![]() ![]() MSN agrees, saying the vehicle is "car-like" and "designed.for fast, comfortable highway cruising".įuel economy is considered competitive by many reviewers. "With a more comfort- than sport-oriented ride, Equinox could be called a long distance driver's dream," says Road and Track. Test drivers go out of their way to praise the Equinox's long-distance driving experience. The new Sport model comes with a six-speed automatic transmission with a Tap-Up/Tap-Down driver shift control feature and Adaptive Learning Capabilities. "Not much driving was required to realize that the Equinox, despite its assumed SUV toughness and availability of all-wheel drive, counts a carlike ride among its attributes," notes the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MSN calls the smooth-riding Equinox "car-like" and many other test drivers concur. Reviewers agree the transmission offers a fluid driving experience. "Put a heavy foot on the pedal and the Equinox takes it as a command, not a suggestion," says Kelley Blue Book, adding, "While pulling away from a stop or negotiating slower traffic on a two-lane road, the 3.4-liter V6 always delivers plenty of power." Of the Sport's 3.6-liter V6, Consumer Guide says it provides "good power delivery from a stop and for highway passing and merging."Īll models except the Sport come with a five-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Learning Capability. ![]() Reviewers generally agree the base V6 delivers good acceleration. The engine choices are noteworthy because many competitors in the compact SUV class do not even offer a V6 option - let alone two. The new Sport model gets a more powerful 3.6-liter V6 engine that makes 264 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. And while the Suzuki XL7 may no longer one-up the Equinox in power, the Chevy still doesn't have a third-row.The 2008 Chevrolet Equinox comes standard with a 3.4-liter V6 engine that makes 185 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. There's no word on pricing for the Chevy, but expect it to kick-off around the $25-grand mark. Rivalry in the GM fold will come from Saturn's next Vue Redline, which dumps the Honda V-6 for the identical 3.6-liter V-6. The new Equinox will go head-to-head with Mazda's fine-handling CX-7 (244 hp, starts at $24,345), and the punchy Toyota RAV4 Sport V-6 (269 hp, starts at $26,385). Too bad the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters used in Saturn's Aura weren't incorporated, although we'd probably make fun of paddles in an SUV like we did in the case of Mitsubishi's Outlander. The Sport also gets a new J-gate shifter-What, Chevy's copying Jaguar these days? Pull down and across to get the manumatic feature. Inside, the front seats get extra bolstering, and can be ordered with optional perforated leather, all-black trim is standard, and there's a 140-mph speedo. The sporty theme apparently also entailed ditching the roof rack. Front and rear fascias come painted in body color, while up front there are new silver-painted trapezoidal air intakes, reminiscent of the Trailblazer SS, with matching chrome dual exhausts at the rear. Thankfully, the designers kept the changes subtle. It also comes with a set of polished, forged-aluminum 18-inch rims wrapped with grippy 235/50 rubber (right). To sharpen the handling, the Sport gets stiffer bushings, beefier anti-roll bars, and slightly stiffer springs, while the ride height is dropped an inch. According to Chevy, that should make for an under-seven-second 0-to-60-mph dash. Swapping in the new V-6 and six-speed-the same powertrain now used in everything from the Pontiac G6 to Saturn's large Outlook SUV as well as Equinox platform-mate Suzuki XL7-gives the Equinox a 42-percent power bump over the 185-horsepower 3.4-liter in the base Equinox. It gets GM's 263-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 coupled to a six-speed automatic, a stiffer suspension, forged 18-inch wheels, a new look inside and out, and will be offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. Chevy's new amped-up Equinox Sport-we're not sure why it's not an SS either-is due in showrooms next fall as a 2008 model. ![]()
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