[lizardhead]

Yet somehow the last place Chevy Equinox sold more vehicles (332,618) in 2018 than the CX-5 and the Forester together. Motor Trend lost it's way many years ago as have most of these so called expert magazines.

 

[caddycruiser]

Yet somehow the last place Chevy Equinox sold more vehicles (332,618) in 2018 than the CX-5 and the Forester together. Motor Trend lost it's way many years ago as have most of these so called expert magazines.

It's called Enterprise. Sales volume doesn't mean a thing, when rental and corporate fleets, or subvented leases to previous customers kick in.

Sales volume vs. quality and performance "how is it vs. competitors" is worth speaking about. Last place, is last place. 332k or whatever aside.

It should sell 450k then...if it was up to par, and could sell on merits, vs. inflated MSRP's and excess rebates, dumped into fleets and previous lease customers.

Camry sells in droves too...doesn't mean it's the best. And doesn't get rated that way either. Volume vs. "how is it in reality".

 

[Ed753]

I question whether they actually personally evaluated these vehicles, its like they just wrote the story by selectively picking bullet-points from other stories.

When buying my wife's Rogue a little over a year ago, I drove/tested/shopped, almost everyone on the list, I don't understand much of anything.

I think they picked the order, and then wrote the story, trying to justify each vehicles, position.

 

[steve333]

GM is a lazy company that hires lazy GMs.
It would take a real good outside CEO to awaken it from it's slumber but I don't see it happening

 

[DaBangBang]

I question whether they actually personally evaluated these vehicles, its like they just wrote the story by selectively picking bullet-points from other stories.

When buying my wife's Rogue a little over a year ago, I drove/tested/shopped, almost everyone on the list, I don't understand much of anything.

I think they picked the order, and then wrote the story, trying to justify each vehicles, position.

Awesome point. I too thought that. What is the world coming to that I agree with Ed753?

 

[jpd80]

No. What it means is that many of the magazines are on a cycle of payola. Bottom line GM needs to advertise more in these rags or continue getting hosed on the reviews. Read the excerpt from ksr's post regarding the Rav4. How the hell are they ragging on that vehicle so much and it still come in 4th outta 8 vehicles. If that rake over the coals gets you 4th, how can you take anything said seriously after that? I bewilders the hell out of me what they think they are testing most of the time. Take a look at consumer reviews of the Equinox and you will, in many cases, think they are describing a $50+K vehicle the praise some people put on it. Time some one just says it. Motor Trend has had its day. Its gone.

That's why I give MT no credence at all, any manufacturer without advertising budget
is fair game to them and they just say outrageous click bait stuff to get responses.....

Their opinions may or may not align with actual vehicle issues or quality but I defer
to others here for a more accurate appraisal of actual issues....

 

[yamahr1]

There is no doubt the Equinox should be better than it is. But on balance, I don't think it should have been gleefully booted the curb the way M/T did. And their story made it obvious that they already had the top four in their minds before the test even began, so the WORST the RAV4 could have done was 4th place.

 

[mikmak]

First off,
I try not to take Road and Track seriously as their cirtisism is harsh only to illicit a response
from supporters and critics alike. Just look at the shabby piece done on Ranger where they
tried to tear it down as a hack but ended up begrudgingly calling Ranger OK...
(Ford mustn't be advertising with MotorTrend, hence the poor review...)

The thing that concerns me is that the Chevrolet Equinox is getting strong sales (ie over 32K)
So does that mean that Chevrolet buyers are comfortable with what's on offer or is there
a kick in the head coming with lower than expected resale value?

Regardless of us considering Equinox substandard, actual buyers seem to be embracing it
So GM will be encouraged that it did the right thing and congratulate itself for being cheap...

I hope not. Equinox is a decent interior makeover away from a competitive offering.

To be fair, this is a horrid class of vehicle to begin with. They're all tuned for efficiency, and engineered to be relatively inexpensive.

Yup. Even blind freddy could see everyone racing to the bottom to try and make a buck in this segment.

There is no doubt the Equinox should be better than it is. But on balance, I don't think it should have been gleefully booted the curb the way M/T did. And their story made it obvious that they already had the top four in their minds before the test even began, so the WORST the RAV4 could have done was 4th place.

