Nice review! The Eco option affects the throttle response. I test drove an Equinox 4 cylinder, and I at first thought it was sluggish on the throttle. Then I noticed that the ECO option was on, and turned it off. After that, I noticed the response was a lot better. So for around the city, the Eco option would be great, but for hwy merges, turning it off might be better. I was extremely impressed with it, and a base model was nicer than my Limited Cherokee from 2001.
and thats a pretty nice equinox. and wow that sucks that you gotta drive that old Saturn to school. 2 Years ago when i got my license in 2009 my parents got me a used 2007 GMC Sierra with 16000 miles on it. And just recently they got me a 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo also. So i can drive whichever i want to school.
@siani69 It isn't that bad of a car. It handles being bashed up well and gets me where i need to go ( with good gas mileage of course lol). I have already been in two accidents at school with it and it is still in good shape.
@Schwarz3rDrache About 22 mpg in the winter, but that was all city driving. On the highway it got 29 mpg in the winter. the gas mileage increases a lot once it gets warm out.
What has your experience been with the ECO option? Does it really seem to make a difference in fuel economy? Overall we are still very pleased with choosing the Equinox. The exterior aesthetics, spacious interior with its luxury feeling and nice extras all at a reasonable price point make it a very appealing crossover for buyers to seriously consider.
@Dryvlyne The eco option does make a 1 mpg or so difference I have found. It mostly just causes the car to idle at a lower rpm and shift at different points. it is really your preference on whether or not you want to use it. I really like the car.
I should retract my statement about the fuel economy. With the colder weather around here we have been using the remote start feature a lot. I'm sure this is unfairly skewing the avg fuel economy numbers since the Equinox is just sitting there idling for several minutes. I'm also not using the ECO option either... I'm not convinced it would be a big improvement and I don't like the way it changes the shift points. The tran already doesn't feel smooth without ECO on.
@Dryvlyne We actually had a v6 equinox last year as a test car to drive and it was nice. But as far as we can tell the 4cl works just as well, just doesn't take off as good. The cold weather definitely has an impact for sure, my car gets 32 mpg + in the summer and only gets about 23 in the winter and I don't let it idle ever. What is about the transmission you don't like?
@GmCarReviewer It's hard to explain unless you've driven a vehicle with a CVT transmission. It just seemed like RPMs would get rather high before shifting gears and it doesn't always feel like a smooth transition from gear to gear. We have put just over 100 miles on it so far and it does feel better... or perhaps I've just become accustomed to it. RE: The fuel economy... I've been monitoring the Instantaneous Fuel Economy and I'm seeing numbers more in line with what is advertised.
@Dryvlyne Ok, I get it now. I understand that it seems weird if your used to a cvt tranny. Yeah with this car the rpms are much more in sync with how much power is being put out. Also the only thing i could really notice about the eco mode was that it causes the car to idle 200 rpm's lower than normal, which in turn causes the car to vibrate. It just is like a little back massage, lol. I am not sure what other effects the eco mode has. i'm glad you like it, it's truly a nice crossover.
So we picked up our Equinox this week. While we really like the spacious interior and amenities, the I4 engine and tran leave a lot to be desired. Our avg fuel economy around town is on 11.3! Hopefully there is a "break-in" period and this improves, otherwise I feel completely lied to about the 20/29 sticker claim. The tran also doesn't feel nearly as smooth as the CVT in our 08 Altima. All-in-all we are pretty happy, but I'm starting to wish we would have opted for the V6.
@Dryvlyne Well thats because you got the AWD. My dad just bought a 2011 Equinox LS FWD 4 days ago and it has about 100 miles on it. Its instantaneous fuel economy at one point while driving at 28 MPH was 44 MPG! But yea the actual fuel economy its getting city is 22.4 MPG with eco mode on. The AWD get less gas mileage and also costs $2000 more and its just something else to break down. So to anybody who is looking at one i recommend the FWD. And the LS because it has everything you need standard
My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on one of these tomorrow. It's actually the same color and LT1 trim as well. Is yours AWD? If not, how does the FWD do in the snow? We live in OH so the AWD is what we are currently looking at, but of course that adds around $1500 to the price.
@Dryvlyne well this one is not awd. It has been pretty snowy around here and it works very well in the snow with fwd alone. We have found that the traction control in the car is so good it is very hard to get stuck. I am not sure how much snow you get where you live, but the cars works fine without awd here. It really just depends on whether or not you think you really need awd.
i stil cant find it! D: will you make a video response plz
awsomedude653 3 months ago
@awsomedude653 I don't have access to this car until december 20th, if you don't mind waiting that long.
GmCarReviewer 3 months ago
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how did you change the digital screen
if you can will you make a video on that
awsomedude653 3 months ago
how did you change the digital screen
if you can wi you make a video on that
awsomedude653 3 months ago
@awsomedude653 There should be a button on the center console that allows you to change it. If you can't find it let me know.
