This is the most popular type of vehicle in the U.S., crossovers of this size, and there are plenty of choices. GM rebates of $3k and an additional GM credit card rebate of $3k more meant I gave the Equinox a hard look, and I got a great lease deal on an LT model with a few options (AWD, heated seats, side collision alert, power liftgate, etc.). Leasing (39 months) means its under warranty and I can decide just to give it back at the conclusion. Pretty much just oil changes and tire rotations for the first 3 years.
The '18 Equinox shares a chassis with the Envision & Terrain (D2XX platform). Mine was made in MX, although most of the ones on the dealer lots were from Canada. They are also made in China alongside the Envision there. Yet the Envision is the most expensive one. Shipping costs must eat into the near-slave-labor rates in China. The Market is the market.
Car and Driver thrashed it around and found it had excellent handling. I think its due to it's Control Blade rear suspension and stiff chassis from the new Opel-engineered D2XX platform. It looks similar to the Control Blade setup on the Focus/Escape/CMax and some Mazdas. Big selling point for me was this new non-Theta platform it gets for 2018.
The 1.5L DI-Turbo Ecotec (from the Malibu) is a bit weak compared to modern standards, and the 6-speed automatic could use another cog. This anemic drivetrain is the main reason Car and Driver won't rank the 1.5L version higher. That said, the turbo torque of the 1.5L at low RPM is nice enough for most of us. ...Combine the great handling with a bigger engine, and you get: "The all-new Chevy Equinox—and we can’t even believe we’re saying this, considering where the old Equinox left off—feels more connected, nimble, and dialed-in than some far costlier German competition."--http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-chevrolet-equinox-20t-awd-test-review
What's odd is that the 1.5L DI/turbo engine has a larger sump for AWD vs. FWD. (5.3 qt vs. 4.2 qt) Never seen that before.
If anything you'd think the FWD version would have a bigger sump since it doesn't have to make room for the AWD transfer case, etc.
And it doesn't stop there: The AWD version has a larger gas tank too! AWD=15.6 gal, FWD=14.8 gal. No differential in the back on the FWD version should have given the FWD the larger gas tank, but its just the opposite.
The different sump sizes (AWD vs. FWD) will create confusion at Quickie-Lubes and among DIYers, and possibly at dealerships as well, since they will see "2018 Equinox" and "1.5L engine" and read the wrong one by mistake. Look for under or overfills to be very common on this vehicle! I just did an oil change to get the factory-fill out (with metals), drained it for 10 minutes, and refilled with exactly 5.0 quarts (jug), with Fram Ultra oil filter, and it overfilled it. Strange, since it should have taken 5.3 qts per spec. (???)
I used the only dexos1 Gen2 I could find at Walmart in 0w20 flavor, and that was Valvoline SynPower, the only one with the specific Gen2 logo. Could be important since this 1.5L DI/turbo engine might suffer from LSPI, and the new chainwear test helps too, things addressed by Gen2.
The Equinox has no under-engine skid plate or shield (belly pan). Its all just exposed down there. I thought almost all new designs these days had underbody shields to help lower aero drag. The lower the Cd, the lower the drag number they enter into the MPG FTP test cycle, allowing higher EPA MPGs and real-world efficiency.
A great feature of the Equinox is that it can get FWD fuel efficiency when you don't activate AWD via a button. This is special since it keeps the hypoid gear's friction in the back from eating gas when you don't need AWD. Few vehicles do that from what I've seen. Its a GKN brand unit, similar to what the Ford Focus RS has. Look for this uncoupling feature to become more common, doing away with most of the MPG penalty from AWD vehicles in the future.
http://www.gkn.com/en/our-divisions/gkn-driveline/case-studies/2016/all-wheel-drive-and-effciency/
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/244191-buick-joins-torque-vectoring-goes-snow-wheel-drive-show