The Chevrolet Equinox has never really been a loser in the compact crossover segment, but it has also never really been a leader, either. It was always just kind of "okay," with milquetoast styling, so-so performance and reasonable roominess, but never anything really attention grabbing. Coming just a week after General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper officially introduced the all-new 2010 Chevy Equinox as the first product of the "New General Motors," and it's clear that the company hopes their new baby is able to grab a much larger share of this burgeoning segment.

Among other things, the Equinox gets all new powertrains, including an available four-cylinder engine for the first time. Both the four and the new 3.0-liter V6 have direct fuel injection and are paired up with six-speed automatic transmissions. In fact, everything about the Equinox is new. Apparently the only major component carried over from the old model is the sunroof module. Everything else has been reworked or replaced. We had the opportunity to spend some seat time with both the four-cylinder and V6 models with front- and all-wheel drive. Find out if the Equinox finally has what it takes to be more than just competitive after the jump.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

According to Automotive News, Suzuki has elected to halt production of its only North American-built model, the slow-selling three-row XL7 crossover. Blaming the nation's subprime loan crisis, Suzuki spokesman Hideo Kojima has confirmed that no additional examples of the America-only model will roll off out of General Motors' CAMI joint-venture facility in Ingersoll, Ontario. The plant is still operational, however, continuing to produce other GM vehicles for the remainder of the model year.

Given GM's dire financial state, you might expect for Suzuki to be worried about the future of the their arrangement, but apparently that isn't so. AN quotes CEO Osamu Suzuki as saying: "The possibility that CAMI would be forced into closure or a production stop is 120 percent impossible... it is a central pillar in the reconstruction plan, so I am not worried about it."

So while there may be a paucity of new kabuki-faced XL7s headed out onto North America's roads, Suzuki apparently believes that their joint venture with GM will find a way to carry on.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]

Chevrolet has just announced pricing on its new-for-2010 Equinox crossover, and it will carry an MSRP of $23,185 (including $745 destination), a handy $1,800 less than the outgoing model.

That $23k and change will net you the base front-wheel drive LS model with the 2.4-liter, direct-injection Ecotec four-cylinder. The 182 horsepower engine is pegged to deliver 30 miles-per-gallon on the highway (the same figure quoted for its GMC Terrain sibling) and a further 21 mpg in the city, while the pricier 3.0-liter direct-injected V6 will yield 264 horsepower in exchange for more fuel (18 city/25 highway). All wheel drive is available, although full model and option pricing has not yet been released. Expect to see new Equinox models hitting your local dealership forecourts in June, but for now, check out the press release after the jump and click here for more info from the trucklet's Detroit Auto Show debut.



[Source: General Motors]

The 2010 Chevy Equinox showed its new face alongside the 2010 Cadillac SRX in Detroit today, and it was a tossup as to which looked better. Regardless of where you stand on the Equinox' appearance, the new CUV is a far more sophisticated vehicle than the crossover it replaces. Power will be provided by a choice of two direct injection engines, with the four-cylinder model able returning 30 mpg on the highway and the new 3.0L V6 packing 255 horsepower. It also features a gorgeous interior that should look familiar to anyone who's looked inside a Malibu or Traverse.

While this is an evolution of the Theta architecture, the dimensions are almost identical to the old one and shared with the Saturn Vue. It still manages to look tidier than the outgoing model. The 2010 Equinox is still a unibody crossover with either front- or all-wheel drive and the same basic suspension layout as before. The styling is more contemporary, with prominent wheel arches and the obligatory Chevy twin-port grille. As expected of any new model these days, the full array of USB audio, Bluetooth and DVD entertainment systems are also now available. The full details are in the press release after the jump.




Live photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Suffice it to say that Suzuki has never stunned North American consumers with beautiful automotive designs. In point of fact, reviewing their history reveals a certain manic quality, little of it pretty. Oddball propositions like the toy-like X-90 and character-free Esteem have given way to the likes of Suzuki's ill-proportioned Aerio and milquetoast non-statements on the order of the Verona and Forenza. But there are tangible signs that the automaker is finally finding the plot– the inexpensive Italdesign-penned Reno and the tweener SX4 crossover are both attractive propositions. But the offering most likely to become the company's poster child is the all-new-for 2006 Grand Vitara.

A direct replacement for its tired, boxy predecessor that reigned from 1999-2004, the new Grand Vitara is infinitely more compelling with even just a cursory glance. By comparison, yuppies ought to be clamoring for the reborn GV like it's next year's Ikea catalog. Simply put, it's a looker. The strong lines of its clamshell-style hood set the tone, creating a defining ridge across the top of the rectilinear grille, lending the clear-lensed headlamps a bit of edge. The former element is of the blacked-out cross-hatch variety, with a thin, u-shaped chrome lip adding definition and a bit of class. Even when viewed from the dead-on, the GV's meaty fender flares lend it a properly butch stance, particularly as they mold so nicely into the bumper, itself augmented by a pair of blisters housing auxiliary driving lamps. Complaints? Well, the chrome 'S' badge on the nose is a bit outsized, coming across like a Superman logo reinterpreted by an anime artist. But it's hard to blame Suzuki's designers for wanting to get the message out that they're finally in the business of making attractively styled vehicles.

(Click here for the full walk-around, along with more commentary)

Mitsubishi's first Outlander unwittingly lived up to its name, operating on the fringes of mainstream SUVdom, largely failing to cross-over to the widespread success of competitors like Ford's Escape and Honda's CR-V. It wasn't that it was a horrible vehicle, but it didn't offer much in the way of Unique Selling Points (USPs), save its love/hate front clip. But judging by our first exposure to the new-for-2007 iteration, the Outlander's luck may be about to change.

Significantly larger and more powerful than the first-generation model, the Outlander has undergone a Toyota RAV4-esque plus sizing. It now offers more interior room, including an optional flip up third-row. There's reason to hope that it will be a good handler, as well. Based on new architecture that will underpin the next-generation Lancer (and more importantly for enthusiasts, the coming Evolution), the Outlander rides on a longer wheelbase and a wider track, and uniquely, makes use of an aluminum roof to lower its center of gravity.

(Dozens of photos, original commentary full press releases and specs after the jump!)

None other than Geraldo 'Take-Him-Or-Leave-Him' Rivera whipped out a Dubya-style haymaker on General Motors and Ford Wednesday, calling the automakers' present fiscal and public-relations gulag the result of 'whining' management and too many 'crap' cars. Not exactly the prose of florid journalist, or even as carefully measured as George Bush's call for domestics to build more 'relevant' products, Rivera unloads:

Among the lowest rated vehicles on the Consumer Reports list are the once mighty, now tired, Ford Taurus, the homely Pontiac Grand Prix, and the dreadful Chevy Equinox. And unless you live in Kabul or Baghdad, isn’t the Hummer the ugliest, dumbest vehicle on the road today?

Rivera gives DaimlerChrysler a 'pass,' a move one might expect given his admission that he owns a 300.

We're not exactly sure what qualifies Mr. Rivera to comment with authority on such issues, and as such, what weight (if any) our readers give to his latest rant is a purely individual thing. Feel free to leave a 'haymaker' or 'kudos' of your own in the comments.

[Sources: GeraldoAtLarge.com and Dave Clegg]

(Tip-top, Jennifer W!)