The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox is offered in LS, 1LT, 2LT and LTZ trim levels, each with front- or all-wheel drive. The base model starts at about $23,000 and a fully loaded LTZ can top out at more than $36,000. Standard LTZ features include leather upholstery, automatic climate control, a rearview camera, Bluetooth connectivity, heated front seats and a power, programmable rear lift gate. Buyers can also opt for a sunroof, 18- and 19-inch wheels, a dual-screen rear DVD entertainment system and a navigation system that comes paired with a 40-gigabyte hard drive to hold music files. That’s a lot of equipment, which you would expect in higher line models, and Chevrolet says pricing is $1,000 to $1,800 less than the last outgoing model.
The base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is upgraded this year with the addition of direct fuel injection, which improves horsepower from 164 to 182 and torque from 160 to 172 pound-feet. Fuel economy is also improved; GM says the four-cylinder delivers 22 mpg city and an impressive 32 mpg highway with front-wheel drive. The lone transmission is a six-speed automatic with an “eco” feature that alters the shift points to increase fuel economy by about 1 mpg.
The 2.4 engine provides usable power from a stop and on the highway, and it even offers decent passing punch. Chevrolet quotes a 0-60 mph time of 8.6 seconds with front-wheel drive. That’s pretty quick for a four-cylinder-powered vehicle of this size. Thanks to plenty of sound-deadening material and acoustic glass in the windshield and front windows, the 2.4 is also smoother and quieter than most fourcylinders.
Chevrolet opted to switch from a 3.6-liter V-6 to a 3.0-liter V-6 as the top engine for 2010. While it produces the same 264 horsepower, the 3.0 has 28 less pound-feet of torque than the 3.6. On the road it feels considerably less powerful. In fact, the V-6 doesn’t feel that much stronger than the 2.4. Chevy says a front-drive Equinox with the 3.0 can accelerate to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds.
That’s not much faster than the 2.4 and it costs $1,500 more while delivering worse fuel economy. The four-cylinder is clearly the better choice.
While V-6 performance isn’t improved, handling is. The new Equinox is much more carlike and better controlled than its predecessor. The copious body lean is gone and passengers can ride in comfort without their heads being tossed side to side with every flick of the steering wheel. The steering is light and somewhat numb, and the brakes are easy to modulate. The new Equinox is every bit as good as the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 in terms of handling.
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