Chevy's All-new 2018 Equinox With Optional Diesel Power Announced

[Gorehamj]

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
9-23-2016

GM was one of the first automotive companies to begin speaking openly about the shift away from cars. Why not? After all, its low-volume performance cars aside, the general has been behind the industry leaders in terms of car sales for a long time. Perhaps this was just the shift GM needed to become relevant again in a high volume vehicle segment besides trucks.

The Chevy Equinox is critical to the brand's financial health and long-term success. In its announcement today, Chevy laid out the ways in which the new compact crossover will stay in the fight. Most important is the overall size and shape of the Equinox. The Equinox shaves about a half inch in width and five inches in length off its current body, putting it in the same size box as its peers. It also loses about 400 pounds. These are good things, because, although more space is always welcome, the current Equinox has been larger than its peers in the segment and it didn't fit the mold. There is always a place for trend setters, but that's not what the outgoing Equinox is. And sales have fallen off a cliff. Better to toe the line and wear the uniform. Chevy's focus groups like the new design, and John Cafaro, executive director, GM Design, said, “Customers who previewed the vehicle early on had a strong emotional response to the sleek and sophisticated exterior design."

 

The new 1.6-liter diesel engine option will attract media attention because the auto press loves diesel family vehicles. Almost nobody else cares, and they have never sold well in the U.S. GM didn't give any numbers, but, as always, diesel power's ability to put up good highway numbers when combined with (just) front-wheel drive will allow GM to attract attention. Will the Equinox diesel have a higher combined MPG, or better cost per mile than segment leaders? Doubtful, but possible. In any case, diesel vehicle advocates love to write comments under stories, so we are as happy as anyone to see GM offering the new spark-less engine.

 

Dramatically more important than the diesel will be the two gasoline turbos GM will introduce, a 1.5-liter and a 2.0-liter. Sub-two-liter, boosted engines have just recently matured and companies like Honda, Ford, and Hyundai have engines like this on the market now in small vehicles that work perfectly. We suspect GM will as well. Interestingly, GM opted for a nine-speed auto transmission. Although it sounds like that will help with fuel economy, the fact is that geared transmissions are done in this segment and the CVTs will be the fuel economy leaders. It is hard to understand why GM made this move.

Infotainment will be what we expect today, but keep in mind this vehicle is six months away. Safety is key to the family vehicle segment and GM is one of the only automakers who don;t have a Top Safety Pick + compact crossover. GM hopes to rectify that with OPTIONAL advanced crash prevention. We highlight optional because all 2017 Toyota crossovers will have that technology standard. Toyota is ahead in sales, already has TSP+-rated crossovers, and every single article you read about GM's vehicles's safety will be pointing out that GM charges families extra for safety (or should).

 

No news on pricing yet. GM says the new 2018 Equinox will come to U.S. dealers in Q1 of 2018.

[Daryl LBZ]

Wow! This thing looks amazing. The styling is a million times better than the Malibu and Cruze in my opinion, and there's really not a huge difference.

[newdude]

I'm really digging this. Always been a fan of the Equinox but this really takes the cake. I think the 2.0 even beats the 3.6, although slightly in the 0.60 sprint. Shows what a 400lbs weight drop can do with a smaller yet powerful turbo 4. I bet event the 1.5 moves it better than the 2.4 does now. The diesel thing will be one to watch IMO, especially since VW has been hurt pretty hard. GM is ripe to step in and build some non cheating clean diesels to lure some of those German buyers in on conquest sales.

 

The only thing so far that strikes me odd is the 9 speed being 2.0 only, while the 1.5 and the 1.6 diesel get the 6T units still. Oh, and it appears the slider rear seat has been dropped for flat load floor abilities.

 

Why 9 speed over CVT? CVT units suck. They really do. Our parts runner (City Express aka. Nissan NV200) is loathing to drive. Does it do good on gas? Sure. Does it not maintain speed properly when using cruise control? Yep. You will lose 3-5mph as a road grade slightly increases, then it will change the ratio and try to keep the power up, then you end up going 3-5 over the speed you set by the time the road levels out. Nothing beats the driveability of a geared transmission. CVT is like an older school turbo, or a big fat turbo. You want to quickly drop and accelerate? A geared unit gives it to and quick. CVT has to think about it, spool up and then change the ratio and give you power.

 

The day they can make an automobile CVT perform like a snowmobile unit, they may be on to something.

[newdude]

Some interesting bits:

 

2018 Equinox measurements:

 

Wheelbase: 107.3 / 2725

 

Overall Length: 183.1 / 4652

 

Overall Width: 72.6 / 1843

 

Overall Height: 65.4 / 1661

 

2010-2017 Equinox:

 

Wheelbase: 112.5 (2858)

 

Overall Length: 187.8 (4770)

 

Overall Width: 72.5 (1842)

 

Overall Height: 66.3 (1684)

 

So the new one has a 4.7 inch shorter overall length, which I'm sure was greatly reduced by the 5.2 inch shorter wheelbase. Like the new Acadia, that is probably where a lot of the weight was cut from. Being they appear to have dropped the slider rear seat, that's probably why the wheelbase was able to be cut so much.

[KMGZ400]

Really good idea

[PaddyO]

We have a 4CYL - 2013 AWD LT Equinox and are very happy with it as our teenage daughter primarily drives it. Only real complaint is that there is no AC / Heat vents beyond the dashboard. Nothing in the rear or ceiling to help circulate the air to the second row & or cargo area.