GmCarReviewer 3 months ago
theres a phone book right there lol
JLKlovr 4 months ago
i think you spoke a lil too soon when you said "nothing could go wrong" lol
kode103 4 months ago
thats a 4 banger? mine is a v6 3.6 litre i get 29 mpg
CataclysmiCapability 4 months ago
Nice review! The Eco option affects the throttle response. I test drove an Equinox 4 cylinder, and I at first thought it was sluggish on the throttle. Then I noticed that the ECO option was on, and turned it off. After that, I noticed the response was a lot better. So for around the city, the Eco option would be great, but for hwy merges, turning it off might be better. I was extremely impressed with it, and a base model was nicer than my Limited Cherokee from 2001.
ganthc 7 months ago
and thats a pretty nice equinox. and wow that sucks that you gotta drive that old Saturn to school. 2 Years ago when i got my license in 2009 my parents got me a used 2007 GMC Sierra with 16000 miles on it. And just recently they got me a 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo also. So i can drive whichever i want to school.
siani69 8 months ago
@siani69 It isn't that bad of a car. It handles being bashed up well and gets me where i need to go ( with good gas mileage of course lol). I have already been in two accidents at school with it and it is still in good shape.
GmCarReviewer 8 months ago
Equinox average mpg
Schwarz3rDrache 10 months ago
@Schwarz3rDrache About 22 mpg in the winter, but that was all city driving. On the highway it got 29 mpg in the winter. the gas mileage increases a lot once it gets warm out.
GmCarReviewer 10 months ago
What has your experience been with the ECO option? Does it really seem to make a difference in fuel economy? Overall we are still very pleased with choosing the Equinox. The exterior aesthetics, spacious interior with its luxury feeling and nice extras all at a reasonable price point make it a very appealing crossover for buyers to seriously consider.
Dryvlyne 1 year ago
@Dryvlyne The eco option does make a 1 mpg or so difference I have found. It mostly just causes the car to idle at a lower rpm and shift at different points. it is really your preference on whether or not you want to use it. I really like the car.
GmCarReviewer 11 months ago
I should retract my statement about the fuel economy. With the colder weather around here we have been using the remote start feature a lot. I'm sure this is unfairly skewing the avg fuel economy numbers since the Equinox is just sitting there idling for several minutes. I'm also not using the ECO option either... I'm not convinced it would be a big improvement and I don't like the way it changes the shift points. The tran already doesn't feel smooth without ECO on.
Dryvlyne 1 year ago
@Dryvlyne We actually had a v6 equinox last year as a test car to drive and it was nice. But as far as we can tell the 4cl works just as well, just doesn't take off as good. The cold weather definitely has an impact for sure, my car gets 32 mpg + in the summer and only gets about 23 in the winter and I don't let it idle ever. What is about the transmission you don't like?
GmCarReviewer 1 year ago
@GmCarReviewer It's hard to explain unless you've driven a vehicle with a CVT transmission. It just seemed like RPMs would get rather high before shifting gears and it doesn't always feel like a smooth transition from gear to gear. We have put just over 100 miles on it so far and it does feel better... or perhaps I've just become accustomed to it. RE: The fuel economy... I've been monitoring the Instantaneous Fuel Economy and I'm seeing numbers more in line with what is advertised.
Dryvlyne 1 year ago
@Dryvlyne Ok, I get it now. I understand that it seems weird if your used to a cvt tranny. Yeah with this car the rpms are much more in sync with how much power is being put out. Also the only thing i could really notice about the eco mode was that it causes the car to idle 200 rpm's lower than normal, which in turn causes the car to vibrate. It just is like a little back massage, lol. I am not sure what other effects the eco mode has. i'm glad you like it, it's truly a nice crossover.
GmCarReviewer 1 year ago
So we picked up our Equinox this week. While we really like the spacious interior and amenities, the I4 engine and tran leave a lot to be desired. Our avg fuel economy around town is on 11.3! Hopefully there is a "break-in" period and this improves, otherwise I feel completely lied to about the 20/29 sticker claim. The tran also doesn't feel nearly as smooth as the CVT in our 08 Altima. All-in-all we are pretty happy, but I'm starting to wish we would have opted for the V6.
Dryvlyne 1 year ago
@Dryvlyne Well thats because you got the AWD. My dad just bought a 2011 Equinox LS FWD 4 days ago and it has about 100 miles on it. Its instantaneous fuel economy at one point while driving at 28 MPH was 44 MPG! But yea the actual fuel economy its getting city is 22.4 MPG with eco mode on. The AWD get less gas mileage and also costs $2000 more and its just something else to break down. So to anybody who is looking at one i recommend the FWD. And the LS because it has everything you need standard
siani69 8 months ago
My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on one of these tomorrow. It's actually the same color and LT1 trim as well. Is yours AWD? If not, how does the FWD do in the snow? We live in OH so the AWD is what we are currently looking at, but of course that adds around $1500 to the price.
Dryvlyne 1 year ago
@Dryvlyne well this one is not awd. It has been pretty snowy around here and it works very well in the snow with fwd alone. We have found that the traction control in the car is so good it is very hard to get stuck. I am not sure how much snow you get where you live, but the cars works fine without awd here. It really just depends on whether or not you think you really need awd.
GmCarReviewer 1 year ago