2010 Chevrolet Equinox Video

GM rolled out its 2010 Chevrolet Equinox at the 2009 Detroit auto show, and Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays breaks down the vehicle’s attractions and missteps. As it did with the Chevy Malibu, GM hopes to go directly after competitors by offering better value with a bold look. The Equinox will target vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 and the Ford Escape with features like 30-mpg fuel economy. Will it be enough? Mays lays out his argument in this video.

Comments

Better mileage, good looks, more standard hp and more features add up to a winner in my book. Lets not forget this SUV has quite a few features not found on RAV4. I like the styling of the RAV4 but the interior is cheap and the vehicle gets very pricey in spite of limited options. Instead of looking at why to get the equinox I would say why would anyone get the CRv or RAV4 over this.

Agreed. They also didn't talk much about interior styling. Which looks great, and could beat the crap outta the styling in the competetors.

Yes there are more critical factors than turning circle when it comes time to compare compact SUVs. Just imagine a Toyota dealer trying to tell you get to the RAV4 over this because it has a tighter turning radius. Dont think thats going to outweigh the lack of features and inferior fuel economy.

OS,
Remember the RAV4 led the fuel economy ratings for compact SUVs since the last generation debuted years ago. I would assume the next gen will up the ante a bit.
The Equinox of course is bigger so the mileage is really remarkable.
Yeah, I'm not sure why we didn't pan the gauge cluster and other styling elements since they're so unique and new.

The real question is, Why would anyone consider this GM product over a Honda or Toyota? GM thinks they are offering better value and a bold look but in reality GM products have lousy resale value and inferior build quality and reliability when compared to Honda and Toyota. What GM considers a 'bold' look I consider ugly. It didn't work on the Malibu and it won't work on the Equinox. This will turn out to be another GM sales disappointment.

The current Equinox actually did quite well with sales for the first few years of its run and even recently isn't as huge a loser as you'd think.

I think the selling factor will be the larger size of the Equinox compared to the Rav and CRV. You get a mid-size look with the compact mileage. And lots of people like the looks. Malibu sales last year shot up with its redesign.

"Malibu sales last year shot up with its redesign." With whom Avis? The "new" Equinox is another GM parts-bin car and the interior is typical GM qualtiy - disappointing.

Yeah thats what it is. Malibu got 08 car of the year because of Avis sales. Listen to what you are saying. B7, you and Allen are one of the few who don't like the looks of the Malibu. And are going to be one of the few who dont like the looks of this. And if you didnt realize, GM HAS stepped up in quality. Malibu has great quality.

Yeah thats what it is. Malibu got 08 car of the year becuase of Avis sales. Listen to what you are saying. And you are one of the few who dont like the styling of the Malibu. And are going to be one of the few who dont like the styling of this. GM HAS stepped up in interior quality. For example, Malibu quality is great.

I like it and if the price is right, I want one. I'm tired of the comparison to Honda and Toyota...The CR-V is for tiny, short people and the Rav4 is Over-priced!! I have seen more Malibu's on the road than Accords since the re-designed and NO they are not rentals!! Chevy has stepped up their game and I think the Equinox and the Cruze will be competitive!

"It didn't work on the Malibu and it won't work on the Equinox. "

Malibu sales were up 39% last year. If that qualifies as failure than Chevy hopes the Equinox fails as well. When you say "another" sales disappointment you seem to be indicating recent launches have been disappointing. Before the market crash the Enclave, Malibu and CTS were doing well. Even the Aura did well last year in its 2nd full year on the market. Aside from the G8 which recent GM launches have had poor sales?

b7,

Nothing you said really has any correlation with reality. There is nothing parts bin about the new Equinox if you check out the interior. The center stack and gauges are all unique.

b7,

In case you missed all mainstream brands sell to rental fleets now. Every since the domestics started cutting back on fleet sales more and more hyundais, Toyotas and Nissans have been appearing at Enterprise lots. I've seen rental Mazda 3s before. rental Altimas are not even worth noting since they are so common. My brother had an altima rental 3 years ago when his 3 was getting repaired.

If GM doesn't change the gearing of the V6 Equinox before launch, it will be the laggard of the class. The Santa Fe 3.3 will be quicker, the RAV4 V6 will be way faster. The Ford Escape will be as fast/faster 2.5 I4/3.0 V6

The RAV4 is the fastest in class and will continue to be. Why? it weighs about 3500lbs with the V6 which is considerably lighter than the Equinox, Vue, CX-7, etc. The Nox isnt going to be sports car fast, but the V6 should be more than respectable.

