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wtf? C&D tests 2010 Chevy Equinox at 18 MPG

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Rarely do I trust the mileage that auto mags get. I usually follow what the EPA gives me, and slot it somewhere in between.
 
It's worth noting that C&D said some very nice things about the Equinox and really liked the styling and interior, but there's no getting around the fact that GM took what GM claims to be a CR-V and RAV4 competitor and made it into colossal fat turd. Then they didn't give it any extra power to compensate for the blubber AND they gerrymandered the transmission logic to give maximum EPA results, which greatly sacrificed real-world driveability. That's an important thing for potential buyers to know.

It's true that Car and Driver doesn't nurse from the Detroit teat like Motor Trend, but I think they've always been charitable to American cars that didn't suck. Cars like the 1st-gen Cadillac SRX and Corvettes have achieved cult-status with their editors. They are always clear that they ultimately reward driver experience and initial build quality over all else. So yes, they consistently love BMW's, Hondas, and Volkswagens. Those are the makes that in the past have consistently offered the best overall driving experience and build quality in a given class.

If GM delivers a better Camry competitor or a better Escape competitor, it is not going to be well-received by writers who would rather cut their nuts off rather than be forced to operate those appliances, no matter how "good" the appliance is. This isn't anti-American bias, it's anti-appliance bias.

Other magazines have different biases. Motor Trend likes "classic American style," and isolated cabins. So they are going to like different cars than Car and Driver will.

Read the magazine that likes the kind of cars you like.

You'd assume people posting on a car forum would actually like to drive and would therefore line up with Car and Driver's biases, but it seems like a lot of people place other attributes far higher on their personal bias list. If you mostly value style, tradition, country of origin, driver isolation, chrome, baby-seat fitment, resale value, tire replacement cost, dealer incentives, or anything else, then I don't recommend you read Car and Driver. To each his own.
 
The 2.4L AWD Equinox takes close to ten seconds to get to 60...LTZ version weighs 4K.

If if does indeed upshift early and thus feel like it has quit accelerating, people will indeed be flooring the Equinox a lot.

If that's how they got 32mpg out of it, making it upshift too early, it probably won't get anywhere near that mpg in reality.
 
Chevy's Equinox site compares it to the Rav4/CR-V/Escape.

The AWD top line CR-V is nearly 500 pounds lighter than the AWD top line Equinox, for example.
 
By the way, this Equinox review at Jalopnik provided better MPG for both 2.4L and 3.0L motors than Car & Driver!
Click to expand...

But it reads as if Jalopnik trusted the mpg readout on the dash...
 
The only good I've found car magazine MPG numbers to be is if you consistently floor the accelerator on a car. It is a good test of how likely you are to get the cars EPA numbers regardless of driving habits. For instance...I had a Mazda Millenia S that was rated at 27MPG on the highway. If I floored it...it never got close to that number...I was lucky to get in the high teens. But if I babied the car...I could consistently get over 27mpg.

Now my wife's Civic with an automatic...well that is another story. I think it was rated at 34-38 (in 2004...which is probably technically lower now due to changes in 2008)...but I can drive the shit out of that car...and I'll still get 36+ mpg out of the car. I can easily get over 40mpg out of it if I baby it.

So between those two cars....C&D would say the Civic gets closer to its highlighted numbers than the Millenia did...but that doesn't mean that I can't get the EPA numbers out of the Millenia...just that it takes more care.
 
HP peak is at 6700...redline 7000.

So there you go.

Torque peak is at 4900.

Gotta thrash it to get it to move at all, imo.

I would be thrashing it if I owned it. I like to merge properly. 😀
 
I have purchased a 2010 Chevy Equinox that I have had in the shop more than I've had it. GM won't consider giving me another one at this point, although they can't fix it. It recently died on one of the many people from the dealership that are driving my vehicle. The dealership has had it for over two weeks this third time in. I wish GM would make good and replace it.
 
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
It's true that Car and Driver doesn't nurse from the Detroit teat like Motor Trend, but I think they've always been charitable to American cars that didn't suck. Cars like the 1st-gen Cadillac SRX and Corvettes have achieved cult-status with their editors. They are always clear that they ultimately reward driver experience and initial build quality over all else. So yes, they consistently love BMW's, Hondas, and Volkswagens. Those are the makes that in the past have consistently offered the best overall driving experience and build quality in a given class.
Click to expand...

