CHICAGO – General Motors will unveil later today at the Chicago auto show the ’16 Chevrolet Equinox 5-passenger CUV, a styling and technology update to a product still lighting up the U.S. market despite its 6-year-old underpinnings.
“(The) Chevrolet Equinox is a pillar of the compact (CUV) segment, thanks to a value rooted in great style, efficiency, safety and connectivity,” GM North America President Alan Batey says ahead of the reveal.
Those four elements have indeed combined to make the Equinox a resounding success since the iteration on sale now arrived at dealers in 2009 as a ’10 model. Since then, it has racked up 1.1 million sales and such demand from buyers that at one point GM shuttled unfinished bodies from its Ingersoll, ON, Canada, assembly plant for completion in nearby Oshawa just so the automaker could squeeze out a few more units.
Last year, Equinox sales rose 9% to 238,192 and it got off to a quick start in 2015 with January sales jumping 34% to 19,555 units, according to WardsAuto data. January made the Equinox the second-best selling vehicle in the Chevy lineup behind the Silverado large pickup.
The ’16 model will sport a fresh, more contemporary look and upgraded features when it comes out in the fall. The grille, headlamps, taillamps, fog lamps, daytime running lights and wheels each are revised.
New safety features also bow on the new model, including rear cross-traffic alert, blindspot alert and rear vision cameras now appear as standard equipment on the two lowest trim levels.
A standard 7-in. (18-cm) color touch radio with Bluetooth phone link debuts inside a redesigned center stack with new storage options, while universal tablet holders available through dealers mount on the rear of the front seats to complement the available OnStar 4G LTE with wireless connectivity.
The enhanced OnStar connectivity enables the Equinox to perform predictive maintenance for the first time, where owners will be alerted of potential battery, start motor or fuel pump trouble before a breakdown occurs.
The new Equinox retains its flexible second-row seating system, which slides fore and aft to expand cargo room or passenger legroom.
All-wheel-drive appears as optional equipment on all models except for the base trim. Powertrain choices remain a standard Ecotec gasoline direct injection 2.4L 4-cyl. delivering an EPA-estimated 32 mpg (7.4 L/100 km) highway on front-wheel-drive models, and an up-level GDI 3.6L V-6 boasting 301 hp. Both mate to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Key styling revisions include a new front fascia and chrome-accented dual-port grille design with chrome trim highlights on LT and LTZ models; premium projector-beam headlamps on all models for clearer nighttime visibility; the latest take on Chevrolet’s signature dual-element taillamps; a revised license plate applique; and a restyled lower rear fascia.
The upper two trim levels of the Equinox add 17-in. aluminum wheels, and a new 18-in. variety can be had on range-topping LTZ variants.
Additional interior upgrades start with a chrome-trimmed transmission shifter, higher-grade fabrics on base models and a new interior color called Saddle Up.
GM’s volume brand also shows in Chicago the Silverado Custom, a new variant of the recently redesigned pickup that seeks to strike a balance between equipment level and affordability.
“The economic recovery has led to booming sales of high-end pickups like the Silverado High Country,” says Sandor Piszar, director-marketing for Chevy Trucks, ahead of the show. “But there are also millions of customers in the heart of the market who want a great looking, well-equipped truck at an affordable price.”
A variant off the double-cab Silverado LS, the $33,820 Custom adds 20-in. aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers, a body-colored top cap above the front bumper and chrome mirror caps and door handles. The interior of the Custom receives cloth front seats, a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power windows and door locks, and Chevy MyLink with OnStar 4G LTE and wireless connectivity.
GM expects most Custom buyers to select the GDI 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8 engine, which offers 355 hp and upwards of an EPA-estimated 23 mpg (10.2 L/100 km) highway. A GDI 4.3L EcoTec3 V-6 also will be available.
– with James M. Amend in Southfield, MI
