Holden confirms three engines for Equinox SUV

Holden has confirmed a three-engine line-up for its crucial new Equinox medium SUV that launches in November. The headline act for the SUV that will replace Captiva is a 188kW/353Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that we will also see in the imported NG Commodore in 2018.

But there will also be a 127kW/275Nm 1.5-litre petrol-turbo entry-level engine mated with either a six-speed auto or manual transmission and a 100kW/320Nm 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.

The entry-level 1.5-litre is a match for most rival powerplant outputs in the segment, while the 2.0-litre is only topped by the 200kW V6 in the Jeep Cherokee.

Holden will also offer front-wheel-drive as well as on-demand all-wheel-drive versions of the Equinox.

Allied with multiple drivetrain choices will be as many as four equipment grades, although Holden hasn’t yet gone into explicit detail on that, nor pricing for the must-sell softroader.

The comprehensive Equinox line-up will be taking on the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and Toyota RAV4 in the hotly-contested medium SUV segment, suggesting a $29,000-$50,000 range.

“You’ve got to have an attractive entry price-point for people to get to,” said Holden director of communications Sean Poppitt.

“But then we’ve seen the [customer preferences in this] segment: they like the higher-spec vehicles; they like the big wheels; they like the way they look…

“You really need to have that spread.”

Equinox’s powertrain details were released to coincide with a brief drive of a pre-production Equinox at Holden’s Lang Lang test track this week. Holden also revealed a long list of equipment that will be either standard or “available” with Equinox. That lot includes autonomous emergency braking, forward collision alert with head-up warning, following distance indicator, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, blind spot alert, rear cross traffic alert and even an alert via vibrating seats.

There’s also a reversing camera, park assist, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, push-button and remote start, wireless phone charging, hands-free powered tailgate, embedded sat-nav, LED headlights and daytime running lamps, ventilated and heated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a two-panel panoramic sunroof, four USB ports, three aux power outlets, 230 volt universal power outlets and fold-flat seats.

Holden, which switches to a full-line importer when it closes its Elizabeth plant and kills off the locally-developed VF Commodore in October, is counting on the Equinox to become a sales pillar along with the Colorado pick-up and the Astra small car.

It also expects the large Acadia SUV, also sampled this week, to be a supporting sales contributor when it launches in mid-2018. The large US-developed SUV will compete against the likes of the Toyota Kluger and Mazda CX-9.

“Do we think we are going to be right up there on volume terms with those guys from day one? No,” Poppitt said when asked about Equinox and Acadia’s prospects for taking on their segment leaders.

“It’s about a strategy of not pinning your hopes on one model. What we want to do is make sure we have reasonable strength in key segments. That doesn’t mean we have to be the number one volume seller in that segment,” he cautioned.

The Equinox, which is a Chevrolet in North America, is based on the new General Motors D2XX monocoque architecture and has had its suspension, electric-assist steering and powertrains tuned for Australian conditions. Indeed, Holden engineers have been involved in the development process of the Captiva replacement since its earliest stages five years ago.

Australia was initially slated to get only the 1.5 turbo-petrol engine. Strong lobbying by Holden added the other two engines to the program.

The switch from North American all-weather tyres to summer rubber for Australia prompted extensive suspension recalibration including various new bushes and front and rear anti-sway bars.

With 17-, 18- and 19-inch rubber available across the Equinox range there are three different suspension tunes.

Holden engineers have also upped the braked towing capacity to 2000kg for the 2.0, from 1585kg in the USA.

According to US specs, he Equinox is 102mm longer than the CX-5 at 4652mm, 3mm wider (1843mm) and 14mm lower (1661mm). Its wheelbase is 25mm longer than the top-selling Mazda at 2725mm. Luggage capacity is claimed to be 846 litres with both seat rows in-place.