When something works for you do you spend your time trying to make it work better? If so, you might make a great automotive engineer, but not for the Chevrolet Equinox which comes into 2017 having very minor changes to it. Even though Chevrolet has continuously offered the Equinox in the same form the sales have gone up each year, which should be a sign that something is right about this little SUV. As a vehicle that’s larger than most of its competition while using a powerful engine the Equinox is an SUV you can take for a ride and know it will have what’s needed to get you back home safely.
Not only is the Equinox an SUV you can trust, but it offers you great rear passenger space, a 3,500 pound towing capacity and is one of the most attractive vehicles in its class. To top it all off this SUV comes in as an affordable choice in its class to give you more of what you want when you buy an SUV. For 2017 there is a new Midnight Black package which adds a sinister look to the vehicle with black paint, black leather seats, black wheels and much more. If you want a white paint job the Sport Package offers this with the rest of the same black features as the Midnight Black package.
When you get in behind the wheel you’ll love the look and the feel of this SUV. Take it for a ride and you get to enjoy the quiet comfort of a confident and intelligent ride that’s not overdone. This is the right SUV to take you and your family on adventures wherever you want to go while offering you the fuel mileage you need to make it a capable commuter vehicle as well. To add comfort for you passengers this is one of the only SUVs to offer a sliding rear, which allows for more legroom and makes it easier to put a child seat in the vehicle.
There are two engine options for the Equinox. the first is a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine which produces 182 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is similar to what you find in other vehicles in this class. This engine is attached to a six-speed automatic transmission to give you 22 city/32 hwy mpg in the FWD model and 20 city/29 hwy mpg in the AWD versions.
Moving up to the more powerful engine you find a 3.6-liter V6 which uses the same transmission. This engine boosts the power quite a bit by giving up 301 horsepower and 272 lb.-ft. of torque. With this powertrain you still enjoy 17 city/24 hwy mpg in FWD and 16 city/23 hwy mpg in AWD models.
Because this is a family hauling vehicle you expect to have some safety features and the Equinox delivers. Standard offerings start on the L model with a rearview camera, air condition, an audio system that’s routed through a seven-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, USB ports, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, a multi-information display in the gauges, traction and stability control, several airbags and the 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot through the OnStar system.
Of course you may want to upgrade your Equinox and have more to enjoy starting with the V6 engine and AWD. The other items you can add include the Chevy MyLink infotainment system with navigation, the Midnight or Sport package, blind spot detection, rear cross pat detection, lane departure warnings, forward collision alerts, a power tailgate and a rear seat DVD player.
As mentioned, the Equinox is an affordable SUV that the entire family can enjoy. Looking at the L model you will pay a little less than $24,000 for the Equinox, but moving to the LS with more equipment will only increase the price by $2,500. Adding AWD to any of the models increase the cost by $1,750 and moving in a V6 engine on the higher trims does add $1,500 to the price. If you look to the Premier model with all the boxes checked off you will pay a little over $37,000, but you will have an SUV that’s full of amazing features at a reasonable price which is also one of the most capable vehicles in its class.
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