2006 Chevy Equinox LT AWD

[ChevyRules]

Okay, 7 days and 234 miles driven in it( excluding the miles already on it when we bought it) with the 'Nox and I am here to talk first impressions. The 185 HP Chinese 3400 powers the vehicle wonderfully! The gas pedal is similar to our Suburban. You have to press to get it moving( not jumpy like the Sebring was). The brakes stops the vehicle very well. I am still getting used to the turning radius of the vehicle as I am still having trouble pulling into our garage without backing up to avoid the bush next to the garage. The heated seats don't get as hot as our Suburban heated seats get. But still keeps me warm enough. The seats are comfortable. I love the leg room. Believe it or not, it has more leg room then the 'Burban. The Front seat can be all the way back and I can still stretch my legs out straight and have still have room when I was in the back seat. The passengers side leg room is also perfect! My only complaints so far is that the main built in cup holder( not the sliding out ones) is a bit too small. When I enter the vehicle my knees hit the steering wheel and I have to adjust my position to get my legs under, but after that it is fine( the wheel is all the way up). And when the sliding cup holders are out, it gets in the way of the emergency brake. All minor issues for this nice of a vehicle. IMO. Unfortunatly, we haven't had time to setup up Onstar yet. Same with the XM radio. This won't be accurate though as I wasn't there when my mom first filled up the 'Nox, but she did say it was at a quarter of a tank. So that is around 12.75 gallons of fuel. So with 234 miles driven so far, it got around 18.35 MPG combined( we did drive in city like conditions more and on hilly roads). I am impressed. It got that economy already with the engine not broken in yet. I can't wait until I get peak economy! And don't get me started on the ride! It is wonderful! One of the smoothest riding vehicles I have ever ride in. IT absorbs the bumps without a sweat. I love it so far.

[mgescuro]

The turning radius is bad on a 'Nox??? Is this the same issue that is found on the G6s??

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

The turning radius is bad on a 'Nox??? Is this the same issue that is found on the G6s??

Not really. I haven't driven a G6 yet as A) I am not 18 yet and B) I still have my learners. I am just used to a cars turning radius and need to adjust to the SUV's.

[CRBoyd91]

How is the back seat?

[FamilyTruckster]

Sounds good. I'm glad you choose the Equinox. However , your sales consultant should have had the Onstar set up when you took delivery of the vehicle. Did you decline that portion of the delivery? You never know when you might need it and your 30 phone minutes only last 30 days. I always set Onstar up online so that when the customer comes in ( if we have enough time) Onstar is activated and ready to go. If not, I do it with the customer.

[autofan]

We have an Equinox and a G6 and while the turning radius on the Equinox is HUGE, the G6 seems just fine. It's comparable to other midsize GM cars I've had in the past.

The 'Nox is a great vehicle but you pointed out some of the same little flaws that bother me, like the slide out cupholders that block access to the parking brake. I also wish it had a traditional console since the shallow "console" that is on the floor doesn't really "hold" much of anything. The super short bottom seat cushions also bug me. On the other hand, I love the agility of it and I still think it's the best looking small SUV available.

[2005 Equinox LS]

I so far like my Equinox and so do my parents. The only trouble with the 2 of them is the smelling coolant issue. Both get about 16-17 mpg in town and 22-24 on the highway. The rolling rear seat is a wonderful idea. I do wish it folded perfectly flat but it isnt a huge thing. They should have used plastic on the back of the back seats so it would be easier to keep clean. And be more durable. I find the 3400 V6 to be powerful enough for everyday use. It is an easy vehicle to get in and out of compared to most normal cars.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

The turning radius is bad on a 'Nox??? Is this the same issue that is found on the G6s??

Well, the 'Nox has a shorter turning radius than my two past-gen Grand Prix's. Keep in mind they were both longer vehicles. So I would agree that the turning radius is less than ideal for the 'Nox.

[chad4835]

Could someone please comment on the cargo area. I am considering one for my company vehicle and need a lot of room, more than the 03 Liberty I have now.

[IAMCANADIAN]

You have to press to get it moving( not jumpy like the Sebring was).

I noticed that about the Sebring, it's really jumpy when you first start off then about midrange it's more refined then floor it and it smoothly flys up to higher speed.

[Kar Krazie]

I have always like the Equinox, very well designed vehicle!

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by FamilyTruckster

Sounds good. I'm glad you choose the Equinox. However , your sales consultant should have had the Onstar set up when you took delivery of the vehicle. Did you decline that portion of the delivery? You never know when you might need it and your 30 phone minutes only last 30 days. I always set Onstar up online so that when the customer comes in ( if we have enough time) Onstar is activated and ready to go. If not, I do it with the customer.

The salesmen did that. We just needed to confirm our account. Did that. Signed up for the free diagnostics, tied the Equinox's phone through our Verizon Family share plan. And signed up for 3 years of XM radio. I still love my 'Nox with 1375+ miles on it. On the first 100% highway driving, it got 24 MPG.

PS: NSAP, when at highway speeds, do you have to press the gas pedal down further to get the engine to rev up beyond 2,000 RPM? When I am at like 55-60 MPH, and I want to go faster, I press the gas pedal, but the engine( according to the instrument) doesn't rev higher, but it does go faster, and I have to really press down hard to get it to rev to like 2,500 RPM. Is that normal?

[nsap]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Rules

PS: NSAP, when at highway speeds, do you have to press the gas pedal down further to get the engine to rev up beyond 2,000 RPM? When I am at like 55-60 MPH, and I want to go faster, I press the gas pedal, but the engine( according to the instrument) doesn't rev higher, but it does go faster, and I have to really press down hard to get it to rev to like 2,500 RPM. Is that normal?

There seems to be a range of speed that the Equinox doesn't feel the need to rev any faster. I've noticed what you are talking about, but I never have had any problems getting to the speed I want. Generally once I hit 70+ MPH its revving well past 2,500 RPM.

Just be glad you didn't have to drive a 'Nox before they had the transmisssion update. Prior to mine getting the update, it would NOT go into 5th gear until about 70 MPH.

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by nsap

There seems to be a range of speed that the Equinox doesn't feel the need to rev any faster. I've noticed what you are talking about, but I never have had any problems getting to the speed I want. Generally once I hit 70+ MPH its revving well past 2,500 RPM.

Just be glad you didn't have to drive a 'Nox before they had the transmisssion update. Prior to mine getting the update, it would NOT go into 5th gear until about 70 MPH.

Thanks NSAP. It is probably a fuel saving feature or something. I do press on the gas pedal and the 'Nox does go faster. I guess if you were in a situation that you needed to accelerate hard, you just press it harder and it would deactivate that feature and rev the engine higher.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Rules

Thanks NSAP. It is probably a fuel saving feature or something. I do press on the gas pedal and the 'Nox does go faster. I guess if you were in a situation that you needed to accelerate hard, you just press it harder and it would deactivate that feature and rev the engine higher.

Yeah. So many people complain about the 'Nox using the 3400, but so far I think it's a great match for the vehicle. The HP number doesn't do it justice. My only complaint thus far is that I wish it got better gas mileage, but it doesn't do too bad for my driving conditions.

On another note... I'm very pleased with how it handles in the snow. As you can see from my avatar, we had about 3 inches of snow (covering the roads) and the traction light never came on and I was driving normally.