2018 Chevy Equinox
#16
In Recovery Mode
iTrader: (11)
I like the update. I had a 2010 version and liked everything but the 4 cyl engine that was bad news. It had all kind of problems. I traded mine in before I had the problems. The engine sounded like a sewing machine.
Do these new turbo engines require premium fuel like the NX?
Do these new turbo engines require premium fuel like the NX?
#17
Lexus Test Driver
A vast improvement over the last, but the last was pretty dated. I agree, the interior is still the weakest point. It's close to just about all other Chevy designs and even close to some Cadillacs. There's nothing special or interesting going on there. And GM has got to get it across to stop outlining every interior trim pieces with chrome. On the outside, the c-pillar is a bit too sharp with it's leading cut, the tailpipes are simple squares which look blocky, and the heavy black trim on the lower body looks cheap. Reliability will also be a shaky question mark. Overall I think this unit will serve it's purpose, but it will be another model that falls between the cracks three to four years from now as other models are refreshed.
#18
Lexus Fanatic
Reliability will also be a shaky question mark.
#19
Lexus Test Driver
I'd wager to say few like it in this segment. Just look at the Equinox's competition. Maybe in softer-riding luxury cars, but not in an activity vehicle. Sport, modern, efficiency, and tech is the direction here.
Last edited by bitkahuna; 09-26-16 at 05:51 AM.
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Last edited by bitkahuna; 09-26-16 at 05:52 AM.
#22
Didn't know you could get the last model with the 3.7 V6 with 300hp, I'm sure that was pretty fast if GM didn't zap all the power with stupid transmission programming. If you do the math, that's about the same power to weight ratio as a Mazda Miata and better than a Subaru BRZ.
As for the new model, no surprise they got rid of the 300hp V6, as it wasn't very good on fuel economy and probably isn't what people in this segment want anyways.
As for the new model, no surprise they got rid of the 300hp V6, as it wasn't very good on fuel economy and probably isn't what people in this segment want anyways.
#23
Lexus Fanatic
You have to consider, though, that transmission programming, like many other things in vehicle design, is a compromise. Adding more gears to modern transmissions, of course has increased their flexibility over a wider range of driving conditions, but how you program the transmission is still dependent on how you intend the vehicle to be driven. The majority of buyers in this segment probably don't want quick, firm-shifting gearboxes that are responsive to the throttle but lack smoothness. They want smoothness and comfort in the drivetrain....and, like Lexus, GM is known for smooth, silky shifts in their automatics. But to get that smoothness, that means allowing some internal slip in the gearboxes themselves, which cuts into (even if only a small amount) fuel-efficiency and acceleration...and an excessive amount of slip can also cut down on transmission life. That's one reason (among several) why Buicks, in particular, don't do very well in EPA mileage figures or acceleration....their Cream-of-Wheat transmission shifting and programming. The sport-oriented Regal GS (?) may be one exception...but I haven't sampled one lately.
#24
^ I was mainly talking about how a lot of these newer gearboxes constantly upshift in light throttle applications and keep the engine revs out of the power band, making the car feel sluggish. Or they start in 2nd gear, or they limit/cut engine power(called torque management) because they aren't built strong enough and its easier/cheaper just to retard the engine timing that spending more money on beefier/better components.
#25
Lexus Fanatic
^ I was mainly talking about how a lot of these newer gearboxes constantly upshift in light throttle applications and keep the engine revs out of the power band, making the car feel sluggish. Or they start in 2nd gear, or they limit/cut engine power(called torque management) because they aren't built strong enough and its easier/cheaper just to retard the engine timing that spending more money on beefier/better components.
#26
Didn't know you could get the last model with the 3.7 V6 with 300hp, I'm sure that was pretty fast if GM didn't zap all the power with stupid transmission programming. If you do the math, that's about the same power to weight ratio as a Mazda Miata and better than a Subaru BRZ.
As for the new model, no surprise they got rid of the 300hp V6, as it wasn't very good on fuel economy and probably isn't what people in this segment want anyways.
As for the new model, no surprise they got rid of the 300hp V6, as it wasn't very good on fuel economy and probably isn't what people in this segment want anyways.
#28
Lexus Fanatic
And, FYI, the current Chevy SS is not an Impala, which is a FWD product. The current SS is a RWD high-performance sedan based on an Australian-Holden design. Holden designs, BTW, also formed the basis for the former RWD 2004-2007 Pontiac GTO and later G8....the current Chevy SS is basically what the next-generation of those cars would have become had they stayed in production and/or Pontiac not gone out of business.
#29
Who would actually buy an Equinox SS? The average FWD/AWD CUV-buyer doesn't get one to go canyon-carving or drag-racing in.
And, FYI, the current Chevy SS is not an Impala, which is a FWD product. The current SS is a RWD high-performance sedan based on an Australian-Holden design. Holden designs, BTW, also formed the basis for the former RWD 2004-2007 Pontiac GTO and later G8....the current Chevy SS is basically what the next-generation of those cars would have become had they stayed in production and/or Pontiac not gone out of business.
And, FYI, the current Chevy SS is not an Impala, which is a FWD product. The current SS is a RWD high-performance sedan based on an Australian-Holden design. Holden designs, BTW, also formed the basis for the former RWD 2004-2007 Pontiac GTO and later G8....the current Chevy SS is basically what the next-generation of those cars would have become had they stayed in production and/or Pontiac not gone out of business.
Dodge btw is preparing a Durango SRT8.
#30
Lexus Fanatic
Sounds like you've forgotten about the Trailblazer and it's LS2 6.0L V8, which is what he was likely hinting at. Not the RWD SS/Caprice/G8/Commodore/VXR8 sedans. SS is sometimes used as a trim moniker on GM cars. Cobalt, Monte Carlo, Impala, Camaro, Silverado to name just a few have all had SS badges before.
Dodge btw is preparing a Durango SRT8.
Dodge btw is preparing a Durango SRT8.
GM, if you remember, also tried the high-performance Typhoon, based on the Jimmy SUV, and Syclone, based on the S-10 pickup......both were sales-flops, even at a time when SUV sales were starting to pick up.