Overview & Reviews

Part of a growing segment of plus-sized small crossover SUVs, the Chevrolet Equinox splits the difference between compact and midsize utility vehicles and offers roomy accommodations in a five-passenger layout. Like other vehicles in its class, the Equinox emphasizes style, amenities and day-to-day practicality over more traditional SUV attributes. In short, the Chevy Equinox is a fine choice for commuting to work or transporting pets, but it's not suited for towing, or anything more rugged than a gravel road.

Although the Equinox has always had a roomy interior and an easy-driving nature, the plain styling and low-quality interior materials in earlier models are none too impressive by today's standards. Later versions of this Chevrolet crossover have made big strides in quality and are available with more desirable features and engine choices.

User Reviews:

• 

  Been great so far - 2012 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Chuck Hoover - October 31 - 8:11 am

  Bought my 2012 new, it now has 42000 miles on it. It has NEVER been in the shop for anything except oil changes and tire rotation.I have a 4 cyl.FWD will get 33 mpg on highway going 65..about 28 going 78. about 20 in stop and go city driving. It does make a jumpy transmission shift if you hit the gas while it is downshifting on occation not always. Has not been great in snow but didnt have the right tires on it. Just now put better tires for snow on it last week.I drive to Florida 2 times a year from Pa. it is very comfortable.Change oil every 5000 miles.After reading about the poor oil consumption I will start watching it now. Havent had any oil problems yet.

• 

  American-made, AWD and comfort - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Robert W. Jones - October 30 - 8:59 pm

  Drove several mid-size SUV and cross-overs as rental car on 300-900 mile trips before buying my Equinox. Almost all rentals were FWD but I bought the AWD for Kansas City weather. Only drove the Escape one time, didnt like it at all the older models were pretty nice but like most Fords, rough riding on a trip. Never rented a CR-V so test drove one. Seemed much smaller than the Equinox/Terrain. With seven rentals of GMs, I failed to get the published MPG only once, and got 37.4 over a 50 mile range coming home out of St. Louis. I have gotten 34.3 over 50 miles on my AWD. As for other reviews, seriously, its a 4 cylinder SUV why even mention performance. It is almost as good as any regular V6 of a few years ago, merges fine and passes fine as well Really like the 8" front-back adjustment on the rear seat, really roomy when back all the way. Didnt know the rear seats reclined until i read other reviews! The 8 way driver seat with power lumbar is great for my 6, 260 frame. My 51" wife uses a small pillow behind her back on the manual seat and even in our late 60s can drive 650 miles a day with no problems. The Sirrius Radio is great, and reception locally is excellent on AM and FM. Radio is higher tech than I am cant figure out how to use my phone charger in the USB port in the console without it searching out and playing some voice recordings off my phone! Just changed to a "lighter" power source. We got the ivory color after having a red Monte Carlo, and a blue Firebird. Seriously, I like the styling of the Terrain better, and most of the rentals we drove were Avis Terrains. But they drive the same and saved a couple thousand dollars. Like I said, you want a Hot Rod, get the V6. But for the mileage, I think the 4 is fine (this from a guy that owned 5 GTOs, 3 Firebirds, and a Dodge with a 440!)

• 

  60k miles and still loving it - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By chris s - October 28 - 2:56 pm

  I bought my Chevy equinox 2010 brand new with an out the door price of $27,000 with sun/moon window. I had trouble with toms at first which dealer fixed, had recalls on it fixed and there was the issue of lumbar support which broke twice that they fixed but let it be after the third time. Also had issue with steering wheel turning right for some reason but got fixed. Mileage not as advertised but still great compared to competition. Car looks great,drives great and safety is great. Got into a hit n run accident and felt nothing when other car hit me and took off. Had regular service done like oil changes,tire rotation,etc. Just had OEM tires replaced which lasted 60k instead of 65k due to dry rot and had 60k service done for just $159. Speed and power can be achieved by turning off eco mode but all in all great car for me. I see all the negative reviews and feel that maybe I just got lucky, so far so good keeping my fingers crossed that this will last 250k miles without any major repairs.

• 

  Been a Good Car so far but not Perfect - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By DCSFORUM - October 24 - 11:46 am