Original sheth,
A 39% increase over paltry sales from the year before is meaningless. 34% of Malibu sales are to rental companies! And even GM admits that the "new" Equinox borrows parts from the Saturn Vue. Is GM still having that Equinox engine built in China? Now THAT'S American!

"In case you missed all mainstream brands sell to rental fleets now. Every since the domestics started cutting back on fleet sales..."

1. GM and Chrysler sell on average 33.5% of their cars to rental fleets. For comparison Honda sells just over 1%. This from C&D.
2. According to the WSJ GM has increased their sales to rental fleets from 31% last year to over 33% this year. The number is expected to increased upwards and peak at just under 35% by end of fiscal year 2009.

GM and Chrysler are the junk players in the auto industry. My neighbors Honda Fit has a higher quality interior than my Pontiac Soltice. Thank God I'll be dumping it next month for a BMW Z. Bye-bye GM as Americans don't want your garbage anymore.

tenson,

I have seen no rental figures for the new Malibu. PLease share your source.

The new engines are unrelated to the 3.4L that came from China. They will more than likely be built in the US where other Ecotec and "high feature" V6s are built. The Malibu has never been an extremely low volume car and has probably averaged 150k units over the past 5 years or so. It has consistently outsold cars like the Passat, Sonata, Sebring and even Fusion at times. Only someone really biased could try and dismiss a 39% gain. In December the Malibu outsold the Altima.

You mention the sharing between the Vue and Nox as if GM should be ashamed. The Vue is a nice product. WHats your point? Next thing I know you'll be telling me Toyota "admits" than the Camry shares parts with the ES350.

CZ,

You dont give a link so I dont know if your figures are accurate. Even if they are it would be nice if you told us how many Hyundais, Nissans and Toyotas are sold to fleets. We know Honda doesnt really do fleet sales.

also you need to learn the difference between fleet sales and rental sales. Not all fleet sales are to rental companies and I know your claims that 33% of GM and Ford vehicles are sold to rental companies are false. Fleet sales include police vehicles, government vehicles, taxis, etc. The Prius is very popular fleet vehicle these days.

The Solstice is 4 years old and was designed to have a low starting price. That largely explains the interior. I would hope the Z4 has a much nicer interior for its much higher starting price. I dont know what fit you are talking about but the 2009 model just came out and should be expected to have a nicer interior than a 4 year old Pontiac.

Whenever I see someone driving a GM or Chrysler car I think: A. Low-wage earner who can't afford Japanese quality, B. Uneducated person who shops exclusively on price.

We all know one or both are 100% true. It must really suck to be stuck driving a GM/Chrysler vehicle.

Feller:

That has to be one of those ridiculous and offensive statements I have read on here. My experiences on the internet have shown me that those who swear by imports tend to be emotional, elitist, ill informed and wed to outdated notions of domestic quality. Your assertions about people who drive GM or Chrysler products don't do much to change my mind.

PS: I have a degree and a GM model. I would assume the same could be said for many of the folks who own a CTS, corvette, Enclave or Yukon Denali or a host of other GM products.

OS (Overtly Senseless),
It has consistently outsold cars like the Passat, Sonata, Sebring and even Fusion at times. Only someone really biased could try and dismiss a 39% gain. In December the Malibu outsold the Altima.
-When you have to discount your cars so they aren't profitable there is a good chance you will be the sales totals of other top quality products.

Original sheth is a GM tool. End of story.

I think that the new Equinox V6 should do the 1/4 mile in about 16.5 seconds at 85mph. Probably not much faster than the 2.4 I4.
In normal driving, to get any pretense of speed, you will have to wring the 3.0 V6's neck all through 1st & 2nd gear
http://www.caranddriver.com/content/download/92328/1185287/version/2/file/Mud+Puppies+-+Powertrain.pdf
Hopefully GM will use the 3.16 & 3.39 ratios for front drive and 4x4 in the Equinox. (maybe it will be a running change. To prevent stepping on Cadillac's toes, the new SRX could use the 3.0 V6 & 3.39 for front drive only, and if you want 4x4 you have to get the turbo 2.8 V6)
Toyota could counter the Ford Escape's new found speed by using a shorter axle ratio in the RAV V6 4x4, 3.29 over the current 3.08.
and Hyundai has a 6 speed auto in the wings for the Santa Fe.

So if the 2.4 I4 is almost as fast as the 3.0 V6, why not just get the 2.4 for better mileage?

I really dont think most people are going to care about speed in a compact crossover.

The New York Times is reporting that GM will make changes to their current model naming conventions. Being proposed are, "Chevy Cash-back", "Pontiac Rebate", "GMC Red-Tag Sale", "Saab Obsolete", and "Saturn Recall". Finally GM is showing signs they are heading in the right direction.

