2005 Chevrolet Equinox

[TeamBajaMarine]

We all know I love Chevy's, this might be Mrs. TBM's birthday present. Looks good.

www.chevrolet.com/equinox/ (http://www.chevrolet.com/equinox/)

[bajatroublemaker]

Nice present, what color are you going to get?

[haulinvols]

Good looking vehicle, looks kind of like a lexus.

[GottaHaveIt]

Yes it's a nice looking SUV. And it's built on the same platform as the Saturn Vue SUV. Also I noticed the dash is very similar if not the same as the new Colorado small pickup.
The V6 is sort of anemic. We had a Nissan Xterra back in '00.
It was gutless! 170 HP V6. And it only got 16 MPG! The newer supercharged X is more like it but still only 210 HP. The Ford mini SUV has that much out of a normally aspirated V6.
Have you considered a Trailblazer? My wife drives one. It has a 275 HP (yep that's right!) inline 6, 4L60E transmission, and we get about 22 MPG on the highway and 18 or so combined.
This thing will SCAT! Rides great too. The Trailblazer EXT is nice and can be had with the 5.3 V8 which is cool, and the gas mileage isn't much worse. There are a some used
trailblazers out there with low miles (under 30K).
Or you could get one of these (http://www.chevrolet.com/suburban/model_threeqton_lt.htm) and kill 2 birds with one stone..new SUV for the wife, and something to tow the 30! How about a 12,000 lb tow rating? :D
Yeah I'm aware they're $50K +/- :x Isn't that REDICULOUS?
Maaaaaaaaaaaaan....the prices of cars these days!

I'm sure you are looking at the Equinox based on value and mileage. I'm curious what it will get, "real-world" MPG. If it gets 28+ highway and 24 combined, then you're doing good.
I don't know what the Saturn Vue is getting. Little bit of research will give a clue. I think it is high 20s.
Now if the US manufacturers would offer a small intercooled turbodiesel in more SUVs, they'd go from low 20s to low 30's MPG easy! And run as good or better because diesels are all about torque and that is what makes heavier vehicles move out.
We had a 2001 GMC Yukon XL 3/4 ton 4x4 with the 4.10 gears and 496 bigblock. It got 12 MPG average :o so I sold it and bought the Trailblazer. A few months ago I was wishing I still had it, but now that gas prices are pusing 2 bux a gallon I'm glad I did it.

[bryan275]

Don't know if she would drive a "truck" or not, but the F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 is awesome and tows 9200 lbs! I have one now and am really impressed! Ride and handling are excellent. Very responsive steering and extremely quiet ride with tons of room. Add a bed cover and you'll never miss the suv.

[ckmansell]

How about a 12,000 lb tow rating?

I noticed that!

I have an '02 3/4 ton 4x4 with the 8.1. The tow rating on mine is 14,000lbs.

I wonder what they changed that would lower the rating? Dont new models usually move forward? Not backwards.:rolleyes

[haulinvols]

Up to model year 2000, tow rating on 4x4 2500 Suburban was 10,100lbs with 4.10:1 rear end, when 8.1 liter came out increased to 12,000 lbs with 4.10:1 rear end. Its never been higher. Can't find my info from GM on this, but I know for a fact when I was helping my dad purchase his, highes tow rating on a Suburban was 12,000lbs. I found a link to Trailor life and they list all the tow ratings for vehicles starting about 1998.

[ckmansell]

Yea, that is what I got, an 8.1 with a 4.10. I could have swore that is what the salesman told me. Then again, you know how that goes.

I do remember comparing it to the Ford Excursion though. I remember thinking, wow the Excursion is way bigger and has two more cylinders (V-10), yet the Suburban blows it away on towing capacity.:zzzzz

[Atwood1018]

There is no scientific way that manufacturers calculate towing capacity. It is based on what the manufacturer feels you can safely pull, stop, and manuever. You might have two different manufacturers calculate towing capacity on the same exact vehicle and come up 500 - 1000 pounds apart. Unfortunately it makes it difficult when looking to purchase a vehicle. We should have the new Equinox at our dealership soon. I'll let you know what I think of it.

