2012 Chevrolet Equinox

Just two years ago, Chevrolet fitted the Equinox with much needed new sheetmetal, with the resulting look far crisper and sportier-looking. With nicely done proportions and carefully chosen details that fit in more closely the Chevy car lineup, the Equinox now looks more like a 9/10ths version of Chevrolet's larger Traverse three-row crossover.

On the outside, we appreciate the Equinox's sharper details at the front and rear, combined with a softened look in between. The spacing of the headlights next to the grille help it look more like a tall station wagon than before--not at all a bad thing--while the edgy details over a rounded tail is a refreshing departure from the edgy, swept-up look that's become so common.

A couple of years ago Chevrolet installed completely new powertrains into the Equinox—including a economical four-cylinder and more responsive V-6, both with six-speed automatics—and these powertrains still stand out as among the most advanced in the class.

The Equinox family's trump card remains its base 2.4-liter four-cylinder mill with direct injection and variable valve timing producing 182 horsepower. Besides being a more modern design than some rival engines, it achieves a phenomenal 32 mpg highway rating from the EPA. It performs pretty well, too, although there's a fair amount of clattery direct-injection sounds when idling. The more engine is smoother and more responsive, but much thirstier. If towing or driving with a full load of passengers is a frequent future occurrence, the smoother, more responsive, more powerful 3.0-liter, 264-hp V-6 is the best choice, but be prepared to pay more at the pumps. Chevy claims the four-cylinder engine can sprint to 60 mph under 9 seconds and the V-6 does it a second less at under 8 ticks of the stopwatch dial.

Whether you're moving into the Equinox from a mid-size car or from a more trucklike SUV, you'll find a lot to like in the cabin design. Its driving position is excellent--upright yet carlike--and its seats more supportive than those found in many other small crossovers. Cross-stitched, perforated, two-tone leather in top LTZ models feels quite luxurious. And in back, there's adult-size space, with good headroom and reasonably good (for the class) legroom), and seatbacks are adjustable for rake.

The four-cylinder versions' noise cancellation system is one piece of clever engineering that gives these models a smoother, quieter feel without adding even more noise insulation. It works like noise cancellation headphones and helps eliminate coarse sounds and even mild vibrations. Door openings with triple seals and glass with integral sound damping further quiet things down inside, helping create a driving experience that feels more Cadillac-like than bargain-basement.

The Chevrolet Equinox has a great safety record--and a pretty impressive roster of safety features. In addition to head-curtain side airbags and pelvic/thorax seat-mounted side airbags, the Equinox is equipped with four-wheel disc brakes, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, and GM's OnStar emergency and concierge services as standard. In the event of a crash, additional seat-mounted side and curtain airbags ensure you're less likely to come into contact with harder structural parts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the Equinox some fairly impressive marks with top "good" scores across the board, resulting in it receiving Top Safety Pick honors for 2012. The Equinox also performed well in new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests last year, with four stars overall, a four-star score in front impact tests, and a five star achievement in the side impact test. Additionally the Equinox's side body structure is so solid that it earned a five-star rating in NHTSA's demanding, new side-pole test.

Visibility is our main criticism regarding the Equinox's safety. Its rear three-quarter vision—where you look when backing up, or to change lanes to pass—is truly appalling, and somehow worse even than many vehicles in this class that appear from the outside to have higher beltlines. Large blind-spot mirrors (a new standard feature) help work around that, although the rear-seat headrests don't remove or fold down to open up vision in the rear-view mirror. Thankfully, all models from the LT on up have a reversing camera fitted as standard.

The Chevrolet Equinox already came with a set of features that matched or exceeded what other models in this class offer; but Chevy has sweetened the feature set even more for 2012. Most models now include a touch-screen audio system with USB port, and Chevrolet is also phasing in its voice-activated, touch-screen-based MyLink Connectivity system--for easier connectivity for hands-free calling or media access--as an option. The MyLink package includes smartphone connectivity, integrated Pandora and Stitcher app compatibility, and hands-free controls

Standard equipment on base Equinox LS models includes air conditioning, an AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 player with an auxiliary input jack, cruise control, power windows/locks/mirrors, and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel. A rear-seat entertainment system, navigation, leather seats and heated seats, Bluetooth, steering-wheel audio/phone controls, a sunroof, a rearview camera, and remote start are options on the LS.

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox gets impressive fuel economy, provided you don't step up to the V-6 model.

Achieving 22 and 32 mpg in the EPA's city and highway test cycles, respectively, the four-cylinder, front-wheel drive Equinox keeps its drinking to a minimum compared to class rivals; its highway best that of even the Ford Escape Hybrid. Stepping up to AWD, mileage drops to 20/29, still good for a comfortably sized crossover. All four-cylinder models now come with an 'Eco' button which, when engaged, causes accessories like the air conditioning compressor to be a little more conservative, has the torque converter lock up a little earlier, and makes the transmission a little more reluctant to downshift.