Getting the itch to replace my 2016 3.6 Equinox as I have GM credit card points that are going to start disappearing shortly after accumulating for 7 years. I don't want a high priced Blazer and the Acadia SLE would be great if they offered it without 3rd row seating that I will never use in a million years. Been checking in here every week and have seen very little activity compared to 9 years ago when the 2.4 debacle led the way. I test drove a 2022 Equinox company car and I'm not sure about that 1.5. Except for the intake tube issue that seems to have been addressed, the 1.5 seems to be holding up. Leaning towards the Equinox with the good old 6 speed as seem that the 9 speed in the Terrain might not be a good match with the power bands from what I have been reading. I know of people with the 1.5 Escapes that experienced engine failures due to the coolant jacket design boo boo. I live with a lot of rolling hills and my 2014 Equinox with the 2.4 was always revving close to 5000 RPM's at 70 MPH on a few of the hills. The current Equinox is a few pounds lighter and has a turbo. Appreciate any input. I am leaning towards a LT or a Premier. Staying away from the RS with the 19" wheels as the ride will be harder with our rough roads.
So how are the latest Equinox models holding up?
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Both the 1.5 and the 2.0 liter have been under the radar as far as problems go, as you pointed out there does not seem to be alot of posts about these engines, it is possible that they are not old enough yet in the current Equinox body style. I understand that while the 2.0 is not available in the Nox, a new version is coming but will be detuned to run regular gas. My wife is well into her 5th year and only the rear brakes have been a problem. The only engine that has drawn some issues has regrettably been the 1.6 Diesel, even then there is not so many complaints. I would certainly buy a new one, but i would wait until the new 2.0 is firmed up.
There are test vehicles in the wild for the next version but the guessing is it will be a 2025 after the EV is released as a 2024 later this year. I have not seen anything about bumping the engine up from a 1.5 yet in the regular Equinox. Thanks for the input though
We have a 2021 Equinox Premere AWD, 1.5 turbo. It was built in July 2021. It has been flawless in every way. Only trip back to the dealer was for the free oil change.
@chevy05 : I'm like you with the GM Points and, for the first time since I joined in 1995, I'm letting them disappear (since 2018). For those who don't know, the Points (technically) don't "disappear" ... they "roll around" ... meaning ... the Points you accrue in the 8th year replace those you previously earned in the 1st year (9th replaces 2nd, 10th replaces 3rd, etc.), and as long as you accrue at least as much in the replacement years as you did in the original years, your Points total stays the same.
As for your purchase, if you're replacing a vehicle every 7 years, and only driving it 100,000 miles (or less?) ... I don't think it matters what you buy from a "reliability" standpoint. Just about any new vehicle today will go 100,000 miles with very little trouble ... even a lot of those those wretched 2.4L DI engines GM put in the Equinoxes and Terrains have to be over 100,000 miles by now ...
As for your purchase, if you're replacing a vehicle every 7 years, and only driving it 100,000 miles (or less?) ... I don't think it matters what you buy from a "reliability" standpoint. Just about any new vehicle today will go 100,000 miles with very little trouble ... even a lot of those those wretched 2.4L DI engines GM put in the Equinoxes and Terrains have to be over 100,000 miles by now ...
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141 Posts
We have a 2019 Redline 2.0 AWD with the 9 speed transmission - it's been great except for am injector that stuck open and stranded us 1,000 miles from home in 2020. That failure was an anomaly and the vehicle has been reliable - it now has 42K miles. I like the 2.0 with the 9 speed transmission - I doubt I'd be content with the 1.5 with a 6 speed.
One of the best improvements I made was replacing the tires it came with Michelin Cross Climate 2 - the factory tires were terrible in snow and tended to hydroplane too easily.
One of the best improvements I made was replacing the tires it came with Michelin Cross Climate 2 - the factory tires were terrible in snow and tended to hydroplane too easily.
We have a 2020 SLE 1.5 9 speed Terrain, 52,500 miles no complaints. Good warm day 32 to 34 MPG lots of of 70 80 driving, tow a jetskie trailer and fuel weighing apx 1,000 no issues with the vehicle. The 1.5 with the 9 speed has plenty of power, my girl friend has a 2019 nox also a 1.5 with a 6 speed little slower taking off other than that it's also a good car. U
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I haven't had any issues with my 2018 1.5T LT. It has been a better built and running vehicle than the 2017 Rav4 it replaced. I think you might be disappointed in the power coming from a 3.6L though. Maybe look for a used 2.0T if you still want the power. I think the 1.5T is more than adequate for most driving but will admit that when fully loaded out at hwy speeds it could use more power. Great fuel economy though. The only hills I have driven on have been in northern MI and never had it downshift or hunt for gears even fully loaded at 70-80mph. Those hills would have my previous Rav4 downshifting one and sometimes two gears constantly. I don't know how the 9-speed would be but I can picture it hunting for gears more than the 6-speed.