[haulinvols]

You might have two different manufacturers calculate towing capacity on the same exact vehicle and come up 500 - 1000 pounds apart. Aaron, help me out on this, why would two different manufacturers want to calculate each others vehicles? I agree most of the process is done by some engineer who decides what a particular vehicle can safely tow, but that number is also set in stone for a particular setup and option list so there is no guess work. All one has to do when shopping for a vehicle to find the towing information is look in the brochure or manufacturer web site to see what the vehicle is rated for. To me this makes shopping easier not harder. I look to see what it can tow, and if not up to par, I pass it by. I spent years in the auto business and have dealt mostly with heavy and light duty trucks. Maybe I misunderstood your post. If I have (and entirely possible as I had no sleep last night) I apologize. :tiphat

[Atwood1018]

Ok, not that they would rate each others vehicles. What I meant was that given HP, suspension, trans, brakes, etc., manufacturers (Chevy, Ford, Dodge) might have different view points on what a vehicle could tow. You could have a Chevy with a tow rating of 11,000lbs and a Dodge with a tow rating of 12,000lbs and the Chevy might tow better than the Dodge in real world conditions or vice versa. This might make it difficult to judge how one tows versus the other when shopping. However, if you were just shopping for a Ford or just shopping for a Chevy then it's easy because that manufacturer uses the same formula on all there vehicles. Hope I didn't confuse anyone. :huh

[Atwood1018]

Perfect timing. We just got an Equinox in this afternoon. I took it for a ride and here's my personal review. The one we have is an LS AWD list price 24800. The LS is the middle of the line with all the power options and cloth interior. The V6 was actually pretty peppy, could use a little more power for my taste, but not a dog by any means. Both front and back seats were quite comfortable. One neat feature is that the back seat slides back and forth giving you more leg room with less cargo room or vice versa. All the way up it's like an ext cab Silverado and all the way back is like an Impala. The engine was very, very quiet at idle and cruising speeds, almost couldn't hear it. You can hear it when accelerating, but it's not loud. The transmission shifts unbelievably smooth, even at full throttle you can't feel it shift. The ride was very smooth and handling was good. Now, on to what I didn't like. Power window buttons are in the center by the shifter, some people like that and some don't. On this model the bumpers were gray plastic not painted the same as the body. The upper model has painted bumpers. The cargo room is decent, but on both sides are these storage compartments and I personally think they take up too much space. Sure, you can put stuff in them, but if you have a large object to load in there it makes it more difficult. The truck is definately a good value. It is one of the nicest in that price range and class (Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda Tribute). If you have an extra 5k to spend I would consider a Trailblazer, but if this is the price range you want it is definately a good buy.

[TeamBajaMarine]

Aaron,
good reveiw, I am waiting for my dealer to get a few in, he says in a few days. I was also told that Chevy is only shipping these to dealers in the color silver or another color whereas the dealer doesnt have a choice. Yes you can order one, but that is a 6-8 week ordeal. What did you pay? If I may ask.

[Atwood1018]

I didn't buy it. I'm a Manager at a Chevy Dealership. We've had no problem ordering them in any color. We have several colors coming in.

[TeamBajaMarine]

ah, I see. As a Chevy dealer, what is the target price on one? I am interested in a full blown LT.

[Atwood1018]

Hard to tell yet. Pretty much whatever people will pay. When something new first comes out they usually go for MSRP if they are in short supply. Once the become plentiful GM puts on rebates and we start to discount them.

[GottaHaveIt]

Good review Aaron. It should be a good selling SUV.

About tow ratings ( ^ earlier posts), sometimes it's tire load capacity, brake heat capacity, engine and/or transmission cooling capacity, and get this..parking brake capacity! I've read where a pickup manufacturer upped their tow rating quite a bit by redesigning the parking brake.