This is the general feel I've gotten from C&D for the ~15 years I've read them as well. Do they have a serious man-crush on BMW's? Definitely, and they'll even admit it. But all in all, they tend to come across fairly objectively in the majority of their reviews.

As far as American manufacturers go, C&D seems to give them a fair shake as far as I can tell. They've repeatedly praised Ford over the past year, they love the Corvette and SRX (as thomsbrain said), and they recently ranked the V-6 Camaro ahead of a very strong Genesis coupe.
 
Originally posted by: sbaker5
I have purchased a 2010 Chevy Equinox that I have had in the shop more than I've had it. GM won't consider giving me another one at this point, although they can't fix it. It recently died on one of the many people from the dealership that are driving my vehicle. The dealership has had it for over two weeks this third time in. I wish GM would make good and replace it.
Click to expand...

Lemon law case?
 
I purchased a 2010 Equinox 2LT 4cyl 2wd 6 sp auto. For the most part I like it except for two things.

1) The 2010 does not come with a fold flat front seat. It is not even on option.

2) I drive in ECO mode and drive with a light foot. Most of my driving is on a 4 lane with the cruise set at 60mph. I now have 650 miles on it and the best mileage I have been able to achieve is 23.7 mpg.

I am very disappointed. I hope when the engine breaks in the mileage will improve, but I doubt if I will ever get close to 32 mpg. C&D's report may not be far from the truth.
 
IMO the Equinox is one of the ugliest and worst cars GM has ever made. It is an example as to why GM went down so hard. I laughed at someone when they were bragging about how it's a domestic and my Honda is unpatriotic; the Equinox's motor is made in China! At least my Honda is 80% domestic. :roll:
 
Originally posted by: SAN
I purchased a 2010 Equinox 2LT 4cyl 2wd 6 sp auto. For the most part I like it except for two things.

1) The 2010 does not come with a fold flat front seat. It is not even on option.

2) I drive in ECO mode and drive with a light foot. Most of my driving is on a 4 lane with the cruise set at 60mph. I now have 650 miles on it and the best mileage I have been able to achieve is 23.7 mpg.

I am very disappointed. I hope when the engine breaks in the mileage will improve, but I doubt if I will ever get close to 32 mpg. C&D's report may not be far from the truth.
Click to expand...

I can get 23 on the highway at a steady 60mph with my 5.7L Hemi Jeep GC... 😀

 
Originally posted by: SickBeast
IMO the Equinox is one of the ugliest and worst cars GM has ever made. It is an example as to why GM went down so hard. I laughed at someone when they were bragging about how it's a domestic and my Honda is unpatriotic; the Equinox's motor is made in China! At least my Honda is 80% domestic. :roll:
Click to expand...

Are you speaking of the 2010 or the prior models? The 2010 looks completely different and has different engines.
 
Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Originally posted by: SAN
I purchased a 2010 Equinox 2LT 4cyl 2wd 6 sp auto. For the most part I like it except for two things.

1) The 2010 does not come with a fold flat front seat. It is not even on option.

2) I drive in ECO mode and drive with a light foot. Most of my driving is on a 4 lane with the cruise set at 60mph. I now have 650 miles on it and the best mileage I have been able to achieve is 23.7 mpg.

I am very disappointed. I hope when the engine breaks in the mileage will improve, but I doubt if I will ever get close to 32 mpg. C&D's report may not be far from the truth.
Click to expand...

I can get 23 on the highway at a steady 60mph with my 5.7L Hemi Jeep GC... 😀
Click to expand...

But your Jeep won't last more than 5 years 🙂
 
Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Originally posted by: SickBeast
IMO the Equinox is one of the ugliest and worst cars GM has ever made. It is an example as to why GM went down so hard. I laughed at someone when they were bragging about how it's a domestic and my Honda is unpatriotic; the Equinox's motor is made in China! At least my Honda is 80% domestic. :roll:
Click to expand...

Are you speaking of the 2010 or the prior models? The 2010 looks completely different and has different engines.
Click to expand...

Prior models. I don't know if the 2010 model has its motor made in China. Even still, the new Equinox is a bad vehicle. It's big, ugly, inefficient, and I would bet that it will prove to be highly unreliable.
 
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