2010 Chevrolet Equinox Video

In a discussion about the best small SUVs on the market, the Chevy Equinox never attracted much notice. Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley thinks the redesigned 2010 model is about to change all that, as Chevy ups its game with the 2010 Equinox. To find out what the key changes are, you’ll have to watch the full video.

2010 Chevy Equinox Review
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GM Leaves Bankruptcy: Where Do the Brands Stand?

In the tumult of GM’s lightning-quick journey through bankruptcy, you may have lost track of what will happen to all the individual brands. Therefore, here’s a quick and handy guide to where each brand currently stands as the new taxpayer-owned GM emerges from Chapter 11.

Saturn: Purchased by the Penske Automotive Group, which owns NASCAR and IndyCar racing teams, as well as the U.S. distribution arm of the Smart car brand. Saturn’s five models will become the property of Penske but will still be built by GM on a contract basis. According to reports, GM will continue production of the three best-selling Saturn models for the next two years: the Aura, Vue and Outlook. It will discontinue the Sky and Astra. By 2011, GM will stop producing Saturn vehicles, and Penske will have to find a new manufacturer — possibly Renault Samsung Motors of Korea, according to Automotive News.

Saab: Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg led a consortium to purchase the ailing brand from GM. The deal is contingent on $600 million of financing from the European Investment Bank to be guaranteed by Sweden. The deal is supposed to close sometime in the third quarter of this year, but analysts have questioned whether Saab is big enough to survive regardless. It sold only 93,000 cars last year and has been unprofitable for a long time.

2010 Chevy Equinox: Family Tested, Dad Approved

We’ve written about the new Equinox’s Eco mode, Mike Hanley has posted his full review, and I’ve already detailed the iPod interface, but how does the redesigned crossover hold up for families? I tested it out with my growing brood and found it to be an amazing choice for small families.

I preface that this only applies to small families, because only two child seats will fit in the second row. There is no third row. However, the typical American family has 2.1 children, and I’d bet the backseat could fit that one-tenth-sized child easily…

With that in mind, I loaded up our two seats: a forward-facing Britax Marathon for Carter, 16 months, and a rear-facing Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant seat for our 1-month-old, Evie. I would consider both to be on the larger side of the car-seat world.

2010 Chevy Equinox iPod Interface Tested

The all-new 2010 Chevy Equinox has a terrific new interior design and, in most models, an all-new stereo with a USB iPod interface. I spent some time testing the new system, and in most ways it shows that GM is at the forefront of utilizing this type of setup. Of course, with others like Hyundai and especially Ford fielding strong competition, GM better be at the top of its game.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Muscle Car FaceOff

If your ear is to the ground concerning all things automotive, you’ll already know Detroit now offers up three V-8 muscle cars. Per my wishes and dreams, the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS showed up at the office last week. As my colleagues at Cars.com decided to put these three to the test on the road, I decided it was time for a proper photo showdown. After two years of gawking at them individually, I finally put them all in the same pasture just to see how they looked together. And, oh man, did they look pretty.

As an homage to the era that spawned the original muscle cars (the 1970s) — and a tip of the cap to the newly departed late, great film, Kodachrome — these photos were color-corrected to match the bright cyans and saturated oranges that made Kodachrome ISO 64 film and its prints so spectacular. Enjoy.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Chevy Equinox

Editor Mike Hanley heaps high praise on the redesigned crossover from GM, saying “the redesigned Equinox offers an excellent balance of size and efficiency, roominess and utility, quality and price.” But he also points out some flaws, like a firm ride and even firmer cloth seats. Overall, the Equinox stands out as a big winner. We’ll have more here on the blog next week regarding the 2010 Equinox’s iPod interface and family friendliness.

2010 Chevy Equinox Review

Cars.com Faceoff Takes on New Mustang, Camaro, Challenger

Could there be a better way to head into the Fourth of July holiday than with a three-way horse race — excuse the pun — between new yet classic American muscle cars? Cars.com lined up the 2010 Ford Mustang GT, 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS to see which pony car would come out on top. We compared them in every category, from styling and performance to exhaust sound (and you can listen to recordings of each). Check out the story to see which muscle car drove off the winner in all the categories. If you want to see how they stack up as daily drivers, watch the video above.

Cars.comparison: American Muscle Cars (Cars.com)

GM 72-Hour Sale: 0% for 72 Months

Maybe GM’s math skills got them into the trouble they’re in. Their just announced 72-hour sale starts today and runs through July 6, which is 144 hours by our count. Maybe they wanted to tie the sale name in with the sale terms, namely 0% financing for 72 months on select models for those buyers who qualify.

Included 2009 and 2010 models in the 0% for 72-months term are: Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra regular, extended and crew cab light-duty pickups; Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL SUVs; Chevrolet Impala; and the Pontiac Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8.

Other models have separate incentives you can find here.

Demand for Chevy Camaro is High

In a bright spot for GM, the automaker is having trouble meeting demand for the 2010 Chevy Camaro, and dealers report the vehicle is selling for $500 to $2,500 above its sticker price. It may even catch the Ford Mustang, the perennial muscle-car champion, this month in sales.

When it debuted in May, GM sold 5,463 Camaros — well short of the 8,812 Mustangs that Ford pushed off the lot. With a gathering interest in the car, however, those numbers will certainly get closer. Perhaps the Camaro is riding the bump of the new “Transformers” flick, in which it stars as the robot Bumblebee.

Not that the success of the Camaro is going to cure GM of all its ills. While its price tag isn’t bad, starting at $22,245 for the V-6, a Camaro is not going to be mistaken for a utilitarian vehicle anytime soon, even if it does get 29 mpg on the highway.

Still, if you’re GM you have to be happy with the heavy demand, especially considering the fact that hype around the model has been building for years. Now all GM has to do is keep the balance between supply and demand working in its favor.

Chevrolet Races to Meet Demand for 2010 Camaro (USA Today)

More Details on Chevy Equinox's 'Eco' Mode

Hop in the redesigned Chevrolet Equinox, and you may notice an “Eco” button ahead of the automatic gearshift. It comes in four-cylinder versions of the Equinox. In other cars, “Eco” or “Econ” buttons can limit A/C usage or, in the case of the Honda Insight and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, scale back accelerator sensitivity. The goal is the same: Improving fuel efficiency.

The Equinox’s example is one of the few such buttons we’ve seen in a non-hybrid that actually influences the way the engine and transmission react. Thanks in part to that button, GM says the four-cylinder Equinox achieves an impressive EPA-rated 32 mpg on the highway. Eco mode doesn’t come without a cost to the driving experience, though. At a press event last Friday near our Chicago offices, GM program engineering manager Doug Smith gave us a rundown.