I'd send Forester to the bottom due to absence of power, addition of weight and the continuing CVT (personal preference)
Mazda CX-5 is too small (2nd row is ridiculous)
Tucson would probably do better with the 1.6T and DCT we get in Oz.
I haven't driven the CRV yet. It might be good, but anything starting with CVT is starting from a bad place for me.

I really wished the Equinox was going to be a better product but there are plenty of touch points that feel cheap. I don't mean icky. I mean not durable. That to me is an indication of quality. Maybe they just feel icky, but will last forever, but you don't know that when you're sitting in a showroom considering if you are going to dump 30-45k in the dealers lap.

It needs to feel and look good.

P.S. The turning circle is pretty crap.

 

[jpd80]

GM seems to have been on a cost saving drive for the past 12 months, I wish they would
ease back in certain areas like trim, it's just not helpful to short change buyers that way

 

[bongos2u]

GM seems to have been on a cost saving drive for the past 12 months, I wish they would
ease back in certain areas like trim, it's just not helpful to short change buyers that way

I'd say it's longer than 12 months, and it will continue since they are devoting most capital to their future business plan of EVs and Self-Driving cars. Although the announcement of the $22 mil being allocated to Spring Hill to make V8 engines is a pleasant surprise.

 

[richmond2000]

first off I assume they found and AMC pacer and assumed that was the Equinox on how quick it was dismissed and the only 2 real "sins" were the lack of "driver confidence" packages on less then top line and cheap looking plastics both the subby and the Toyota got "dinged" for lacking "poke" but got praised for interior ROOM and top infotainment

yet to get a "NICE" interior in the RAV you NEED 4K more cash and still get a weezy mill and a "lumpy" transmission AND they claim this is almost as good as the Honda YET MILES better then the 'NOX

talking last gen I prefer the 'NOX 10 to 1 over the ROGUE a car as far as I am concerned is a CHEAP POS that is noisy and epitomise what is WRONG WITH COMPACT CUVS

 

[longislander]

Funny 'cause I remember back in the olden days, the Ford and Mopar fans used to complain about MT's pro-GM bias, even suggesting to change its name to "General Motors Trend". Meanwhile today the rest of the world laughs at us, at the damage done to our domestic auto industry by our own U.S. based self-loathing car magazines.

 

[kool1]

There is no doubt the Equinox should be better than it is. But on balance, I don't think it should have been gleefully booted the curb the way M/T did. And their story made it obvious that they already had the top four in their minds before the test even began, so the WORST the RAV4 could have done was 4th place.

Equinox is not horrible but man, what a lot opportunity for a company that is killing cars for CUVs.

I have been very GM loyal over the last 2 decades but honestly if I was buying a compact CUV today it would not be an Equinox.

 

[GMOwner]

GM and all other "American" car manufacturers that are leaving the sedan market due to low margins and meager rankings in the market will quickly find out that the low margins and meager ranking in this space lead to the same conclusion.

You can either listen to the feedback and grow or ignore and leave...

 

[NHRATA01]

Funny 'cause I remember back in the olden days, the Ford and Mopar fans used to complain about MT's pro-GM bias, even suggesting to change its name to "General Motors Trend". Meanwhile today the rest of the world laughs at us, at the damage done to our domestic auto industry by our own U.S. based self-loathing car magazines.

Lol, it's funny as I've been a subscriber to MT and C/D since the mid 90s as a teenager...and much like the "Simpsons is old and needs to go off the air" and "SNL isn't funny anymore" all I've heard for years is how the rags are biased.

They're humans who have their preferences, tending towards enthusiast nods. They love the Vette since the C5. They have loved both the 5th and 6th gen Camaros. They even liked the LS1 4th gens (I saved pretty much every issue) for the most part. They liked the ATS over the 3 (which is the car they're most guilty of biasing towards). They loved the SS Sedan so much they reviewed it multiple times and even gave it a farewell review.

They've been lukewarm on GM's SUV's and trucks in most recent years, and probably for good reason. Most on this forum echo the same in their personal opinions.

Personally I liked the new Equinox for what it was, and thought it was much more class competitive than the older one, which felt like it hung around just a bit too long. But I as hard a time becoming a huge fanboy of any CUV much like I'd have a hard time extolling the virtues of any single politician.