Have you driven a 3 cylinders?
We own a 2023 TB ACTIV, With and L3/9sp.
We love it. It's not our 2018 2.0/9sp Equinox AWD, but it runs good. We live at 4000-6000 ft of elev. It impressed me.
29-35 mpg makes it even nicer.
A 3cyl in the Equinox would just be unfortunate. There are only 2 other vehicles in the Equinox's segment with a 3cyl. The Escape and the Rogue. They have 181hp and 201hp respectively. The 1.3L GM powerplant generates 155hp. The current 1.5L 4cyl delivers 170, so GM really cannot afford to further reduce power on the Equinox.
Honestly, if they do go 3cyl on the Equinox (which I really don't see happening), the Rogue would just be that much better of an option. Nicer interior, more power.
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I don't see a 3 cylinder in an AWD version. Most likely FWD only.
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I got the 2019 Premier with the 2.0 turbo and the 9 speed. I've put almost 50k miles on it and only had to recently replace the battery but no other repairs. My powertrain is no longer available from what I've seen and that's too bad because it's fantastic. I had the same setup in a 2017 Malibu and it was great also. However, it does have stop/start and that $#!% is super dangerous and there is no button to turn it off. What you have to do is shift into L each time and then press the + rocker until all 9 gears are selected and it's good to go and won't do stop/start.
08 LS AWD Summit white(SOLD), 07 Torrent FWD Black, 05 Pursuit Sedan, '16 F150 XLT Sport Blue Flame
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92 Posts
Im surprised that theres no button for it. When hunting down an f150, my biggest concern was not having auto start/stop, but if it did, I was going to purchase some button replacement that changed the circuit/programming or something of the like to where its automatically off unless otherwise desired (pressing the button). I test drove a friends 2017 cruze with this option, and it iritated me beyond reason. I told her that if she really likes the car to get an extended warranty with it because I could only imagine that the starter would have failed within the first three years of ownership. Cant speak on if she has had any issues as she has since moved but either way super irritating feature that every manufacturer feels is required in every single car. Every time i hear it i cringe.
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It's way beyond irritation. Normally if your car won't start (for ANY reason) you are parked in a safe place, not out in the middle of a #%&^[email protected]* intersection!
2022 Equinox RS AWD, 1.5T, Iron Gray Metallic, Build Date 12/10/21 Purchased 12/17/21
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365 Posts
I'm just over 48,000km (30,000 miles) on my 2022 RS and only issue was a bad Sim card for the Nav and the black chrome on the rear bumper insert started peeling off- twice.
I went from my 2013 Nox V6 to the 1.5 and the transition is not as bad as I thought it would be. I have slightly adjusted my driving habits and am pleased with how it reacts. No trouble merging or passing - of course on a 2 lane highway I do need to leave a little more room when passing but not THAT much. Keep in mind that for 2023 they made slight changes to the 1.5. 2022 and below are 170 hp, 23 gets 175 hp. Some reports I read say it is slower somehow - makes no sense but time will tell.
I don't have many steep hills around here but I often head down I-81 through NY state and there are some pretty steep grades between Syracuse and Binghamton. My past 5 cars, all V6, would downshift on certain inclines. To my amazement the 2022 1.5 does not downshift or lose more than 1 mph. I've made that trip 3 times with same result, the 1.5 has not downshifted once on the highway while cruising. Ever. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
While I loved the V6 and thought the gas mileage was excellent for an engine that peppy, I am loving the 1.5 mileage. I'm getting roughly 5mpg (they calculate on liters/100kn up here for some reason) more than the V6.
One caveat - last year I read here some folks recommend premium gas with a turbo. When I realized Costco sold premium for about what other area gas stations were selling regular for I started using Costco premium (top tier). I noticed a real jump in power and gas mileage. That was when I was at @ 8,000km could the big jump possibly be related to engine break in? Maybe, but I am not inclined to use regular to find out. Not messing with a winning combo.
When I test drove the 2022 RS I thought the slightly stiffer ride would bother my wife who complains about any little bump in the road. I was wrong, she loves the way it rides and says she likes it even better than the 2013, which we both loved. For winter I have 17" snows and it is a bit softer ride, but my wife doesn't even notice when the 19" are on in the summer. My avatar pic is the 17" alloys I run in the winter. I prefer them over the black chrome 19" that the RS came with.
