Having made its debut in late 2009, the Equinox midsize crossover was among the oldest models in Chevrolet's arsenal. That meant it had to face off against increasingly more competent rivals, especially the ones from Japanse automakers. Today, a mid-life facelift has been revealed at the Chicago Auto Show and is poised to hit dealerships later in the year.
The design has not been completely transformed, more like freshened up with better wheel designs and trim. The most noticeable features are at the front. A new grille has been created, wider and fitted with chrome surround and a stylish mesh. Updates have been made to the head lights and the fog lights, which are now angular and use LEDs. Around the back, changes have been limited to dual-element taillights and extra chrome.
The powertrains carry over from last year, which means you will end up with either a 2.4-liter inline-four that's good for up to 32 mpg or a 3.6-liter V6 making 301 hp.
"Chevrolet Equinox is a pillar of the compact SUV segment, thanks to a value rooted in great style, efficiency, safety and connectivity," says Alan Batey, president of GM North America, in a statement. "Enhancements to the 2016 Equinox make a versatile vehicle an even better choice, and demonstrate Chevrolet's commitment to delivering the broadest lineup of SUVs in the industry."
Inside, basically nothing has changed, but the reversing camera is sold as standard and the display in the central console is slightly bigger.
The Equinox remains Chevrolet's second best selling vehicle in America, after the Silverado truck. During 2014, a total of 242,242 units were sold, which represents a 9.3% share of the US compact SUV market. Unfortunately, it finished well behind rivals Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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