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iggy34AU
Great family car with good grunt and space
We purchased our 2.0L Turbo LTZ equinox 2 years ago as a demo and we had 2 years of trouble free motoring so far. As a daily family driver the car is fun to driver with great handling and very good power delivery, although I would suggest leaving the car in AWD mode full time as the tires will spin with moderate acceleration even in dry. Fuel consumption around city is 10l/100kms with short 1-2k trips making 90% of travel. We fitted a towbar and are towing a 2000KG caravan with ease, albeit the fuel consumption goes up to about 15l.
One featur...
Read morees we absolutely love is the remote start where we start the car remotely before we get to the car so the a/c cools the cabin down before we enter the car, very handy on hot days. Also the rear cross traffic alarm has saved us few times from a bingle in the carpark. Some improvement we would have loved to see: * Rear seats to slide forward and back to allow flexiable space for the boot as the leg room is very generous at the moment * Large turning circle could be smaller, we are left doing 3-point parks in the shopping centres quite often We are still loving our equinox and have not complaints to date.Purchased in January 2019.
JacquiAU
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
Great car!
I've just clocked up 85000 k's since 2018 & the car has been faultless. I flog this car all over rural nsw.
First set of tyres got to 70,000 k's.
Fuel economy sits at 7.6 litres.
Seats comfortable, has the heating function when needed.
Plenty of overtaking power on country roads. The 2.0 turbo motor hammers along.
Great air con, it cools the cabin in no time
Radio reception in the country is excellent.
Has all the safety tech e.g lane departure warning etc
If you are after a safe, reliable & value for money car, look no further than the Equinox.
Purchased in September 2018.
PhilipBrisbane
- 3 reviews
- 6 likes
Good all-rounder at the right price
Bought basically new with 300km. AWD is manually selected and doesn't "auto" kick in like say X-Trail or Koleos. I was surprised that the wheels didn't slip as I thought it would in 2WD mode. On-demand AWD is much safer than 4WD since there's no worries about uneven tyre wear and busted rear-diffs. Fuel mpg is too optimistic - expect 8L/100 on highway and 12L/100 in more mixed city driving (80% city). It was a classic product mistake to provide only the 2.0T for upper AWD models - they should've provided a 1.5T with the beautifully smooth 9-spe...
Read moreed. This is a purely Holden management mistake, and one that the new Ford Escape makes, and is deeply rooted in a "big is better" V8 mentality going back to the time of Godzilla. If they hadn't banned the Nissans, we'd all have home grown efficient turbo AWD tech by now. It is definitely a safe car. It drives straight on Aussie roads - so properly engineered for us here. Thanks Holden. The interior quality at eye-sight level is good, but gets cheaper below (e.g., hard plastics, fabric on leather seats). This is typical of US cars I've driven (Jeep, Chevrolet Sky, Camaro, Mustang, Chrysler) as GM have higher quality brands that they make more upmarket using the same basic engineering. The engineering in this car is better and safer than the Koreans, and is smoother than a VW DSG and the RAV4 Hybrid (except when it is in pure EV mode). Lots of torque tends to give more smoothness, while a NA engine needs to rev it out, except when the road is very bad then the 19" wheels gets fidgety. The haptic feedback seats were a surprise and delight - they give a very useful 3D-like warning system, vibrating left, middle and right depending on various dangers. This is much faster than a visual warning that takes time to process or a "beep" or even the HUD orange and red flashes. Early days (only 1500km on clock) but will report on service and parts - but not too worried as this car is popular in the states, so most non-RHD parts are good. Its surprising docile at light throttle (except for reverse which is a little sensitive) - so the turbo must kick in very late and light: its my mum's daily driver. The speedo is calibrated too conservative, probably to save you $$$. This car deserved to be a sales winner, but product mismanagement in relying on the diesel and 2.0T for mid-level trim killed it. We preferred the 1.5T but that only came in a smaller touch screen with no GPS, no leather, no HID or LED, and no electric boot? That's plain suicide and a lack of understanding of the market data - only older conservative drivers can afford turbo insurance and diesel is dead as a doornail for city driving. The economics only worked out in parity with a base RAV4 hybrid with severe discounting, and the impossibility of obtaining a RAV4 hybrid cruise trim and rising prices sealed the deal. I expect over the 3-year hold of the asset that higher fuel consumption and higher turbo servicing costs will close the gap in upfront savings to reach parity with the base RAV4 hybrid. In terms of ADAS (advanced driver assistance) this 2017-era car is obviously 1-2 years behind say a 2019 RAV4: no active cruise, no speed limiter, no high speed AEB and no 360-view. What it does have works well with no software driven "panic" stops so far, and the smooth nice touchscreen with the right app will provide speeding mitigation. You can use the touchscreen while the car is in motion: if makers lock the touchscreen out they should provide an iDRIVE option like BMW or MAZDA instead of relying on Siri. The touchscreen is much better than the 2019 RAV4. Its a solid daily driver and