I test drove and considered every CUV in that shootout except for the Subaru, Kia and Dodge. Many of the things the testers noticed also stood out to me....and I'm surprised that a simple interior redesign was enough to put the Dodge Journey in second place. ??? I started my shopping with every intention of getting an import CUV...but I'm glad I didn't totally disqualify the domestic offerings because the Nox (2010 and later) is truly the overall best of the bunch currently.
Others that I test drove were the Nissan Murano and Ford Edge which were nice and compared better to the Equinox, but too expensive (and thirsty) for what you're getting.