By David Finkelstein

With a base retail price of $24,525 including destination charge, Chevrolet is offering the 2018 Equinox two-row crossover SUV in a number of trim levels and with all-wheel-drive. Since first made available back in 2004, Chevrolet has sold more than 2 million units only surpassed by the Silverado pickup truck.

The Equinox is based off of GM's global Theta unibody platform. The Theta underpinning was also used to launch the Saturn Vue and the Pontiac Torrent sometime ago. With additional cross-engineering being performed, Suzuki Motors also introduced their Grand Vitara SUV off of Theta as well.

To “fast forward” the '18 Equinox was redesigned, positioned in the compact SUV category and is now some 400-pounds lighter than the outgoing version. The vehicle has an unmistakable modern design. The expressive styling clearly shows the Chevrolet branding with it's  sculpted design elements including the front clip and radiator grille assembly. The side body design is trendy with its flowing sheet metal stampings.



The front fenders, entry doors and rear quarter panels all come together with an attractive meaningful presents. The rear cargo lift door and tail lamps are impressive as well. It further reflects a graceful yet intimidating tasteful look.

The 2018's interior is very spacious, seating five comfortably. On the option list is a denim styled seat fabric, which not only is quite durable, it's also very voguish, quite nifty. Leather trimmed seating surfaces are offered on select models.

Manufactured in four trim levels, (L, LS, LT, & Premier) the factory includes standard projector-beam headlamps and LED daytime running lamps with HID (high intensity discharge) headlamps on their LT model. LED headlamps and taillamps are standard on their Premier version.

A convenient power operated rear liftgate is available on the LT. Their hands-free power liftgate is standard on the Premier version of Equinox. They also offer three different tire/wheel packages that range from, 17-, 18- and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels. Across all trim levels as standard are air conditioning (dual-zone automatic climate control is standard on Premier and available on LT), front-end automatic active aero shutters for reducing wind drag and helping with fuel economy on the interstate's, electronic automatic interior noise canceling, a unique “Teen Driver” component thus allowing parents to set certain driving controls and review their teen’s driving habits, six standard air bags including frontal driver and passenger air bags, roof rail-mounted head curtain and front-seat-mounted side-impact air bags as well as a special collapsible pedal assembly.

Also standard are six audio speakers, power windows and door locks, keyless pushbutton start, carpeted floor mats, driver info readout display, 6-speed automatic transmission, steering wheel function controls, satellite radio with a 3-month trial subscription and a Bluetooth phone wireless hook-up feature.

The available/switchable AWD system helps enhances efficiency by disengaging the rear axle assembly when not needed, therefore you're just operating the vehicles front-wheel-drive componentry.

Some of the more popular options (depending on the trim level) include — power sunroof (available on LT and Premier), ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel and seats, rear park assist, rear cross-traffic alert, side blind zone with lane change alert, and heated outside mirrors with turn signal indicators.

Low speed forward automatic braking, forward collision alert, following distance indicator, safety alert drivers seat, surround vision and IntelliBeam headlamps are also offered. Wireless iPhone charging is standard on their Premier models. A newly developed folding rear seat features a tilting bottom cushion that enable's a flat floor for easier loading of cargo.

Under the heading of on-board connectivity, the technologies include 7- and 8-inch-diagonal MyLink infotainment systems designed to support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as an OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi mobile hotspot.

Powering this vehicle is Chevrolet’s first all-turbocharged multi-engine propulsion system lineup. This includes a segment-exclusive (optional) 1.6-liter turbo-diesel producing 137-horsepower. Its EPA numbers show 32-mpg city/40-highway.

The standard engine is a 1.5-liter turbo. It puts out 170-horsepower with fuel usage numbers reflecting 26-mpg city/32-mpg highway. Its further matched with a 6-speed automatic.

A 2.0-liter/252-horsepower performance turbo is optional. Its linked with a new nine-speed automatic transmission as the numbers indicate 22-mpg city/29-mpg highway. All of these EPA numbers posted reflect the FWD models. AWD versions will have slightly less miles per gallon results.

The new 2018 Equinox competes with the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV-4, Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V and the Kia Sportage, among other vehicles in this category. At road test, the FWD Equinox LT with the 2.0-liter engine I drove had an MSRP of $32,380 after options and destination charges of $895.

The base bumper-to-bumper warranty is for 3-years/36,000 miles. Two courtesy engine oil and filter changes are also included.