we'll upgrade quick when EVs become more popular - that's when you need a tank to survive a crash with a EV car that's 300-400kg heavier. Low beam is excellent, high beam lacks distance. Seats fold flattest of all the compact SUV cars we tested, so long as you remove the middle headrest. The stereo base is terrible - Bose has has never been audiophile quality. The seats are very comfortable, and adjust very well for short drivers. All round visibility is excellent - though A pillars are a little thick, and the windows around the C pillars a little small. RCTA and good reversing camera mitigates this, and its much better than say a Ford Endura which is totally claustrophobic. I will probably install additional interior rear cameras as the outside camera often gets blurry when wet. You can forget about Holden ever updating the native GPS maps so the road speeds shown on the instrument panel are quite often outdated. I don't really care about the details - when I put my mum in the car I sleep well at night. UPDATE 8/21/2020: Two things I will add. First, the undercarriage has very limited sound insulation and protection , which explains the noises on rough roads. The rav4 has no hood insulation and thin firewall insulation as well so this is a cost cutting trend. Second, since this is a direct injection turbo, maintenance requires the correct oil to avoid LSPI, so I would avoid any cars that have been thrashed (e.g., leases/rentals), haven’t been serviced by GM and preferably still have the factory oil. The manual recommends to keep throttle below 50% at low speeds to avoid LSPI.Purchased in July 2020.
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Adrian C.Launceston, TAS
Great vehicle with many strengths. Pity Holden is no more!
Well I've just clocked up 20000km in my Equinox LTZ AWD, so now feel that I can make a qualified review. When shopping for a new vehicle last year there were a number of requirements on my list that narrowed my choice down quickly. I wanted a turbo petrol motor and all wheel drive thus the Tiguan, Escape and the Korean twins were on my list along with the Equinox. The Equinox just ticked more of my other boxes, its bigger than all the others listed above especially for rear seat room, and with a 190cm teenager to fit back there that was impo...
Read morertant. It also has the biggest real world towing capacity, 2000kg, sure the Tiguan and CX-5 say they have more but if you look at the max towball downforce they really don't. The Equinox is properly rated to 200kg or 10%, well done Holden. That will be important if I need to hire an excavator again or tow a larger trailer. It also has a proper torque converter auto, no CVT or DSG with the inherent compromises that are made in drivability/durability with those transmissions. LED headlights, BOSE stereo, 4x heated leather seats and an extended array of advanced safety, plus a good deal by my local dealer, sealed it for me. LIKES The performance of the drivetrain, when you need some power it's there. Picks up speed and overtakes with ease, even up steeper hills. Ride/handling balance is good, I've read reviews that are critical of the ride, saying that it's rough, however I feel that the balance is good, even with 19' wheels. It absorbs road imperfections well, is well dampened, controlling movement well, and corners flat. It can be a bit noisy on square edged stuff and maybe not the best a slow speed rocky sections but overall at city and highway speed it feels well controlled, comfortable and balanced. Comfort and space, heaps of room for front and rear passengers, rear seats especially are roomy and comfortable. Boot space is nowhere near the 800+ litres quoted, more like around 500 to the height of the seat backs, however there is a large amount of underfloor storage. I have a first aid kit, bag of tools, foldable table, 2 small foldable chairs, bike pump, some warm clothes and 10L bag of water all stored under the floor and there's still a bit of room to spare. Rear seats fold perfectly flat if the ridiculous centre headrest is removed (this is permanently stored in my shed!). 4 usb ports plus 240V outlet, which I've used to charge my laptop just makes it perfect as a practical family vehicle for longer trips. Driver tech, auto wipers, lights and high beam all work well. Especially impressed by the High Beam assist which very rarely gets it wrong, unlike a Ranger that I drove, which kept changing back to low beam when sensing reflection from road signs. Blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert are faultless. I like the vibrating seats for collision warning, lane departure warning, cross traffic alert and parking sensors, lessens the annoying beeping and gets you attention, can be swapped to beeps if you like! Self parking is great, placing the car about 10 cm from and parallel to the curb and perfectly between the cars in front and behind. Just as long as you stay below 10km/h, if you go above this it cancels. AWD system works quickly and well and can be turned off to improve fuel consumption. Stereo sound is above average but not amazing, doesn't quite handle the bass as I'd like at times, mid and high range are good and stereo separation is great. DISLIKES I wish that there was someway of taking control of gear shifts. The gearbox is a little slow to shift down at times and this can be a little disconcerting if trying to accelerate out of a corner only to have the engine bog down at low revs for a second before the down change happens. Paddle shifters or just a manual shift gate would have provided a much more fun way of driving this car.Purchased in October 2019 for $37,500.00.
