Chevrolet Equinox Redline test drive

 I think the equinox is a pretty nice looking SUV.
I am not a fan of these “Redline” packages Chevrolet offers on a few on a few of their cars.
I just don’t like black wheels or black trim where chrome should be.
But that’s just me.

The Redline option also limits the choice of interior colors.

But the design is modern and pleasant.

 Same thing inside. Nothing stands out, but nothing is really wrong either. Everything feels fine and is where it supposed to be.
Nothing weird here, but not much personality either.
And most plastics still feel hard and a bit cheap. But that’s also the case in many of the competition.

Again, the black/grey cloth combo of the Redline package isn’t much fun. Other versions have a much nicer choice of colors.

The 8 speaker stereo is also fine. And also, nothing special.
Apple car play works well. Except for that rather stupid GM safety feature that limits your choice of Playlists to “recent playlists” once you start driving.
(Which is stupid and annoying)

 I have to say, I do like cloth. It’s kind of refreshing not to see leather on seats these days.
And the ones in the Equinox are fine. They are also comfortable and have quite a sporty shape.

The center armrest is pretty high, and actually super comfortable. In general, the driving position is really great.

 The back seat is roomy. Since these “compact” SUVs are now slowly replacing the mid-sized sedan s the car of choice for many families.

 There is a lot of trunk space being the rear seats. Also a pretty large hidden area under the trunk floor.

And the holw thing is pretty huge when the seats are folded down. And it all is very flat and convenient.

 The Equinox I tested had the great GM 2.0 Liter Turbo engine that GM uses on tons of their cars and SUVs.
And it is always great.
Very quick, smooth and quiet all the time. A perfect combo with the equally great 9-speed auto.

 The steering actually has quite a nice feel to it. So do the brakes.
Combined with the excellent powertrain, this makes for a very nice and engaging drive.

Except for the ride. With the 19 inch tires from the Redline package, things are very, very firm.
Actually too much for family transport.
Every single bump or road imperfection is felt. And I am not sure this is what most people would want in this type of car.
But again, the redline option is not for everyone.

 The 2.0 Liter Equinox is rated at 22MPG city and 29HWY.
As usual, I was not able to get 21MPG in the city with this engine.
The most I got was 18.

But it was very easy to get 32 on the highway.
Since my test cr was a FWD model, I would expect the AWD to do worse.

The Equinox is really a nice SUV to drive.
It also has a lot of power with the 2.0 Liter Turbo.
A problem, at least for me, is the Redline package. Which limits the color choices, inside and out, and comes with a pretty rough “sporty” ride.

But I think its main problem might be the price. Without the unnecessary Redline option, my test model would still be around $32 000.
And still no luxury options like a high end stereo, sunroof or leather seats.
For that price, you can get a loaded Honda CR-V EX-L or even the Touring model.
(Sure, the CR-V has a less powerfull 1.5 Liter engine…)

But the main threat seems to always be the great Mazda CX-5.
The CX-5 is just in another class altogether, for about the same price or less.

And since the super loaded 2019 CX-5 Turbo will start at around $35 000, it will still be cheaper than a 2.0 Liter Equinox with all options.

 I think the Equinox is still a really good choice. If you can keep the prices down. And be careful with
options.

Click on the picture above to se all the pricing detail of the car I was driving.