 

[ksr]

Lol, it's funny as I've been a subscriber to MT and C/D since the mid 90s as a teenager...and much like the "Simpsons is old and needs to go off the air" and "SNL isn't funny anymore" all I've heard for years is how the rags are biased.

They're humans who have their preferences, tending towards enthusiast nods. They love the Vette since the C5. They have loved both the 5th and 6th gen Camaros. They even liked the LS1 4th gens (I saved pretty much every issue) for the most part. They liked the ATS over the 3 (which is the car they're most guilty of biasing towards). They loved the SS Sedan so much they reviewed it multiple times and even gave it a farewell review.

They've been lukewarm on GM's SUV's and trucks in most recent years, and probably for good reason. Most on this forum echo the same in their personal opinions.

Personally I liked the new Equinox for what it was, and thought it was much more class competitive than the older one, which felt like it hung around just a bit too long. But I as hard a time becoming a huge fanboy of any CUV much like I'd have a hard time extolling the virtues of any single politician.

I don't always agree with their reviews and think they can be unfair at times. But it is often a matter of opinion. I think there have been shifts in the editorial opinion of the various magazines over the years. I guess that's dependent on the editor and the staff that they hire.

They don't base their reviews on advertising dollars.

With the Corvette, I really can't remember when the magazines didn't like them. Some models may have been reviewed more positively than others, but there was always a generally positive attitude. I started reading the car mags in the early 1980s. They may have grown tired of the ancient 3rd gen Corvettes, but the C4 and the generations since were well liked.

Camaros and Firebirds were criticized for their faults, but got a lot of good press. I think the '82 was MT's COTY, even though it lacked power. Their review of the MCE of the 4th gen in 1998 was really positive. I sent away for a Firebird brochure, and it even arrived and included with it a reprint of a really positive C&D review of the '98 Trans Am (which I did end up buying).

 

[nyminute]

Just purchased my 2019 Chevy Equinox . Traded in my 2016 Terrain after owning a 2015 Terrian. I'm very happy so far. Nice SUV for $24k

 

[kool1]

GM and all other "American" car manufacturers that are leaving the sedan market due to low margins and meager rankings in the market will quickly find out that the low margins and meager ranking in this space lead to the same conclusion.

Correct.

Interesting on the weekend I saw my wifes uncle who is an American car buyer in general. He just bought a CRV. I asked why he chose it over another Ford Escape or something else?

He said - GM is closing plants, Ford Escape wasn't great and the CRV is awesome and it's made in Canada and not Mexico.

I can't argue with him!

Good for Honda not moving to Mexico.

 

[ksr]

Just purchased my 2019 Chevy Equinox . Traded in my 2016 Terrain after owning a 2015 Terrian. I'm very happy so far. Nice SUV for $24k

Nice color.

Most people on GMI I suppose would laugh at me, but in person I was impressed with the current Equinox. I thought the exterior had kind of an upscale look to it.

I can't warm up to the new Terrain. I actually like the old version quite a bit. When I bought my '14 Cherokee, my second choice was the Terrain, having been very impressed with one owned by my sister. I chose the Cherokee largely because it was a new model, while the Terrain had been unchanged for quite a while. I also really liked the Cherokee's interior (although I also liked the Terrain's). The exterior of the new Terrain just looks ungainly to me.

 

[ksr]

Correct.

Interesting on the weekend I saw my wifes uncle who is an American car buyer in general. He just bought a CRV. I asked why he chose it over another Ford Escape or something else?

He said - GM is closing plants, Ford Escape wasn't great and the CRV is awesome and it's made in Canada and not Mexico.

I can't argue with him!

Good for Honda not moving to Mexico.

I don't get that.

Yes, GM has closed some plants. If your wife's uncle is basing his purchase on who has more plants in the US, why did he buy a Honda? Which company has more American plants and employs more American workers? Buy what you want, but his sort of thinking, if adopted by more people, would only lead to more plants closing and more Americans losing their jobs.

"Damn it, GM is laying off Americans. I'll show 'em. I'll buy a car made in Canada by a company that employs far fewer Americans!"

He's upset about GM laying off workers, but he bought a vehicle made in Canada? And, why is that better than a vehicle made in Mexico if he's concerned about American jobs?

Buy what you want. The CRV is a good vehicle and he'll likely be pleased. But the reasoning seems bizarre.