Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Chevrolet Equinox owners?

Ok, my wife is considering this SUV for her next vehicle. We still have the 1995 Isuzu Rodeo that we bought new which I will drive to work to save miles on my Chevy Silverado Ext Truck.

Anyone own an Equinox? Pros/Cons I have been reading a lot of reviews online of the 2006 model and finding some very good feedback.

Thanks in advance.

How cheap IS gas in Iowa?

Currently it ranges from 2.75 for the cheap stuff, 2.85 for 10%ethonal, and around 2.95 for the super octane.

I wouldn't ever buy an SUV...but that's just me. Ever considered a Subaru? I drive one (turbo Legacy) but I would definately recommend Subaru's (especially in Iowa). Plus, they are probably a little more gas efficient, have full time AWD, and are worth the money, imho.

Then again, if you like American cars (i.e. Chevy) then you also might look into a hybrid Saturn...especially with their 10% off (which I have never heard of, from Saturn).

Car companies must really be hurting these days... given the price of gas...especially with low mileage vehicles.

I looked at a Equinox, back when my younger brother was looking for a car...and too me, inside, there is way too much cheap plastic, for a 30+K vehicle. I guess once you keep adding little options, the price starts going up a lot, as well. But, YMMV.

Good luck in the search!

Probably due largely to taxes, that is about $0.30/gallon cheaper than in Seattle/Tacoma.

My real point was you have a higher tolerance for poor gas milage and/or drive many fewer miles than I do if you are considering a second SUV to go along with your truck.

I - on the other hand - am pondering a Civic or Mazda 3 to extend the life of our Ford Windstar in which I currently commute about 35 miles R/T at 18 mpg. Mrs. Tuttle drives a Corolla unless she/we need the van for dogs, objects or surplus people.

I don't think the price of gas is coming down in our lifetimes, and I'm disappointed that there are not currently more viable choices in high-mpg vehicles. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big proponent of "Fossil Fuels - smoke 'em if you got 'em", but the economics are starting to get to me.

We want a hybrid / high mpg wagon or SUV with balls. Room for a family of four, a dog, at least one other person, and a bunch of crap.

Slim pickins.

Any year now, Toyota might fill your need.

Highlander Hydrogen, anyone?

Last year, we were looking at the smaller SUVs for my wife also, and eventually decided on Toyota's RAV-4 (nice little vehicle, not-so-great fuel economy -- around 20 MPG on a good day).

We checked out the Equinox, but never actually took one out for a test drive. One thing that really stuck out in my head was the cheap plastic interior. The center console was especially flimsy. Also, some genius designed the cup holder so that it was directly beneath the parking brake lever (i.e. the cupholder was useless).

...just my 1/50th of a buck...

All I can say is that my next door neighbor at the old house has an Equinox and they are very happy with it. Big question is whether you need an SUV-ish kind of vehicle or whether you just need space. Minivans still rule from a space and mileage point of view, and the better ones (unfortunately almost all Japanese) are surprisingly quiet and comfortable, probably much more so than an Equinox.

I looked at the whole mini-SUV vs. minivan thing, gave up and bought a Dodge Magnum with the 3.5 engine. Other than visibility when backing up, this is without a doubt the most satisfying vehicle purchase I have ever made.

Having said all that, if you want a mini-SUV-ish vehicle the Equinox does seem to be well liked by its owners. I would definitely look at a Honda CRV before pulling the trigger, but otherwise I haven't heard any bad things with the Equinox.