The 2021 Chevrolet Equinox is a small-size SUV with a great predicted reliability rating and some good strengths. The Equinox is fun to drive and offers plenty of active safety features and infotainment technology; but Equinox dropped its more powerful 2.0-liter engine this year, and its base engine is merely adequate to get you around town. Let’s take a closer look.

TRIMS

The Equinox comes in four trim levels: L, LS, LT, and Premier

• L: starting price $23,800
• LS: starting price $26,300
• LT: starting price $27,500
• Premier: starting price $31,400

EXTERIOR

The Equinox features a striking exterior, offering aerodynamic sculpting and accents that combine style and function. Optional Sport and Midnight Edition is available with the LT trim.

Colors:

• Midnight Blue Metallic
• Pacific Blue Metallic
• Iridescent Pearl Tricoat
• Nightfall Gray Metallic
• Silver Ice Metallic
• Summit White
• Mosaic Black Metallic
• Cajun Red Tintcoat

The Sport and Midnight Edition offer unique gloss-black exterior trim pieces, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and special black alloy wheels.

INTERIOR

This five-seat compact SUV offers tremendous rear-seat legroom and ample headroom that allows tall adults to sit comfortably. The front seats will keep you supported on a long drive with its well-shaped seats. Interior quality is a mixed bag with hard plastic surfaces, but soft-touch accents. It seems to be built for durability instead of luxury.

Standard features included are cloth upholstery and four-way manually adjustable front seats. Standard and available features on the LT and Premier trim include leather upholstery, eight-way power-adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated fronts, heated rear seats, heated rear seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a heated steering wheel, and driver’s seat memory seat.

Sport and Midnight Edition add leather upholstery and driver’s seat memory settings.

Cargo:

The Equinox offers average cargo space, with 30 cubic feet behind the rear seats and about 64 cubic feet with the second row folded down. Hidden storage under the rear cargo floor will give you more storage.

PERFORMANCE

The only engine the Equinox offers this year is a 170-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission shifts smoothly, but acceleration is a bit lackluster. Overall, it’s great to get you around town.

Handling:

The Equinox delivers a comfortable ride and takes turns with composure. Opting for larger wheels, will give you a jittery experience, especially over large bumps in the road. Some class rivals are more agile and athletic.

Towing:

The Equinox will tow up to a maximum of 1,500 pounds with its only engine.

Fuel:

Estimated 26/31 mpg city and highway

Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is available on all trims

TECHNOLOGY

The Chevrolet Infotainment 3 system comes standard with some great technology features. The L and LS offer standard features and the LT and Premier add a little bit more.

Standard features on all trims include a 7-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, four USB ports, a Wi-fi hot spot, Bluetooth, voice recognition, and a six-speaker stereo.

SAFETY

The Equinox offers plenty of driver’s assistance features to feel confident on the road. A lot of features are standard on all trims, but you’ll need to move up to the LT and Premier trim to get the available Confidence and Convenience packages.

CONCLUSION

The 2021 Chevrolet Equinox has a lot to like about it. It offers an array of standard safety features and technology and plenty of room for comfortable seating. It lags in its performance and cabin quality, only offering one engine choice and hard plastics for its interior. If you’re in the market for a nice-looking car to drive around town with some good qualities and an excellent predicted reliability rating, then it's worth considering.