2005 Chevy Equinox

Three years ago, my wife and I had leased a 2005 Chevy Equinox. While there are many things we like about the vehicle, there are some things we don't like that I would like you to be aware of if you are considering purchasing one.

At the dealer, I was looking for a different vehicle. Something that not everybody else already had. There was an Equinox on the showroom floor, and it really caught my eye. The model that we took was front-wheel drive, and did not have an anti-lock breaking system.

What we liked about the Equinox, was of course the looks, but also many other features. Starting in the back, for all you outdoors people, you'll find that there's a tray in the floor of the cargo area, which is removable and when placed in tracks on the side walls, turns into a table for placing items on. The rear seats fold downto create more storage space. Unfortunately, they don't lay flat. The seats are pretty firm. Good for those who like that extra support, however, the back seats do not recline, and leave a passenger sitting nearly straight up. Personally, I prefer a bit of a recline, but it's still fairly comfortable with plenty of leg room.
The front seats are also as firm as the rear seats, but are comfortable and supportive with just the right amount of seat-back adjustment. The armrest of course moves up and down to provide some small storage space below on the floor. If you're not the cleanest person in your vehicle, accessing items in this area is a pain. Doesn't take much to clutter the area, and completely cover up the accessory outlet (cigarette lighter) in this location. For us as volunteer EMTs, reaching the swith for our emergency light stick is a big to do. I think that is a poor location for the plug.

The instrument panel is well lit and in good positions, easily manipulated. The headlights are on an automatic sensor. When it gets dark enough outside, the light are automatically turned on, front and back. The wiper system, located on the right side of the steering column takes a little getting used to. To clean the windshield with wiper fluid, the stick gets pulled towards you. For a single manual swipe of the wiper blades, pull down. To activate the wipers automatically, the stick gets pushed up, which will put them in the the longest intermission between swipes. To increase the frequency, there is a roll switch around the wiper stick. Each clicking roll of the switch increases the frequency more than the last. To get a non-stop back and forth swiping action, push the stick up one more position. Ready for the back window wiper? On the same stick, there's a second roll switch with two positions. The far position activates the wipers and the pump for wiper fluid. When released, the switch will roll back to position one, where the wiper will remaing on and intermitant. Sounds complicated, but it really isn't that bad. Should only take about 5 minutes to get used to it. The stick on the left side of the steering column is for your cruise control, blinkers, and headlight dimmer switches. The fabic on our model is very light grey, and gets dirty really fast. Not all that great if you go to a lot of dusty rodeos with the kids.

Steering takes a bit of getting used to. It is assisted electronically as well as with your usual power steering we all know so well. So when you first drive on the highway, you may feel like your on a boat in rough water for a while until you get used to it. Steering is very responsive. You can get the Equinox in all wheel drive, or in front wheel only. I would suggest all-wheel if you live in snow country. Also for in the snow, as with any vehicle, if you're used to anti-lock breaks, don't go without them. I slid off the snow covered road one day because I used too much break pressure and locked up the tires after another vehicle pulled out in front of me. After taking out two mailboxes on 4x4 round wood posts, you'd think the car would never look the same after decorating the whole right side. Suprisingly, all the damage with cosmetic. The five star body shop did a great job with repairs. The second accident was a 25 mph rear-ending by some idiot that wasn't paying attention! After only a broken tail light and a slight tweak in the frame, again, was suprised at the lack of repair needed. The other guy had to junk is car!

I believe that if you purchase an Equinox, you'll be well protected inside from crashes as much as if not better than most other vehicles. It's a great vehicle for a family of five in good road conditions. However, I would give it a serious thought if you live in snow country. The best way I can put it is that my Pontiac Firebird handles better in snow than the Equinox does. The front end of the Chevy likes to fishtail when starting from a stop, even in small amounts of greasy snow. Tires will sit and spin until you get going. It has plenty of get up and go when you need it. I'm impressed with it's power and ease of acceleration from a stop, or when passing.

In closing, If you live where there's good weather year round, it's a great vehicle. If you get snow in your area, shop around. Test drive one in the snow and see how it pairs with your personal driving habits. Like with any other vehicle, you really have to take it easy with this one. I give it 4 stars of 5.