  Bought the Equinox new 3 years ago and have not had any troubles in 24,000 miles. I knew the 2.4L wouldnt routinely achieve the EPA fuel mileage numbers at typical highway speeds (and Im frustrated at both Chevy and the EPA for unrealistic numbers) but a quick glance at the data on Fuelly.com shows its nearly impossible to achieve the highway number (only 3 fill-ups out of 418 got 32 MPG) which is just wrong from a consumer standpoint. I have measured 29.5 MPG on a 500-mile highway run in ECO mode running 65-70 MPH. I dont know how the 4-cylinder will hold up either so I might opt for the 6-cylinder if I had it to do over again. I thought the 2.4L had reasonable power during my test drive but after 3 years of driving, it feels somewhat underpowered. On the plus side, its quiet and we have not had any squeaks or rattles. It has run flawlessly with no returns to the dealer for any reason other than oil changes. I think the Equinox looks pretty decent and handles well. Brakes and HID headlights are great. Good amount of room in the back seat. Side airbags are good to have. Here are my observations on the negative side: 1. The center stack is angled away from the driver so reaching the main knob on the upper right of the radio requires the driver to lean forward away from the seat and Im 6 ft tall with relatively long arms. This is terrible ergonomic design and is very frustrating over time. That control isnt accessible on the steering wheel so they force you to lean way forward to use it. Extremely bad. 2. I find the seats too firm. The firm seats bother my sciatic nerve and I start having numbness. I had to go buy a seat cushion to alleviate this problem. 3. The Equinox cargo room is much smaller than it should be for a vehicle of this length. The Equinox is the same length as our Buick Rendezvous but the Rendezvous has 3 rows of seating and offers two or three times more cargo space. According to Edmunds specs, the two vehicles only differ in width by 1 inch so Im just puzzled how the Equinox is so much smaller in the back. It just strikes me that the Equinox is trying to be a small fuel-efficient SUV but it doesnt excel at either end of the spectrum. It doesnt achieve the EPA numbers but also isnt big enough to handle big family trips because of the small cargo area. The cargo area is also narrow enough that you cant put golf clubs back there. 4. As noted above, Im not sold on the 2.4L engine. It doesnt achieve the sticker ratings and Im uncertain how well it will hold up over time. Im not sure were saving enough fuel to be worth feeling this underpowered. Some people have reported 5. The 6-speed transmission is good at keeping the engine revs low for better fuel economy and I like the manual shift control but it is the worst-shifting new-car transmission I have ever owned. I dont consider it a severe problem but more of a constant annoyance. Its just not nearly as smooth as it should be. The car hesitates momentarily at every shift with first-to-second and second-to-third being the worst. So, the bottom line for me is that it is a mixed bag. The car has been completely reliable which is ultimately what matters the most to me but I do have a few concerns as noted above.

• 

  Car Blows Up After Slow Speed Front End Collision - 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
  By John Kolesa - October 22 - 8:20 pm

  I had extended factory warranty repair work done on a stabilitrac sensor issue. I was told it was a high pressure fuel pump issue. Less than two weeks after the warranty repair work was done through Carmax, I was in a low speed fender bender in bumper to bumper traffic in Houston. I pulled the vehicle off the road to exchange information and when I walked less than 30 feet from the car the engine caught fire. Flames 4 feet high coming off the hood. In less than a minute after that, the engine exploded and engulfed the front half of the car in flames. The entire car was destroyed in less than the time it took for the fire department to get there. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. I got it because I thought it was safe. Coincidence that GM implemented front end collision warning sensors on their new models? I dont think so. I would not put my mother in this car. Another few moments in that car and I would have been burned alive.

• 

  Defog & Air SUCKS - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Sonia Marrero - October 19 - 6:54 am

  Bought a 2014 Equinox, missed work, kid missed school, fogged windshield, would not defrost, very unsafe, could not see and drove off paved rode this is so unfortunate. I did bring it back to the Dealer and they said it was normal on these cars. I am so disappointed with this vehicle, I just had to take it back in because the Air conditional was not working, Van York said that they put in dye and filled it back up. This should not be happening what are the Chevrolet company waiting for a number of Fatal accident. I was so happy when I bought this not knowing that it was going to have so many problems and we are stuck with it.

• 

  Never again - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jr. - October 11 - 4:26 pm

  What a piece of manufacturing ! 09 equinox was purchased after the 2010s came out. After approximately 30,000miles developed a misfire took it to a shop,replaced 1 sparkplug still misfired 50-60 mph. Replaced all spark plugs & wires. Was somewhat better. Ignition key fails to release key most of the time. Auto door locks have failed one at a time, continues to misfire code reeder said to replace erg valve.did replace it. Still misfires head lights collect moisture inside. Car has about 78,000 now but has never ran correctly After reading other post of other owners this is not a uncommon problem. 09 was after the Gov.bailout of GM. So I M P OD! Will think better not to buy GM.

• 

  no vacation - 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jennifer - October 8 - 1:14 pm

  Only had it two months on 09/28/15 when it stranded me on my way home after working overnight, 13 hour shift, the bolt that holds the guide plate for the timing chain had been loose for a long period of time and created a hole inside the block to big to repair, causing the chain to break and other damage to the engine. Have to buy new engine with vacation money. Not happy at all since its only the second vacation that I would of had in 33 years. I will never buy another Chevy vehicle.

• 

  2008 chevy equinox - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By daniel - September 20 - 7:09 pm

  great crossover bought mine used with 90,000 now i have 150,000 doing well but running into issues fuel pump leaking, motor and trans are strong still , these engines are good and will last up too 300 k if maintained properly ,I would by another one but i prefer the 2.4 liter

• 

  Wow a REAL DUD! - 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Steve W. - September 19 - 4:37 pm

  Run away from this Chevy. The engine is loud, the front end lurches and feels unsteady. I know plastic rules in todays cars but this is way overboard. Cheap nobs for radio and A/C. It is hard to keep in a straight line, always fighting the steering wheel. The free Sirus radio for a few months is nice. It is a cheap car. Please check the Toyota and Honda in this class as this is a big LOSER.