huitSydney
- 5 reviews
- 3 likes
Fantastic drive for an SUV, good all-rounder though not without flaws
The biggest flaw of which is that it's an orphan, not the car's fault, but something to consider as the dispute between between GM-H and the dealers is still ongoing at the time of writing. So buyer beware. I bought ours last year already heavily discounted so I'll just have to cop it and drive it till it dies.
As I said the car was heavily discounted and that was one of the key incentive to look into this car in the first place (an LTZ 2.0t with AWD), and after the test drive I came away genuinely surprised at how good the drive is (still imp...
Read moreressed). I have owned a Renault Megane RS250 previously and it has very similar levels of power delivery but feels much smoother (the Renault was gruff, raucous and raw but that was part of the fun). Put your foot down in any gear and the car simply pulls like a freight train but does so very smoothly, it's interesting though as you don't really get the sensation of speed until you glance down at the speedo. I've never timed it but I'm fairly certain it'll hit 100 in under 7 seconds - obviously not a key consideration for a family SUV of course for most people. But if you have to have a quickish, practical and spacious mid sized SUV for not a lot of money this would be it - or something from the VAG stables with an ecu tune. Obviously it doesn't handle anything like the Renault and that's to be expected, as it weighs nearly 400kg more with a high CG, but credit where it is due the steering is accurate if a little dull, it corners surprisingly flat and settles from bumps quickly without wallowing like a boat as you'd expect, though tends to understeer if pushed hard and you definitely feel the weight of the car, and the suspension is more tuned for handling than comfort as it's quite firm (German firm though not teeth-rattling firm like the Renault) for an SUV. The stock Hankook tyres aren't a great performance tyre, but are quiet and seem to wear quite well despite the way I drive. The turning circle is terrible however, I'm sure the Ruby Princess would need less space for a 3-point turn, and 3-point turns is what you'll be doing quite often where other cars could simply do a U-turn. But I got used to it. The 9 speed auto is excellent, quite easily the smoothest shifting automatic I've ever experienced and quite fast reacting (except going into reverse sometimes there's this weird hesitation), it's a shame there's no paddle shifters and you'd have to use this odd "+ -" button on the gear lever that sets the highest gear when in manual mode (eg if you set it to "4" that means you'll lock the transmission to shift only between 1st to 4th gear and you could drive till you bounce off the rev limiter in 4th, weird), but it does allow you to downshift before a corner though by pressing "-" when in manual mode. AWD is switchable, that is, you can turn it completely off for FWD only if you want to try to be frugal, but once switched on it's still on-demand AWD only, so there's no way of keeping AWD engaged all the time, having said that it does kick in very quickly and probably has done that many times without me even noticing. With my style of driving, turning off AWD makes negligible difference on fuel and just makes the front wheels spin everywhere (need to be very gentle on the throttle in FWD mode) so I just keep it switched on all the time.Purchased in June 2019.
- EQ LT (2017-2021)
- Verified purchase
Everything works as it should
Bought a LT Equinox demo a few months ago. Best described as an Commodore SV6 turned into a SUV. Interior could be a bit better, however family friendly. I would rate the 2.0 Lt turbo, 9 speed gearbox combination as one of the best I have driven in 35 years. Braking ability and surety is excellent. No turbo lag as it gearbox kicks down to the correct gear for the turbo to be in boost. Again the gearbox changes are smooth with no hunting. 1500 revs at 100 kmph. Highway economy as low as 7.0lts/100k's easily and combined seems to be consistently ...
