The 2009 Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-sized crossover SUV with plenty of comfort and exterior looks. This year Chevrolet has also responded to the critics concerns about performance with some significant improvements in the steering and responsiveness so that it is now a real competitor with the likes of the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan Rogue.
2009 Chevrolet Equinox Interior and Features
Overall comfort has always been the Equinox’s strength and this year it is even better. Legroom is very generous and quite enough for four adults to sit comfortably, and rather than squeezing in that impractical third row of seating which so many of its competitors do, Chevrolet has made the second row with a 60/40 split-folding seat that can slide back and forward and recline if necessary. The front passenger seat also reclines for storage space if necessary. Thanks to its longer body, there is even plenty of cargo space with the seats up, at 35 cubic feet, and with the second row seats folded down, this balloons out to 69 cubic feet, well ahead of the pack.
Internally the 2009 Equinox is neat and simple, but with its aluminium trims, large gauges, ergonomic stereo and blue-lit instrumentation on the Sports model, the overall effect is of quality. There a four trims available: the base model LS, then LT, LTZ and at the top of the range the Sport. Standard to all models is roof rack, cruise control, automatic headlights, driver information center, satellite radio and power accessories. The LS model also features 16-inch wheels. Step up to the LT and you get a leather-wrapped steering wheel, stylish cloth upholstery and tinted glass at the back for privacy, plus 17-inch chrome wheels and the handy remote start function that lets you start the engine remotely, get the cabin to your chosen temperature and defogs the windows. There is also a power driver seat and automatically dimming rearview mirror. An even bigger step up to the LTZ gets you leather seating, chrome accents on the body and a powerful seven-speaker Pioneer sound system. Finally the Sport model has 18-inch aluminum wheels, sporty front seats, extra trim features and its own instrumentation panel. Back seat DVD system is an optional extra, as is the GPS, sunroof and wireless cell phone link.
2009 Chevrolet Equinox Performance
The Chevrolet Equinox has taken a lot of flak for its poor steering and handling over the last few years, and has made some improvements to address this in the 2009 model. Steering has been revised with a new electronic system, but critics are still complaining about the light and unresponsive power steering that is sometimes overly light, and yet when parking can become a dead-weight. The Sport model is better, with more responsive handling.
Standard engine size for the LS, LT and LTZ is a 3.4-liter V6 with 5-speed automatic transmission and 185hp which produces 210 pounds-feet of torque. It is remarkably fuel efficient at 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, a great advantage over some of the competition. The performance-oriented Sport model offers a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 264hp and 6-speed automatic that can still manage fuel efficiency of 16/24mpg and is one of the most powerful vehicles in the smaller SUV class. The engine is very noisy however and the sports suspension makes for a bumpy ride off the road. All models are available in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
2009 Chevrolet Equinox Safety
What it lacks in handling and steering, the Chevrolet Equinox makes up in safey. In government crash tests it scored a full five stars for driver and passenger safety in front and side impact situations and it now carries the standard feature of automatically sensing the pressure on the passenger seat and switching the airbag on and off accordingly. It also offers anti-lock disc brakes, traction control and the StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, as well as OnStar emergency communciation and full length head curtain air bags.
Safety features include:
- 4-wheel ABS brakes
- Anti-skid system
- Traction control
- Dual stage front air bags with passenger sensing system, head curtain
- Rollover sensor
- LATCH system for child restraints
- OnStar
Overall the 2009 Chevrolet Equinox maintains its reputation for comfort and style, and goes some of the way towards addressing the steering and handling issues that have plagued it for the last few years. Space and safety remain its strongest features, and keep it competitive with the likes of the ever-popular Honda CR-V.