May 2013 I took delivery of a brand new Chevy Equinox. Front wheel drive, V-6, 2LT trim level, tow package installed. At this point it has passed 32,000 miles.
Let me give you the run down… About every 2800 miles its been getting oil changes and tire rotations done by Dealerships. And by that I mean Marine Chevy in Jacksonville. At 8,000 miles it needed a new battery which was replaced under warranty. That’s been the only issue. And really not all that big a deal.
The little SUV has performed admirably. Turning in great fuel economy… Far better than I would have expected. Better even than the 4 Cylinder versions are reporting. Thanks to GM’s fantastic engine. Direct injection, a smarter transmission, gobs of power at the low end… The engine never really has to work hard. Unless you ask it to. And when you do, it delivers. It has a lot of torque steer that you have to physically wrestle with, so hold on with both hands before you hammer it. And when you do, the car springs to life with a quickness and agility that’s unexpected. This makes my little SUV feel more like a Hot Hatch. A very heavy, but powerful, big hot hatch.
As soon as you let off the gas again, the EQ is back to it’s normal sedate nature. It cruises well, quietly and composed even at high interstate velocity. Feeling solid and connected, it’s easy to gobble up miles with comfortable adjustable and heated seats. Pretty luxurious stuff to this guy.
The touch screen is large and more responsive than most others I’ve played with. Easy to navigate. Syncing phones is easy as well… And the hands free calling works very well. As does running music from the phone. The only thing it doesn’t do is Navigation. Which is crazy… Chevy not putting navigation in a car at this price level is just retarded. There’s also no update feature with this system. You can update it with a USB, but there isn’t any updates for it.
Climate control is excellent with a very cold AC and a heater that you can bake a cake with. It comes up to temp fast and cools down fast… Really once you set it to the temp you want, you can just ignore it… The system will handle the rest.
Remote Starter. Remote hatch/rear door opening and close. Backup Camera. Alarm. It doesn’t lack features… Save for Navigation.
The EQ is a handsome car too. I think they look good… But it could get a little more bravado in the wheels and tires department, maybe a little lift.
I think it just may be the best vehicle GM makes. Its also the only vehicle GM hasn’t had a recall on that I’m aware of. GM just did everything right on it… Save for the lack of Navigation. The only problem really is the lack of personality. Its a very Vanilla car. Its one that is easily forgotten. It’s like the proverbial Nice Guy. What it needs… Is a dark side. A tattoo, a Honey Badger snear, and a pair of boots. But even then it would probably still be too clean cut and polite about everything.
It also needs to have the cell antenna for the warranty tracking system removed. And the in dash mikes if it has any voice activated equipment.
Don’t wear a government approved leash.
How would that help? They are already monitoring all your Texts, Cell Calls, Email, Social Media Posts, everything.
Just remember – they may be listening.
In the mean time – I’m going to enjoy the Hands Free, Voice Activated stuff, because it’s cool.
The notion of actually carrying a leash makes my teeth itch. I can always walk away from my PC, or simply resist the urge to type.
I don’t carry a working cellphone for the same reason I don’t like cars that can tattle on me 24/7. I have a cheap-assed cellphone in the car for emergencies … with the battery removed. Today’s cars not only monitor your driving habits via the EDS system, but now they download your position and driving habits to the manufacturer. No thank you.
If you are willing to walk around with a listening device attached to you, and have a car maker track your position and driving habits continously, then just ignore my ranting as paranoia.
And as for tracking social media … I use them, but I always lie to them. I have never given truthful info to any internet organization that I didn’t feel needed it.
The only correct info I have on the internet is my vanilla facebook and LinkedIn accounts, both linked to a job-search/employer-only email that I only use for that purpose.
I need to thank you George… You talking up the EQ is what made me give them a test drive. Now it’s my Wife’s ride. Same color (NOT intentional I swear, The dark red was not in stock) but the 4 cyl LT. I have gotten 38.6 MPG when I was down in SanDiego traffic. (Probably only averaging 40 MPH) but on another road trip I did average 35.2 MPG. And that was fully loaded with myself, and 4 others and a wheelchair and luggage for a 3 day road trip. The car is by far the most comfortable I test drove and it has only gotten better. Thanks for letting me know that Chevy made a great SUV. I do agree that around town the 4CYL is working allot harder and I am only getting around 22-24MPG in city traffic. But, the only other V6 in stock was 8,000 more and we don’t have a need to tow anything. Have a good one and congrats on the new Eagle Scouts !
Hey thanks, Yeah I’m proud of my Twins… They earned their Eagles the old fashioned way.
Before I got the EQ, I checked out a lot of other vehicles, including the GMC Terrain and the Caddy SRX… which are the same vehicles with different sheet metal. Well, the Terrain is just inbred ugly and the Caddy is a lot more expensive with no actual benefit. (The suspension felt mushy and the touch screen was buggy) So the EQ was just in that sweet spot. The only options other than the EQ was the Ford Edge – which didn’t feel right, the Explorer, which is just too bloated now… Jeep Grand Cherokees – way over priced and makes the SRX look like a bargain. That leaves the Japanese Imports… Which the Mazda had a compelling offering as did Lexus. But I wanted an American vehicle. The EQ was just making too much sense on every metric.
AND it’s the only GM vehicle that’s not been recalled. At least that I am aware of.
When I’m ready to get something different, a truck, this EQ will be passed down to one of my boys. It’s a keeper. It will not be traded off. Especially since it’s paid for. I may get some larger wheels and tires just to give me a little more clearance from the ground… but that’s about the only mod I’ll do.