Read morearound low 8's. A very safe car for overtaking. The car will shove you into the seats so you need to learn how to be subtle with the accelerator. All the safety features are great and the car still surprises me each trip with something new. Well thought out and functional. Suspension is a little stiff, however the benefit is is minimal to no body roll, and good high speed stability, and great cornering, low or high speed. Brilliant long distance cruiser. Everything works as it should. The safety alerts have changed my driving habits for the better. Wife loves it. You can use 95 or 98 octane for a decent economy return however the car can still use 91 or E10 without detriment as per the manual. Storage space and rear drop down seats are great. Heaps of room in the rear passengers with heaps of USB, & 12 volt connectivity. Yes the seats are comfortable and easy to set up. If this car didn't have a Holden badge it would sell like hotcakes. Cant understand why it wasn't properly promoted by Holden. Auto HID headlights and auto high beam, auto wipers work great, all the time. Phone connectivity is good and sat nav works well enough without need to use auto android. No CD slot but can play music from phone, thumb drive or radio easily. No mechanical or other issues at this stage, but again I don't expect any as it appears to be assembled well and engineered well. Got the car at a great price (5000 k's on the clock). In hindsight I should have found the extra coin and got the LTZ with leather and parking assist etc. No regrets on purchase. The driver information on the dash is extensive and programmable. Has all the sensors, front and back with a reversing camera and cross traffic alert. If considering a wagon or SUV at least do yourself a favour and have a look. No I don't work for Holden, just like value for money. I drive all my cars till about 200k's doing about 40 k a year.Purchased in January 2000 at Holden Dealers for $26,000.00.
Anthony D.Greater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 2 reviews
Love it. What a great value car.
Great power and very quiet. Cabin has a premium feel, and although quality is not quite up to scratch, this doesn't detract from the enjoyment. Sound system is amazing and it feels like driving business class!
Purchased in March 2020 for $37,000.00.
Doreen ThomasSouth East Queensland, QLD
- 2 reviews
Great car I love it
Absolutely love the equinox from the way it drives to all the modern features, I find the vehicle well built and well designed. Great value for money and cheap to run.
Purchased in December 2019 for $28,000.00.
glennelsegoodWide Bay-Burnett, QLD
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Great car
I've had my Holden Equinox LT now for about a year. Am fairly happy with it. I do roughly about 400km a week for work and driving around town which costs me about $30 .Performance wise it has been great. I usually use the cruise control on the highway and going up hills is a breeze. The car is still under warranty so I get it serviced annually. No issues at this stage. Inside the car is very comfortable. No CD player anymore its all plug into your devices or Bluetooth. Great sound through speakers. Front seating has individual heat warmers. Gre...
Read moreat air-con and demisters for the front and rear windows.Rear view camera for reversing and sensors also for parking. It also has a 12v plug in centre console if you require one. Lighting is good in the car but does not have a light in the glove box. Plenty of room in the rear if you need to carry something. Car also receives incoming calls and texts without your hands leaving the steering wheel. Many other functions as well such as speed alert, fuel consumption ,distance to empty. Also has a great GPS but is not up to date with new roads. Overral a great car good on fuel, easy to drive and good for registration.Purchased in June 2018 at Zupps for $29,000.00.
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Jo B.Central Queensland, QLD
- EQ LT (2017-2021)
- Verified purchase
Comfortable Seats. Smooth Ride. Plenty of Power.
Purchased the Holden Equinox LT a week ago. Used daily for general commuting and family transport.
So far, so good. The seats are quite comfortable. The ride is smooth. Power great. Gadgets a-plenty (I'm still learning them all). Yet to find out what the fuel consumption is like, however looking at others' comments, am hoping it will be reasonable. Will update my thoughts in a couple of months, but so far, we're quite happy with it.
Purchased in August 2019 at Holden Dealers for $34,140.00.
Fantastic car, reliable and comfortable
I have had an Equinox for about a month now for daily commuting and weekend trips away and it is an exceptionally impressive car. Extremely quiet on the road, engine and gearbox well suited to the vehicle, safety technology works well and it just feels well put together. I have driven Foresters, CX5s, Koleos and the Equinox is far better value for the money. The Equinox has been rated as one of the most reliable medium SUVs in the USA and I can see why.
Purchased in May 2019 for $22,990.00.
JohnGreater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 2 reviews
Great car
Had our car for 2 months no faults found at all. Great fuel economy and power from the 2 litre turbo engine and 9 speed auto. Great drive on the open highway and around the suburbs. Would be nice to have adaptive cruise but not essential. Great safety features for the cost. Love this car.
allans156AU
- 15 reviews
- 6 likes
Great car.
Had this car as a loaner and was very surprised. Drives very well, heaps of power (2 litre turbo model), and heaps of safety features. Not sure on long term, as I only had the car for a week. The AWD system was amazing in the wet, and overall the car felt great to drive. A huge leap forward over the Captiva.
Rhonda BVictoria
- 2 reviews
Love my new car
I use my car for both private and work every day.It drives really smooth and white looks amazing.
