Loading Up the Chevy Equinox for Your Next Long Drive

Long drives expose whatever a car isn’t good at. Six hours in, you find out if the seats still feel right. Did the cargo area hold everything you packed? And how does the SUV react when a semi drifts toward your lane at 70 mph? Compact crossovers get picked for these trips all the time, and the Chevrolet Equinox sits right in the middle of that group.

• Cargo room measures 29.8 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.5 cubic feet with the rear seat folded.
• Every trim runs the same 1.5L turbo four-cylinder rated at 175 horsepower, and all-wheel drive is available.
• LT, RS, and ACTIV separate themselves through wheels, tires, suspension tuning, and cabin materials.

Packing Without Playing Tetris in the Parking Lot

Two suitcases, a cooler, a folded stroller, and somebody’s guitar. That’s the usual test. Behind the back seat of a Chevy Equinox you get 29.8 cubic feet, which covers all of it if you stack smart. Fold the 60/40 split rear seat and the number jumps to 63.5 cubic feet. That’s room for a mattress topper or a week of camping gear. Chevrolet also hid storage under the rear cargo floor. Stash your tire gauge and jumper cables down there so they stay out of the footwell.

Up front, the pass-through center console swallows a tablet and a couple of water bottles. Roof rails come standard on RS and ACTIV if you’d rather put bulky stuff overhead. A hands-free AutoSense Power Liftgate is available too, and it earns its money when both arms are full at the trailhead. Towing tops out at 1,500 pounds with all-wheel drive and the right equipment. Front-drive models are rated at 800 pounds. Either way, a small utility trailer stays in play.

Surviving the Middle Four Hours

The Chevrolet Equinox has heated front seats and a heated steering wheel that come standard on every trim. That matters more than you’d think on a 5 a.m. start in January. Passenger volume comes in at 104.3 cubic feet without a sunroof and 100.1 with one. Five people fit without anybody bargaining for knee room.

An 11.3-inch touchscreen anchors the dash, backed by an 11-inch driver display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto keep your phone in your pocket. Google built-in takes voice requests for maps and music. Wireless charging is available, so you skip the cable that always slides under the seat around hour three.

How It Behaves at Cruising Speed

The turbo four makes 175 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque with the CVT and front-wheel drive. Order all-wheel drive and you get an eight-speed automatic plus 203 lb-ft. You feel that extra twist most on a short merge ramp with a loaded car. A Drive Mode Selector dial is standard, so a switch to snow or off-road mode takes one turn of your wrist.

Chevy Safety Assist rides along on all three trims. It bundles six driver aids, including Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, and IntelliBeam high beams. Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, and Rear Cross Traffic Braking fill out the list. HD Surround Vision is available, and you’ll want it when backing a packed crossover into a hotel spot at midnight.

Trim Features at a Glance

Matching a Trim to the Kind of Trips You Take

Most families land on the LT and stay happy. It gets the same engine, the same screen, and the same heated seats as the pricier trims. Its 17-inch wheels also ride a bit softer over broken pavement than 20s do. Drivers who spend weekends on gravel roads or at boat ramps tend to like ACTIV for its all-terrain tires and reworked suspension. RS makes sense if you want the blacked-out look and bigger wheels, though those rims trade a little ride cushion for road presence. Whichever one you pick, pack heavy items low and forward. Keep the rear window clear, too. You’ll notice the difference by mile 400.

See the Equinox Lineup at Ray Skillman Chevrolet

Spec sheets only tell you so much. Come sit in an Equinox, fold the rear seat, and find out whether your gear fits before you leave the driveway. We keep LT, RS, and ACTIV models on the lot in Indianapolis, and we’re glad to send you out on the highway so you can hear how quiet the cabin stays at speed. Our Certified Service technicians can also run a pre-trip check on tires, brakes, fluids, and wipers. That’s a smart hour to spend before you point the SUV somewhere fun. Drivers from Greenwood, Plainfield, and Shelbyville stop in all the time, and we’d love to get you road ready.