Also the trailer hitch that is supplied by the OEM, or installed as aftermarket equipment, has an impact on the tow rating.
I personally wouldn't tow 12K with a 3/4 ton Suburban with the factory hitch. I'd put on a Reese TITAN. Same goes for my Ram. It is rated to tow 13,400 lbs but the factory hitch says 10,000 on it. The ratings aren't always the final word.
The 3/4 ton Suburbans with the 496 have a 10.5" ring gear rear axle, and the 6 liter gasser Suburbans, even though they are 3/4 ton, come with a 9.25" ring gear axle. The 10.5" is the same axle that GM put under their dual-rear wheel pickups for years, different axle hubs for single rear wheel applications. The 9.25" is used in the 2500 non-HD pickups, H2 Hummer, and light-duty 3/4 ton Suburbans to name a few.
The tow rating for the Suburban 6 liter is 10K. But the H2 tow rating is nowhere near that! Also the CGVWR (combined gross vehicle weight rating) has a lot to do with the towing capacity. The GVWR is how much a vehicle can weigh with payload in/on the vehicle (no trailer) and CGVWR is that total weight plus the weight of any trailer and it's load.
Whew...

[pancepance]

GHI,
I see you've got a Cummins HO and are around the TDR.
Have you done anything to it as far as upgrades?
I've got a banks box but thats it. thinking about more but am concerned about running into warranty problems. It pulls my boat like a bat outta hell as is but I'm hearing that guys are getting these things into the 500-600 hp numbers.

[GottaHaveIt]

Right now I have done everything I can do and still keep my stock clutch. Any more power and I'll have to install an aftermarket clutch, probably a South Bend. The TDR guys that have them are very happy with the product and customer service. On a cool day, my clutch will start to slip a bit in 5th gear and high boost. The intercooler is so efficient!
I have an EDGE fueling module, which has an in-cab box to control power with OFF, LOW, MED and HIGH. Low is great for towing and won't bring EGTs anywhere near the danger zone. MED is about too much for towing, and HIGH is for racing little ricers with fart-pipes N stuff. :party Lots of smoke out the tailpipe too!
I have boost and EGT gauges on the A-pillar. They're AutoMeter sport comp. I installed them right after I got the truck. Last year I installed a set of Bosch RV/firetruck injectors. They're the injectors that the 275/300 hp Cummins comes with. Made quite a difference. I can hit 1,600F on the EGT in HIGH. Cummins says to stay below 1,200 F sustained EGT while towing.
My truck weighs 6,600 lbs and runs 0 to 60 in about 7 seconds, and 1/4 mile is about 15.5 at 92. And this is shifting a truck transmission! :dancingjalepeno

[pancepance]

Sounds freaking awesome. Those motors will put out a ton of force if you let 'em.
I've got to put my gauges in a good spot. I thought about the Apillar but I assume you lose the handle right?
I'm pretty short so I find it very usefull getting in and out.
Does your dealer give you a problem with having any service done? I haven't needed any yet but I'm going in for the recalls soon and don't want to get an earful.

[bottomless pit]

Blake Is this still in the works.
PIT :party

[TeamBajaMarine]

Pit,
I am waiting for my dealer to get one so I can see it up close and personal. Honestly after reading the tech specs, the width of the vehicle my ba problem as it will not fit in my driveway. I live in Queens, New York and have a shared driveway with my neighbor, wedged in between our two houses. They are only 7 feet wide and my tiny Blazer barely makes it through.

[Atwood1018]

Blake, I just went out and measured an Equinox we have here. It is 6' 8" from the tips of the mirrors. That gives you a whole 2 inches on either side.:biggrin

[TeamBajaMarine]

I just saw this up close today at my dealer, and I am glad I did as the wow factor is not really there for me. I thought it would be after seeing and reading alot about it on the web. A Couple of things I did not like was how far the windshield is from the driver or steering wheel, very long dash. I didnt feel safe for some reason. I also was unimpressed by the amount of plastic the interior uses for a techy look. Bottom line is I am not going any further with this, the Equinox is not what I thought it would be.

[GottaHaveIt]

How about the Trailblazers? Have you looked closely at them?

Nice ride, and 275 HP inline 6. Gets with the program!