2017 Chevy Equinox Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
byJosh Sadlier
Director of Content Strategy
Josh Sadlier has worked in the automotive industry since 2008. He has written or edited thousands of expert car reviews and road-tested hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Josh is director of content strategy at Edmunds and has also contributed to Autotrader and Automobile. Under his stewardship, Edmunds' own 1989 Yugo GVL won first place at the Concours d'Lemons, taking home a jar of borscht, a can of beets, a cutting board and a pint of VIP vodka.
Pros
- Backseat has plenty of space and slides/reclines for added comfort
- Optional V6 engine provides quick acceleration
- Interior stays quiet at speed
- rides smoothly on rough roads
Cons
- Four-cylinder version feels sluggish and real-world mpg falls short of EPA ratings
- Less cargo space than some rivals
- Quality of interior materials leaves something to be desired
- Bluetooth audio isn't offered on L or LS
What’s new
For 2017, the Equinox's LTZ trim level is renamed Premier, while the LT trim receives two new options packages, the Midnight package (including black wheels, paint, exterior accents and interior leather trim) and the Sport package (including the same wheels, accents and leather but substituting white paint).
Vehicle overview
After a few notable updates last year, the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox soldiers on with minimal changes, but it still figures to get plenty of consideration from SUV shoppers. When you think about it, that's pretty impressive; after all, the current Equinox debuted back in 2010, which is a long time ago in car years. Many rival crossovers have received full redesigns since then, so it's a credit to Chevrolet that the Equinox is still catching shoppers' eyes. But objectively speaking, does the aging Equinox have what it takes to compete with the best?
The base four-cylinder engine is one thing that gives us pause. Although its EPA fuel economy estimates are fairly impressive, we haven't been able to reproduce those numbers in real-world driving. Moreover, this engine lags behind leading four-cylinder alternatives in terms of both acceleration and refinement. On the bright side, the optional 301-horsepower V6 is the strongest engine offered in this segment, so if you're willing to pay more for spirited performance, the Equinox certainly delivers.
Other drawbacks include mediocre interior materials and the limited availability of Bluetooth audio, which puts this Chevy behind the times. But the Equinox's ride should be sufficiently smooth and quiet to please any shopper in this class, and the capacious backseat slides and reclines to accommodate different physiques. If you're getting the sense that the 2017 Equinox is a mixed bag, you're onto something. There are some positives here, but we advise weighing your priorities and thinking about whether the Equinox gives you enough of what you're looking for.
Perennial standouts among affordable small crossovers include the well-rounded Honda CR-V and the sporty yet fuel-efficient Mazda CX-5. The Ford Escape gets a number of upgrades for 2017 in a bid to keep it fresh, while the Toyota RAV4 was similarly updated last year. We're also fans of the redesigned Kia Sportage, which rivals the Equinox's rear-seat hospitality and adds extra style and fun. But if you're searching for a roomy two-row crossover at a reasonable price, the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox may still merit a closer look.
Standard safety features on the 2017 Chevy Equinox include antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front seat side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags. Also standard are a rearview camera and GM's OnStar emergency communications system, which includes automatic crash notification, an emergency assistance button, remote door unlock and stolen vehicle assistance. Optional on the LT and Premier are rear parking sensors and a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, while the Premier can also be outfitted with forward collision alert and a lane departure warning system.
In government crash tests, the Equinox received an overall score of four stars out of a possible five, with four stars for frontal crash protection and five stars for side protection. In testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Equinox earned the highest possible rating of "Good" in the small-overlap frontal-offset, moderate-overlap frontal offset, side impact and roof strength tests. Its head and seat restraint design was also rated "Good" for whiplash protection in rear impacts.
Driving
The driving character of the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox will depend in significant part on which engine you select. The base four-cylinder may have similar output ratings to the base engines in other compact crossovers, but it doesn't feel as potent on the road. You'll have the gas pedal floored during routine merging and passing maneuvers, which is neither reassuring nor fuel-efficient. If you're looking for a more authoritative feel, the V6 is definitely the way to go. With 301 horses on tap, it's one of the most capable engines in any crossover in this price range.
The Equinox's handling abilities are nothing special. The steering feels numb and somewhat imprecise, while the suspension is tuned to favor comfort over athleticism. The upside is a smooth ride that's complemented by the quietness of the cabin at speed. There's not much "fun-to-drive" here, but the 2017 Equinox's daily-driver credentials are pretty solid.
Interior
The 2017 Equinox's dashboard is sleek and stylish overall. As with most current Chevy models, the dash contours flow smoothly into the door panels, creating a wraparound feel that's distinctive in this segment. The quality of the materials is unremarkable, however, with plenty of hard plastics that have an industrial texture and shine. Moreover, the small buttons on the center stack can be hard to differentiate at a glance, though the Equinox's controls are generally easy to learn.
The standard 7-inch touchscreen interface features customizable menus similar to those on modern smartphones, and it's relatively user-friendly. The available MyLink interface incorporates Bluetooth streaming audio capability and compatibility with popular smartphone apps. There are a few weak spots, though, such as the touchscreen's occasionally slow processing times and missed responses to touch inputs. The lack of Bluetooth audio on the L and LS trims is also lamentable, as Bluetooth audio has become an expected feature in this price range.
Seating comfort is good all around, with particular credit due to the luxuriously roomy backseat with its slide-and-recline functionality. The downside to this copious passenger space is that the Equinox offers less cargo space than many competitors, with 31.5 cubic feet of storage behind the 60/40-split rear seats and a maximum of 63.7 cubes with those seatbacks folded down. That's still an ample cargo bay, but it trails rivals like the CR-V, which can accommodate more than 70 cubes.
2017 Chevrolet Equinox models
The 2017 Chevrolet Equinox is a compact crossover SUV that's offered in four trim levels: L, LS, LT and Premier.
