2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
Just bought a 4 cylinder Equinox. Have less than 500 miles on it. Good looks, great value, very comfortable, not going to win any races. Mileage claims I knew going in were significantly overstated but that's O.K. 30 years ago I bought a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado with the V-8-6-4 engine. State of the art technology @ the time. The only trouble was that the car seemed to be driving you rather than you driving it since it would decide when to run on 8 or 6 or 4 cylinders. A real technical flop for GM as it was discontinued after one year. Driving the new Equinox in the ECO mode reminded me of this- shifting into 5th or 6th gear and slow to respond on the downshift. I've since turned it off.
Styling, Handling, Value, Comfort.
Owner's manual states all dimensions of ECO Mode:lower idle, quicker torque converter lock-up, slower converter unlock, different shift points, etc, all aimed at enhancing mileage I presume. Would like to know incremental value of selecting ECO mode vs. just leaving it off without the exotic engineering built in to the transmission software. With it off, it drives more predictably and more pleasurably.