Introducing the 2017 Chevy Equinox

5 minute read

By AskThisWhen

The five-passenger 2017 Chevy Equinox is a compact SUV Crossover. It comes in four trims: the L, the LS, the LT, and the Premier.

The interior features front bucket seats, leather upholstery on the Premier, a durable “denim-style” upholstery on the other models, and chrome trim. The Premier adds automatic climate control and an optional sunroof, which is also available for the LT. The Premier has an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with power-adjustable lumbar support, and heated front seats, which are also optional for the LT. The Premier also has an optional eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat.

The Multi-Flex® 60/40 split-folding, sliding rear seats tilt forward when folded, creating a flat floor for hauling cargo. The cargo space measures 31.5 cubic-feet and expands to 63.7 cubic-feet when the rear seats are folded down. It offers a retractable cargo cover and a cargo net to hold items like groceries in place.

The exterior carries on Chevrolet’s tradition of good styling and sharp details. It has a dual-port grille with chrome accents, power-adjustable mirrors with heated mirrors standard on the Premier trim, halogen projector-beam headlights, LED daytime running lights, and extra-wide horizontal taillights with LEDs on the upper trim levels. A programmable liftgate is available on the LT and the Premier. The Equinox provides a smooth, quiet ride.

Specifications

The 2017 Chevy Equinox is 188″ long x 73″ wide x 66″ high with an 18.8-gallon fuel tank capacity. The L trim starts at $23,100 MSRP. The LS trim starts at $25,510 MSRP. The LT trim starts at $26,750 MSRP. The Premier trim starts at $30,040 MSRP.

Features

The 2017 Equinox comes with a 2.4-liter, 182-horsepower LPower, four-cylinder, DOHC, SIDI, VVT engine with 172 lb-ft of torque or a 301-horsepower, 3.6-liter, V-6, SIDI engine. It offers a six-speed automatic transmission and either FWD or AWD. Manual shifting is done with plus and minus toggle buttons at the top of the shift knob.

The 2.4-liter engine has a 1,500-pound towing capacity, and the 3.6-liter engine has a 3,500 pound towing capacity. It has four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and four-wheel independent suspension with front and rear stabilizer bar.

The Chevy Equinox was the first compact SUV Crossover to offer 4G LTE with built in WiFi. The OnStar 4G LTE in the 2017 Equinox has the ability to connect seven devices. The 2017 Equinox also has Siri Eyes Free for compatible iPhones, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM Satellite radio on the LS and higher trims, optional universal tablet holders, a six-speaker 80-watt audio system with a Pioneer Premium audio system available for the LT and Premium trims, speed-sensitive volume control, and optional 7.0″ Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system with GPS navigation, traffic, and weather. The myChevrolet Mobile App allows you to lock/unlock your doors, start/stop your engine, set parking reminders, view diagnostic information, and send locations to the navigation system, all from any location.

The Chevy Equinox is built with a high-strength steel safety cage. Safety features include StabiliTrak electronic stability control, traction control, tire pressure monitoring system, forward-collision alert with low-speed automatic braking and following-distance indicator, side blind zone alert, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear park assist, hill start assist, a rear-vision camera, Teen Driver monitoring, and a rear-seat alert that reminds parents about children in the rear seat.

The 2017 Equinox received an overall four-star rating, a five-star rating in the side crash test, and a four-star rating in the frontal crash test and the rollover crash test from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The crash test results for the 2017 Chevy Equinox from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety have not yet been released. However, they should be similar to the results for the 2016 Equinox, which received a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS. It received the top score of Good in all categories except for a Basic score for the optional crash-mitigation systems.

How It Compares With Its Competitors

Car and Driver Magazine ranks it 12th in the compact Crossovers and SUVs category.

In a comparison with the 2017 Ford Escape, the 2017 Chevy Equinox offers 4G LTE and a Multi-Flex® 60/40 sliding rear seat and the Ford Escape does not.

The 2017 Chevy Equinox has 39.9″ of rear legroom and an available 301-horsepower. The 2017 Ford Escape only offers 37.3″ of rear legroom and an available 245-horsepower.

Fuel Efficiency

The FWD L and LS with the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine get 21 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway, and 26 MPG combined. The AWD LT and the Premier with the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine get 20 MPG in the city, 28 MPG on the highway, and 23 MPG combined.

The four-cylinder version offers an eco mode. The eco mode lowers the power to accessories like the air-conditioning, maximizes shifting, and locks up the torque converter quicker for better fuel efficiency. The 3.6-liter V-6 engine with FWD gets 17 MPG in the city, 24 MPG on the highway, and 20 MPG combined. The 3.6-liter V6 engine with AWD gets 16 MPG in the city, 23 MPG on the highway, and 18 MPG combined.

Pros and Cons

The Equinox is Chevy’s second highest selling vehicle, ranking behind only the Chevy Silverado. A lower dashboard creates better visibility of the road. It is roomy, fuel efficient, and comes in FWD or AWD. The V6 engine, which is one of the few V6 engines in the compact SUV Crossover category, provides lots of power, and it has the technology you want. The six-speed transmission does a fairly good job, but it can be a bit rough and hesitant on hills.

Even though it is a compact SUV Crossover, the 2017 Chevy Equinox will give your family lots of room and is also roomy enough to haul cargo. It is loaded with technology features and safety features, and provides good fuel efficiency. Whether you want to haul recreational vehicles or heavy work loads, the V6 engine option gives it the power to tow up to 3,500 pounds.

So, the 2017 Chevy Equinox is an all-around car. It provides you with the fuel efficiency to run daily errands around the city. It has the power, the towing capability, and the storage capacity to be a work horse for you. Finally, it has the mileage, towing capability, safety features, technology features, and passenger and cargo room to be a great car for family road trips. The 2017 Chevy Equinox offers all of this versatility at an affordable price.

With all of the options it offers and all of the uses it can be put to, the 2017 Chevy Equinox is a Crossover to seriously consider.

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