Holden Equinox 2017 Review

Mid-size SUVs are all the rage. No other segment comes anywhere near the medium SUV segment for sales growth – nearly 20,000 extra vehicles sold for 2017 so far. Naturally, Holden wants a piece of that action, and the good news is that the company's new Equinox is placed in a good position to achieve that.

The Equinox is pretty well priced, although it's not segment leading once you begin comparing automatic variants and consider the lack of powered driver's seat adjustment, as one example. At least the base-grade Equinox LS with automatic still comes in (just) under $30,000, which is the trade-off for any missing equipment.

For that sort of money the buyer is getting Apple CarPlay/Android Auto operable through a seven-inch touch screen, plus a reversing camera, (rear) parking sensors, six airbags and 17-inch alloy wheels. Unfortunately, you don't get autonomous emergency braking or other active safety features like blind spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam assist and lane keep assist unless you opt for the Equinox LS+ for $32,990. It's still pretty good value at that price.

And the Equinox is not a bad drive, either. The small (1.5-litre) turbocharged engine in the base-grade Equinox LS doesn't sound sporty when it's under pressure to perform, and it's also a little light-on for acceleration if you spend a significant part of your time overtaking traffic on country roads. Performance is adequate for urban duties, however, and coupled to the automatic transmission it musters enough torque – spread across the usable rev range – for easy motoring around town. We didn't get to drive the manual variant, which would be interesting, but probably irrelevant for most buyers.

The 2.0-litre turbo engine in the mid-range LT model and LTZ flagship is conspicuously nicer. With this engine, the higher-spec Equinox LT has all the traits to make it the volume seller in the range. It's the most affordable variant with the larger engine, which provides flexible performance to suit virtually everyone. Also, the 2.0-litre sounds sportier, and delivers a bit more top-end from about 4000rpm up to redline. The all-wheel drive Equinox LTZ tested offered much the same level of performance and general on-road demeanour as the LT. For both the 2.0-litre variants the standard transmission is a nine-speed automatic, which Holden told us had been calibrated for this application to hold gears and not 'hunt' on hills. The auto lived up to that promise.

Each variant of Equinox tested was carting around three people, a suitcase and a backpack during the drive program. Both engines were very quiet at speed, and even the Equinox LS produced very little road noise. Fuel consumption during the drive program ranged between 8.3 and 8.6L/100km for both the 1.5 and 2.0-litre engines, and for both front and all-wheel drive variants.

In other words, the Equinox promises to be economical to run, but a media drive program is not the same as a standard daily commute, so we'll wait for a seven-day test before passing final judgement, especially as a Ford Escape Ambiente reviewed recently posted a similar figure in a much more demanding urban environment.

All three examples of the Equinox featured light, undemanding steering. There was enough feedback for the driver to keep the Equinox placed accurately on the road, but rival SUVs in the same segment offer a more communicative tiller. Nevertheless, the Equinox points well on centre and turn-in is fine for the target buyer. There was some torque steer evident in the front-wheel drive Equinox LT with the 2.0-litre engine, but all three variants handled neatly and mustered roadholding that is in the right ballpark. For the driver, the Equinox feels sportier than Honda's CR-V, but probably trails Mazda's CX-5 and the Hyundai Tucson, although a comparison would settle the matter properly.

Ride comfort was commendable across the three variants, although different tyres fitted had some influence on each variant's character. On 17-inch alloys and Continental tyres, the Equinox LS rode very well indeed, and ironed out even tiny irregularities in the road. The Equinox LT, on 18-inch alloys and Bridgestone Duelers, was slightly more prone to initial impact harshness, but was still fairly well behaved, and the all-wheel drive Equinox LTZ, on 19-inch alloys and Hankooks, finished up somewhere between the other two.

Behind the wheel, the Equinox was generally well packaged. The driving position was largely uncontroversial, with the indicator stalk placed on the right side of the steering column. But the handbrake switch was placed further away from the driver, on the passenger side of the gear-shift lever. Instruments were large, clear and easy to read and the infotainment touch screen in the centre fascia was stylish and functional.

The front seats were well-shaped and softly cushioned for comfort, but might be too small for some larger occupants. There was abundant room for adults in the rear, with excellent head and legroom there, plus adjustable vents. A deep bin for storage could be accessed by lifting the folding centre armrest.

Boot space was quite functional and reasonably generous, helped by a space-saver spare below a secondary compartment under the floor of the boot. And the rear seats folded down easily for further cargo-carrying volume. But if you're the type of buyer to load up the family wagon to the hilt, the Equinox is bound to play second fiddle to Nissan's X-TRAIL.

A few minor issues with the packaging of the Equinox were apparent during the drive program. One was the obvious wheel-arch intrusion in the front-passenger footwell. The other was the reclining rear seat, which only reclined one stop; there was no sliding scale of adjustment, and the two positions available wouldn't placate everyone. And the interior was unleavened by coordinating colours or other complementary materials, all looking a little drab once the eye shifted away from the centre fascia and instrument panel.

Where amenities were concerned, the Equinox boasted an effective air conditioning system to keep drivers cool and composed on the 30-degree day of our test drive. There was no electric driver's seat adjustment for Equinox variants below the LTZ level of trim.

Pre-production cars were prone to squeaks from the soft-material fixtures in the cabin and a light rattle heard intermittently in the dash of the LTZ model.

But the Equinox finished the day having impressed this reviewer enough that I would have no problem recommending it to a prospective buyer – particularly one trading up from a Captiva.

2017 Holden Equinox LS+ pricing and specifications:
Price: $32,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 127kW/275Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 160g/km
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2017 – yet to be confirmed)

2017 Holden Equinox LT pricing and specifications:
Price: $36,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 188kW/353Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 191g/km
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2017 – yet to be confirmed)

2017 Holden Equinox LTZ pricing and specifications:
Price: $39,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 188kW/353Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 191g/km
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2017 – yet to be confirmed)