The previous Chevrolet Equinox may be a bit fair and nice by the looks of it but being American, it doesn't fare very well against well-established crossovers known the world over, specifically when there are Toyotas, Hondas, VWs, and others around it, the Equinox is becoming too obsolete for Chevrolet's ever-successful crossover lineup. For the third-generation Equinox, things have changed for better and for worse when you think about it.
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| 2018 Chevrolet Equinox |
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| 2018 Chevrolet Equinox |
The new Equinox is now here and ready to be known the world over no matter the circumstances because by the time it was unveiled, General Motors plans to sell it to approximately 115 additional globally, meaning that this car will replace the Captiva globally, making it Chevrolet's lingua franca for the global crossover market, although while this is an all-new model, it's still a five-seater just like all the other Equinoxes of Chevrolet's past.
While the new Equinox is too early to decide its fate on the world stage, let's observe the design first and while this new design promises a quantum leap of globalization, it feels too fishy to look at considering that this is mainly an American car, the bits of it are what got them noticed. The front face looks awkwardly similar to the Honda Vezel while the side view reminiscent of the Ssangyong Korando Turismo and the rear view looks like the Isuzu...um...Isuzu...eh...you get the point.
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| 2018 Chevrolet Equinox interior |
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| 2018 Chevrolet Equinox interior |
Of course, this is basically a five-seater, but connectivity is heavily focused for the new Equinox's interior and I know that the new interior is highly reminiscent of today's Chevrolet saloon and this will be the new norm for all Chevy interiors in the future but because the touch screen is now standard for all models, you radio-changing speedo boys better scarper now because the radio's officially irreplaceable. Sorry. Anyway, that touch screen comes with smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and if that wasn't enough, it's got optional 4G LTE Wi-Fi like most Chevrolets offered so you don't have to worry about finding wi-fi while using apps, even the Waze you got on your smartphone.
Did you know that the new Equinox comes with available heated rear seats fit for the cold nights as well as bigger space at the back and the special feature that can open the back door at the lift automatically at the lift of your foot? If so, then the new Equinox is the most convenient crossover ever made not just as a family hauler but for road trips with mates around you. Looks like the Ford Escape might get upset about this.
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| 2018 Chevrolet Equinox |
At the start, the new Equinox is powered by a 1.5L turbocharged petrol engine that promised 31MPG highway of fuel efficiency, according to General Motors but by summer, it will be offered by either its first-ever 1.6L diesel engine that promises a GM-estimated 40 MPG highway fuel economy or its high-performance 2.0L turbocharged petrol engine mated to a brand new 9-speed automatic gearbox. With this engine, not only it will be benefited with higher power output of 252 horsepower and 260lb-ft of torque, but also better towing capabilities. For all-wheel drive models, it even comes with a special feature that can switch to either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive depending on driving conditions and when switched to four-wheel drive, it feels so driveable in so many conditions. It feels nice for a crossover and looks like the Ford Escape might get upset over this one because by General Motors rule of thumb, it will succeed against its rivals, although I'm not sure on what these guys are up to with this new model.
The new Equinox has a ton of safety features, some that no rivals got to them. You get this Low Speed Forward Automatic Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Rear Vision Camera, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Park Assist, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Change Alert, IntelliBeam High Beam Assist, Safety Alert Seat, and of course, the Surround Vision monitor on the dashboard. It even comes with the Teen Driver feature that works like the parental controls on your television at home, you know what I'm saying.
Should you buy one? For now, you can have one for 23,580 US Dollars but you better act fast because due to the current political climate in the United States, expect this to be more expensive than it used to and you might not get happy about how American-made cars behave as today's political climate so...unless you got some adaptability to brag about, some might get to unhappy about this one. Still, with all of its improvements, the new Equinox finally got the urge to humiliate the Ford Escape and others. It really is the new standard for crossover.
Available colors: Summit White, Silver Ice Metallic, Orange Burst Metallic, Nightfall Gray Metallic, Mosaic Black Metallic, Cajun Red Tintcoat, Pepperdust Metallic, Satin Steel Metallic, Storm Blue Metallic, Sandy Ridge Metallic, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, and Ivy Metallic.
Photo: General Motors
