General Motors, among financial turmoil and brand sell-offs, has decided to use its most well known brand to usher in the new generation of GM. The vehicle it chose to do it with, however is a crossover: the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. Why? Because the company is confident that it will sell. The redesigned, reengineered Equinox, in the mind of the company, is the perfect package of comfort, safety, utility, and, most importantly, value.
The 2010 Equinox gets two brand new power plants, both with direct injection. The 2.4-liter in-line four
comes standard in all trim levels, with the 3.0-liter V-6 as an option. Other compact or mid-sized crossovers with direct injection engines aren’t necessarily scarce. The Audi Q5 has one. So does the new Cadillac SRX (read about these vehicles in greater depth in Issue 47 of Winding Road). These other crossovers also have a higher price tag, and lower fuel economy. The base Equinox (LS with front-wheel drive) has an MSRP of $21,010, and touts an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon on the highway (22 in the city).
Value is one of the standards by which the Equinox will be judged and favored, and GM knows this. But does the Equinox give us the whole package? We often see the word “value” and immediately think “cheap,” especially coming from a corporation that has been strapped for cash, and has practiced brand dilution for years. Yes, the use of standard direct injection engines in the Equinox appears to be progress for the troubled American automaker, but, because of the timing of this vehicle’s launch, it must stand up to the scrutiny of skeptical consumers and media.
So, as is our duty, we scrutinized what Steve Bartolone, Chevrolet Marketing Product Director, called “America’s best compact crossover.”
(Keep reading after the jump.)
