steve, The rear drums on my old Accord were never changed once in 186K kms. I had to change the front discs twice however. Drums seem to last much longer in my experience. Both our current vehicles have all discs.
  • npgmbrnpgmbr Member Posts: 248
    It was parked in the lot of a local Target store in Alexandria Virginia. It was a dark red and had a gray interior. I was impressed with its size and equally impressed with the interior. Unlike many in this forum, I understand that Chevy is GM's "poormans division". You'll never find top quality materials in a Chevy (minus the Vette) because they are targeted at the masses.

    Anywho, I was very impressed. I've been thinking about purchasing a new vehicle and have been really wanting an Element but after seeing the Equinox in person, I had to put that decision on hold.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    "That's the sport in it. Raceone in your minivan and you'll find out."

    Actually the Odyssey has a 0-60 time of anywhere from 7.5 seconds (Car & Driver) to 8.1 (Edmunds recent minivan comparison test). Either one tops the 8.5 posted by the Equinox, And that's with the Ody's 3.5 pulling 800 more pounds. And since we all know the 3.4 in the Equinox is tuned for low-end torque I'm sure the disparity will become even greater as speeds increase. Guess the Ody is more worthy of being a "sport" utility vehicle than the Equinox.
  • atlgaxtatlgaxt Member Posts: 501
    Also, along with the Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest (with D0HC 24v V-6 engines) will handily outrun an Equinox 0-60. The Honda, Nissan, and Toyota Minivans all have engines putting out 230-240 hp.

    The on demand AWD system on the Equinox really does not provide anymore off road capability then a minivan with optional AWD.

    Get with the program GM.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    You are right Dan in that the Ody is a van vs. the NOX is a S?UV. But I just wanted a large vehicle that could carry a tree or sand or dirt or something like that. I HATE trucks so I wanted a car based SUV or a minivan-like vehicle. The NOX was my only choice in SUV's since I don't like any of the other offerings. I didn't like it for it's SUV-ness but simply for how it looked. After I saw the execution of many of the other aspects of the vehicle I became disappointed. Then Honda sealed the deal with the super duper lease deal. An Ody for $333 no money down. We've wanted one of these since they came out. I only wish it had XM.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    gee35, Like I said, if you are happy with a van, great. They are far more sensible and the Oddy is a good choice. There are some incentives on them now as the new one is coming soon. I think they did just get recalled on the transmission so you might want to get that checked before you take delivery.

    atlgaxt, Low 0-60 times, is this what van and truck buyers are looking for? I doubt it.
  • npgmbrnpgmbr Member Posts: 248
    The 0-60 time of the Equinox is not that important (to me) unless its just damd slow.

    My first car a 89 Baretta GT was very quick and responsive to the pedal. My second, a Geo Tracker which was much much slower than my Baretta but a whole lot better on fuel economy. My current car a 99 Infinity G20 (if I remember correctly) takes almost 10 seconds or more to reach 60 when the pedal is smashed from a dead stop.

    Did that detract me from buying it? Hell No. I still loved the car, it gets good mileage and can move when it needs to.

    What matters most to me are looks and fuel economy so im guessing my next purchase will be an Equinox.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    It was for high mileage vehicles that may have done some towing. There was gear shearing occurring on some of them due to over heating lubricant.
    http://www.hondanews.com/CatID2000?mid=2004041436013&mime=asc
    My leased Ody had 5 miles on it when I picked it up. I'll only own it for 24,000 miles and it doesn't have a tow hitch. Recall has nothing to do with me. Knowing the GM history though, I wouldn't bring up the "recall" word on a first year vehicle.

    Better stick with the looks. The fuel economy can be matched by a number of speedier(more powerful) competitors. Including the Redline. Heck, a 4 cylinder manual Escape gets durn near 30 mpg. You know, since speed ain't a concern. Although it's probably just as fast as the NOX due to less weight.

    Low 0-60 times mean effortless acceleration at more speeds. Power is power. Van and especially truck buyers never get enough power. That's why the Trailblazer's 270 hp straight 6 wasn't enough so they shoehorned a V8 in there. The Explorer got a V8 too. Not to mention the Lightning and Dodge SRT-10. So before you "doubt it" better check the market.

    The G20 had a lot of luxury for the money. It was slow though. hey were $19,999 here in Atlanta which was a steal for the equipment they offered along with the Infiniti name.

    A well equipped NOX needs about $3000 in rebates to bring it's price to a ereasonable level comensurate with it's materials.
  • atlgaxtatlgaxt Member Posts: 501
    I was responding to an earlier post saying how sporty the Equinox's 8.5 second 0-60 time was and how it was much quicker than a Honda Odyssey and how much better an off road rock crawler it was than a minivan.

    I was pointing out that this was all false. Neither the Equinox or a minivan is a real truck and neither are meant to be driven off road. The fact also is most new minivans with modern drivetrains will also out accelerate an Equinox, as will many, many SUVs.

    Basically, buying an Equinox over a new Honda, Toyota, or Nissan minivan means you are getting a tidier size and arguably better exterior style, a smaller interior, a crude and older engine with less power, and a more plasticky interior (as compared to the Japanese minivans).
  • cudaalcudaal Member Posts: 34
    Thx theo2709,

    couldn't access it do you have BAC or GMID? other ways to see it?
  • npgmbrnpgmbr Member Posts: 248
    gee35,

    whats most important (to me) are looks and fuel economy. That means its my personal opinion and regardless of how much you don’t like GM your not gonna change my opinion of the company.

    I don’t care how the Equinox stacks up against a Toyota or Honda minivan because I’m not interested in any of those. I’ve never been the person that shopped for vehicles because of reliability because my previous two GM cars were very reliable for me. I’ve always been a GM customer until I got my G20.

    As for the G20, well as an owner, I can tell you that there is NOT “a lot of luxury” in the car. Outside of heated seats and leather interior my car has nothing that I wouldn’t find in a fully loaded 99 Sentra. And as far as how slow it is, well an owner would know the best way to compensate.
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