Considering that Honda and Toyota are losing as much sales as American cars, I don't think a lot of buyers believe anymore that they are better.

The new Equinox is way better than the cheapo they used to offer with the Chinese engine, I would like to see a manual, but I know suburbanites doesn't like them.

I find the remarks about Chevrolet buyers offensive. Chevy is a value mark and has prices for working class people, except the Corvette. Insulting Chevy for their prices is like saying that Lexus buyers are wannabes who want to keep with the Joneses because they can't afford a real luxury car and need a rebadged Toyota... come on, can all just get along?

"-When you have to discount your cars so they aren't profitable there is a good chance you will be the sales totals of other top quality products."

The current Malibu has discounts that are about par with the camry and altima right now. It has not been heavily discounted since it debuted. Your comments are getting more and more immature and senseless as are you lame attempts at insulting me. I'm only dealing in facts.

"Original sheth is a GM tool. End of story."

Yes, the fact that I think the equinox is attractive and fuel efficient makes me a GM tool. I guess the same could be said for all the auto writers who have praised the vehicle since its unveiling. I havent really read anything negative about the vehicle from the journalists who have seen it and reviewed the specs. Please grow up.

Shet, the rebates are not just on a Malibu, they are on a lot of GM products. And you act like the full year 2008 is made up for in the last month. GM, Ford, Chrysler have all had to discount their vehicles drastically just to get sales.

It is not a matter of insulting you any more, you are like beating a dead horse. One that resides in his own little world.

the headlights remind me alot of the Saturn Vue!

belly,

As usual I have no idea what you are talking about. MAlibu sales were up 39% for the YEAR, not the month of December. Rebates on the Malibu are not much higher than comparable imports. Honda doesnt offer rebates just cut rate leases that are subsidized. All manufactures are offering heavy rebates and Hyundai, Toyota and NIssan are offering their largest ever discounts. Toyota just launched another big promotion within the last couple of weeks. On top of that we are talking specifically about the Malibu so I'm unsure why you got into a generalization about discounts on Ford and Chrysler vehicles. What does that have to do with the Malibu?

Malibu sales are up 39% but considering that's a 39% increase on a paltry number to being with it's not impressive - at all. Not unless you are a public school product and don't understand simple math. GM admits the Malibu is a failure, that's why they have to resort to selling 1/3 of them to Avis and Enterprise. The Malibu is a mediocre car made by a mediocre company. If you love a cheap plastic interior than the Malibu is the car for you!

As usual I have no idea what you are talking about.
-You wouldn't you don't think.

MAlibu sales were up 39% for the YEAR, not the month of December. Rebates on the Malibu are not much higher than comparable imports.
-The Malibu has had discounts on it ALL year, the imports you are mentioning have only had rebates as of the last few months and they are not comparable. While the Malibu and Altima have 2K rebates or something similar, GM offers additional rebates for all their vehicles, not just the Malibu.

so I'm unsure why you got into a generalization about discounts on Ford and Chrysler vehicles.
-Please, you were going there next, I was just cutting you off before you got started.

Z,

when has GM "admitted" to the Malibu being a failiure? What are you talking about? Gm touts the Malibu as a success. It outsold the Fusion and Sonata last year with nearly 180k units sold. Again, where is your data about fleet sales coming from. I have seen no data on the current model's fleet sales but I know its down from the old model. Stop making things up, its not becoming.

"While the Malibu and Altima have 2K rebates or something similar, GM offers additional rebates for all their vehicles, not just the Malibu. "

every Toyota and Nissan product is discounted right now. Name one that isnt. I just saw a commercial touting $1300 cash back on the Corolla and $1500 on the Camry. Almost every vehicle sold today is available with incentives. Its a slow market in case you missed the headlines. Toyota is projecting a $4B loss due to the sales environment.

"Please, you were going there next, I was just cutting you off before you got started. "

What? I dont even get that line at all.

I saw the Equinox at the auto show and it looked very good. They would not let you inside but the interior looked very sharp from my vantage point. Its definitely the best looking of the 5 passenger CUVs.

I was considering a 2009 Honda CR V but will probably hold out to see what 2010 brings. I am not interested in top end or the 1/4 mile - I would like to at least have the capabilities to pass someone safely when required. I am open minded and would like to know more about the 2010 Equinox - will it have a 6 speed automatic? We currently have a Camry and a Tundra - I just want a reliable vehicle in the CR V / Rav class of SUV.

I just drove the new 2010 Equinox V6 4x4 and other bloggers are right, gearing and torque need to change/increase. Vehicle was woefully underpowered. GM should put 2.8 Turbo V6 in Equinox as SS or something. Great vehicle in need of a power injection. Too bad.