

That’s still a few points better than a more powerful crossover like a Mazda CX-5, but slightly thirstier than a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. Adding AWD knocks a point off each of these figures. A front-wheel drive model gets an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city, 31 on the highway, and 28 combined. You’d think the lack of power would pay dividends at the pump, but fuel economy is only average. Steering is light and easy, if a little numb. All trims can be optioned with all-wheel drive, and a quirky feature of the Equinox is that this can be toggled on and off via a button in the console, enabling you to cruise in front-wheel drive to save gas.


It boasts a nicely-damped, compliant ride, though the higher trims’ larger 19-inch wheels add a bit of harshness. The Equinox’s road manners are a good match for its powertrain and its overall demeanor in that they’re pleasant but uninspiring. Sadly, the Equinox doesn’t offer any driving modes, so your options for waking this powertrain up are quite limited. The 6-speed automatic does its job innocuously, but is tuned for economy and isn’t eager to downshift. It gets you from A to B and feels peppy enough around town, but highway passing can be an ordeal. That’s a shame because this single-choice, 170-horsepower engine is nothing to write home about. Jen Dunnaway Performance: 9/15Įvery Equinox is now powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder-the sprightly 2.0-liter is discontinued, and the once-optional thrifty diesel is a couple of years in the rearview. The Equinox’s Interior is quintessential GM: plain and simple, with a proper mechanical shifter, old-school analog gauges, well-labeled controls, and a small but crisp and feature-rich infotainment screen. The Equinox will tow a maximum of 1,500 pounds when properly equipped, putting it in line with its segment-mates. Unlike the CX-5, it offers no exciting performance variant, and unlike the Escape, CR-V, Tucson and Kia Sportage, it lacks hybrid or plug-in versions. Like all of these vehicles, the Equinox seats five, but in contrast to many competitors, it offers only a single, unremarkable powertrain choice. This is a highly competitive class, and while the Equinox is comfy, quiet and useful, it’s where other manufacturers are trying their hardest and where lineups are growing in powertrain and option variety rather than shrinking. The Equinox competes against segment mainstays like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, as well as up-and-coming nameplates like the Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson that have made major strides in recent years in tech and styling. It’ll handle fairly smooth dirt or gravel roads, but not much more.

Nor is there much pretense of off-road adventure in the Equinox, though all-wheel drive (AWD) is a $1,600 optional and models so equipped get eight inches of ground clearance. It’s turbocharged too, but delivers sleepier performance. All Equinoxes now come equipped with a 1.5-liter four. However, the Equinox steps backward in performance, having dropped its peppy, optional turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder at the end of 2020. Overall though, the styling is still more blend-in than stand-out. Above the RS sits the Premium, with its fancier interior and standard frills like memory settings and vibrating “Safety Alert Seat.” The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox’s refreshed styling is a distinct improvement, with a more streamlined face and modernized LED touches. The decently-equipped LS is now the base, with the next-step-up LT bringing better package availability for powered items along with safety and convenience features.
#2022 CHEVROLET EQUINOX SPECS UPGRADE#
GM drops the former base L trim and adds the racy RS -which is such a nice appearance upgrade with its smoked chrome, red interior stitching, and plentiful blackout elements, that you can’t help but forgive it for being “sport” in name only. There’s also some trim shuffling this year.
#2022 CHEVROLET EQUINOX SPECS ANDROID#
Some new tech comes onboard, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, suggesting that the modest Equinox is in fact poised to join the 21 st century. Traditionally, it’s been the epitome of “anonymous crossover.” For 2022, GM attempts to change at least some of that with a facelift that sharpens its exterior appearance, some flashy new available paint colors and icy LED lighting. That said, the reason the Equinox soldiers on in relative obscurity is that there isn’t a lot about it that stands out. While it’s hardly a household name, the Equinox outsells every other Chevrolet model except Silverado, and that includes the three-row Traverse. Now in its third generation, the Equinox has filled the compact-crossover slot in Chevy’s lineup since 2005, where it now sits size-wise between the more recently-added Trailblazer subcompact and Blazer small midsize. The Equinox is one of those models that does its best work behind the scenes.