I had no choice to purchase an LT or Premiere last December, they were only making RS and the 2013 front differential gave up the ghost after @ 350,000km. I had ordered a different RS with less options but in hindsight I am super happy my 2013 died when it did and I was "forced" to get the fully loaded RS. I simply could not wait 6 weks for the cheaper RS. The 2013 was pretty loaded so I did not have to compromise when I ended up with this one. I have to say after 13 months I am super pleased with the RS - my first brand new car due to the amount of driving I did, I drive less now and still have burnt through the warranty lol.
To both our surprise, we love the 2022 even more than the 2013 so far, and that's saying a lot. It does have the auto stop button to turn it off, I "think" I read that the 2021 has the button as well. I'm fairly certain the 23 and on will have the button but ya never know.
Best of luck, hope that helps.
I went from my 2013 Nox V6 to the 1.5 and the transition is not as bad as I thought it would be. I have slightly adjusted my driving habits and am pleased with how it reacts. No trouble merging or passing - of course on a 2 lane highway I do need to leave a little more room when passing but not THAT much. Keep in mind that for 2023 they made slight changes to the 1.5. 2022 and below are 170 hp, 23 gets 175 hp. Some reports I read say it is slower somehow - makes no sense but time will tell.
I don't have many steep hills around here but I often head down I-81 through NY state and there are some pretty steep grades between Syracuse and Binghamton. My past 5 cars, all V6, would downshift on certain inclines. To my amazement the 2022 1.5 does not downshift or lose more than 1 mph. I've made that trip 3 times with same result, the 1.5 has not downshifted once on the highway while cruising. Ever. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
While I loved the V6 and thought the gas mileage was excellent for an engine that peppy, I am loving the 1.5 mileage. I'm getting roughly 5mpg (they calculate on liters/100kn up here for some reason) more than the V6.
One caveat - last year I read here some folks recommend premium gas with a turbo. When I realized Costco sold premium for about what other area gas stations were selling regular for I started using Costco premium (top tier). I noticed a real jump in power and gas mileage. That was when I was at @ 8,000km could the big jump possibly be related to engine break in? Maybe, but I am not inclined to use regular to find out. Not messing with a winning combo.
When I test drove the 2022 RS I thought the slightly stiffer ride would bother my wife who complains about any little bump in the road. I was wrong, she loves the way it rides and says she likes it even better than the 2013, which we both loved. For winter I have 17" snows and it is a bit softer ride, but my wife doesn't even notice when the 19" are on in the summer. My avatar pic is the 17" alloys I run in the winter. I prefer them over the black chrome 19" that the RS came with.
I had no choice to purchase an LT or Premiere last December, they were only making RS and the 2013 front differential gave up the ghost after @ 350,000km. I had ordered a different RS with less options but in hindsight I am super happy my 2013 died when it did and I was "forced" to get the fully loaded RS. I simply could not wait 6 weks for the cheaper RS. The 2013 was pretty loaded so I did not have to compromise when I ended up with this one. I have to say after 13 months I am super pleased with the RS - my first brand new car due to the amount of driving I did, I drive less now and still have burnt through the warranty lol.
To both our surprise, we love the 2022 even more than the 2013 so far, and that's saying a lot. It does have the auto stop button to turn it off, I "think" I read that the 2021 has the button as well. I'm fairly certain the 23 and on will have the button but ya never know.
Best of luck, hope that helps.
Thanks ricklack for the comparison between the RS and the 2013 with V6, along with the rest of you. Dealers are trying to sell me an RS and telling me the 19" does not ride that bad. I know a Ford F-150 with 18" wheels ride better than one with 20" wheels because of more rubber t absorb the bumps if the tires are not overinflated. Ricklack noticed that himself. Going to look at some vehicles this afternoon. One dealer tells me I should get a Blazer as it has better seats but the price jump is very significant and that is for a 2.0L and not the 3.6. Thanks to all the rest of you for adding information.
We discussed this with the F-150 owners in a forum like this and came to the same conclusion after Ford also implemented Start-Stop. Vehicles over there can have close to 200,000 miles with the original starter. We concluded that the starters for start-stop vehicles were probably beefed up. Now that my battery is 3 years old in my F-150, I noticed the Start-Stop very seldom engages anymore. The BCM monitors the battery life in a Ford and will not implement Start-Stop if battery measures a threshold value. Maybe GM programmed their systems the same?
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