I haven't mastered the radio stations as yet but the service center said they would help! I am still getting used to not using a key but that is so convenient
My car is due for it's first service next week
ShaneoSouthwest, VIC
- 5 reviews
- 5 likes
Amazing car, heaps of power and safety kit
I find my Equinox LS+ eats up the Hwys and hills and performs past my expectations of an SUV, over Easter we drove it from Victoria to Merimbula NSW on a 660km trip, it did it all on one tank of regular 91 octane fuel. The last 100kms were all up hill, the Equinox didn't even break a sweat, we just set the cruise to 100km/h and effortless powered up hills. We had the car fully loaded, and found that other SUV's had to drop their speed, we also still had plenty of power on tap to overtake trucks/caravans ect, all while being refined and quiet. I...
Read moret was really comfortable, had plenty room for our camping gear, and made the 7.5 hour road trip a comfortable one. I average around 7-8.5lt per 100, the best I've seen is 6.1, for a car its size I'm really impressed. I have put over 6500kms on it and cannot fault the car at all. If you want an SUV that is still affordable and has the most safety features, and power in its class, I don't think you could go past the Holden Equinox!Purchased in March 2018.
1 comment
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ciaman22AU
- 6 reviews
- 6 likes
- EQ LTZ-V (2017-2021)
- Verified purchase
A great new model to shake up the large established field of great mid-sized SUV's
This car ticked all our boxes.
Powerful engine, auto trans, interior comfort, AWD, dual zone climate control, heaps of driver aids and safety features. The car drives like a dream. Downsides include requirement for premium 95ULP fuel, firm ride, and a very basic Satnav that doesn't include all speed limits, an over-speed alert, speed and red light camera locations. Every car has its shortcomings!
Purchased in December 2017 for $53,000.00.
Pete bMurray Mallee, SA
Great car. Perfect for us
Had car for 2500 kms. Can't fault it. Just driven to and from port Lincoln 1700 kms. Over various roads. Did not miss a beat. The 2 litre turbo has plenty of punch
Even wife enjoyed driving long distances.
Great accessories. H link worked well
No I'm not a Holden salesperson
Purchased in February 2018 at The CPAP Clinic Physical store for $45,000.00.
Questions & Answers
Lesley H.asked
How to switch from trip 1to trip2
No answers
Philipasked
Anyone with a MY18 Equinox and had their MyLink software updated? Have they implemented any "While In Motion" lockouts on the infotainment, e.g., prevent search or changing routes etc?
No answers
TotallyDisheartenedasked
I purchased an LT Equinox 2 months ago and drove 300ks. The engine light came up so went to the Holden dealer and the spoke to Holden who said replace to clutch plate in the 10 speed. When they disassembled the side access they found shavings in the pan. The 10 speed is now being replaced with a new one. Car has travelled 10000ks and I purchased as a demo. Has anyone else had gearbox problems?
No answers
Details
| Category | Midsize / Medium SUVs | Midsize / Medium SUVs | Midsize / Medium SUVs | Midsize / Medium SUVs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $27,990 | $32,990 | $36,990 | $39,990 |
| Transmission | Automatic and Manual | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Drive Type | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) |
| Fuel Type | Petrol | Diesel and Petrol | Diesel and Petrol | Diesel and Petrol |
| Wheels | 17" Alloy | 17" Alloy | 18" Alloy | 19" Alloy |
| ANCAP Safety Rating | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 5 Stars |
| Fuel Consumption | 6.9 L/100km | 6.9 L/100km | 8.2 L/100km | 8.2 L/100km |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 55 L | 55 L | 55 L | 55 L |
| Engine | 4 Cylinder 1.5L | 4 Cylinder 1.5L | 4 Cylinder 2.0L | 4 Cylinder 2.0L |
| Max Power | 127kW @ 5600rpm | 127kW @ 5600rpm | 188kW @ 5500rpm | 188kW @ 5500rpm |
| Max Torque | 275Nm @ 2000-4000rpm | 275Nm @ 2000-4000rpm | 353Nm @ 2500-4500rpm | 353Nm @ 2500-4500rpm |
| Country of Manufacture | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico | Mexico |
| Safety Features |
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| Extra Features |
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| Maximum Towing Capacity (braked) | 1,500 kg | 1,500 kg | 2,000 kg | 2,000 kg |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 3 year(s) | 3 year(s) | 3 year(s) | 3 year(s) |
| Release date | Jan 2017 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2017 |
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Shaneo
Update: My Equinox has now done 22000kms and still going well (no issues to report). I now tow a 1250kg camper behind on holidays, it and tows it with ease doesn't seem to work very hard at all. Very impressed :)