 

I am saddened to read, "The Equinox shaves about a half inch in width and five inches in length off its current body, putting it in the same size box as its peers. It also loses about 400 pounds." The car IMO is not overly large to begin with. The new diesel motor option will certainly peak the interest of many. Curious as to the out the door $$$ price tag.

 

Our 4WD '03 Trailblazer EXT with 246,000 miles is the cats @ss. I don't want to jinx ourselves but it is still going strong. I wish GM would consider bringing it back.

 

Our '10 LTZ Suburban and 16 LTZ Silverado - Duramax speak for itself. Classy but tough. Which brings to question-Where do we stand with the rumored diesel motor in the suburban?

 

Our '12 Country Man Mini-Cooper. Well its just that, mini. : )

 

Good luck GM with the new style equinox. : )

[Colossus]

Blah. That back end/tailgate is uuuuuuuuuuugly! Why can't the yahoos in Detroit design an easy on the eyes back end on GM vehicles now a days?

[galliher_nc]

Not a fan of the exterior, the interior however, is class-leading. Diesel option is nice too.

[Sean Demura]

Definitely not feeling the shorter wheelbase. Might have to convince the wife to get an Acadia when her lease is up next year...

[SnakeEyeSS]

Interesting it is being downsized. I'm sure it's to make room for the downsized traverse, but they have been (surprisingly) selling so well seems like an odd move. People looking to replace their olds ones better hope their kids shrink too, considering salaries really have not been keeping pace with inflation, and debt has climbed to make up the difference. The market cycle is due for a downturn soon from what I hear, and you know the price on these is going up. Less car for more money, people might notice.

 

 

what am I thinking. I'm sure Wells Fargo needs some new loan business.

 

 

[Camaro45th]

My wife is on her 2nd equinox. It hasn't been a bad car. We have an LT with awd. My biggest gripe from her 2013 to the 2016 she has now is that it seems as if GM didn't even both to update this vehicle through out the years. The radio is the EXACT SAME, no new features at all. Meanwhile my 2014 Cruze at the option to allow you to use Siri with the steering wheel. It's been 3 years and they still didn't add this feature. To me that is just laziness. Both cars have the exact same radio but for some reason, it's as if the equinox never made it for firmware updates. I could understand if it required extra hardware. But I can't fathom that adding that feature would require and R&D. If my wife wasn't comfortable in the car I would have probably passed on it this time around. And the 2017s I don't think get this feature either.

 

As far as them making the foot print smaller, I'm just curious if they cut any interior space from it. It's nice having the extra cargo space.

[newdude]

As far as them making the foot print smaller, I'm just curious if they cut any interior space from it. It's nice having the extra cargo space.

 

 

Basically the same. Seats down the new one is 63.5 cubic feet, 2010-2017 seats down is 63.7 cubic feet. Seats up its a tad lower, 29.9 cubic feet for the new one, 31.5 cubic feet for the 2010-2017. Fuel tanks are down for the base, 14.7 gallons (2018 FWD) vs. 18.8 gal (2010-2017 FWD). 2018 AWD tank size is not out yet. The diesel runs 15.5 gallons. Base curb weights for 2010-2017 is 3764lbs (2.4 FWD), the 2018 is 3327 with the 1.5/FWD. 437lbs difference.

 

Actually...going further, the new one is quite the packaging masterpiece.

 

2010-2017:

 

Front headroom (without sunroof): 40.9 inches.

 

Front headroom (with sunroof): 39.8 inches.

 

Rear headroom: 39.2 inches.

 

Front legroom: 41.2 inches.

 

Rear legroom: 39.9 inches.

 

Shoulder room front: 55.8 inches.

 

Shoulder room rear: 55.3 inches.

 

Hip room front: 54.6 inches

 

Hip room rear: 51.1 inches

 

2018 measurements:

 

Front headroom (without sunroof): 40.0 inches.

 

Front headroom (with sunroof): 38.2 inches.

 

Rear headroom (without sunroof): 38.5 inches.

 

Rear headroom (with sunroof): 36.9 inches.

 

Front legroom: 40.9 inches.

 

Rear legroom: 39.7 inches.

 

Shoulder room front: 57.2 inches.

 

Shoulder room rear: 55.5 inches.

 

Hip room front: 54.2 inches

 

Hip room rear: 51.7 inches

 

So...slightly more rear hip room, a tick less front hip room, a smidge less leg room. Head room appears to have the biggest change at around an inch less.

 

http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2016/sep/0922-2018-equinox.html

[Camaro45th]

Thanks for all the info 15HDriver. If my wife's lease on her 13 wasn't up in November I would have tried to look at the 18.

[Nargg]

That diesel with a 9 speed would be smooth as h e double tooth pick. Would love to try one out.

[Jsdirt]

Why is it that GM (or any manufacturer for that matter) will release an endless array of specs for a given vehicle ... EXCEPT the most important one - CURB WEIGHT! That annoys the hell out of me. Whatever the HP/TQ numbers are, they are directly affected by it's mass.

 

On the transmission, I think GM made a good move in sticking with the gearbox. Every single person I've talked to that owns a CVT absolutely HATES them, regardless of who built them.

 

Haven't heard about how they are to work on - I can only imagine that sucks as well. For those that don't work on their own vehicles, that means more money out of your pocket when that dreaded time comes ...