M/T: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox

[kevm14]

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrole ... A7EEDF9237

Good summary of the reasons the CUV segment is so hot in the comments:

1. CUVs have gotten so good that for 90% of drivers, their performance is nearly identical to a sedan.

2. The height helps for ingress/exit, especially for older people. Also, parents of young kids appreciate the fact that you don't have to bend down to put your kid in or take them of out of the vehicle.

3. A hatch is much more useful than a trunk. Strollers fit in them much easier. Dogs like them too.

4. AWD is good in light snow and trips to the farmers market. Very few people have dedicated winter tires in their garages.

[kevm14]

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrole ... 605C62E73E

Diesel first test review.

My takeaway is the torque helps drivability though in true diesel form, no matter how much torque you have, your overall performance is still dictated by horsepower. And this one runs a pretty pokey 16.9 sec @ 81.0 mph. It fools you into thinking it's faster at part throttle, where most people drive.

The other takeaway is the mileage is fairly outstanding. FWD ratings are 28/39 mpg and AWD ratings are 28/38 mpg. But what's really impressive is the M/T Real MPG findings: 33.1/46.7 mpg. That is a solid 20% better than estimated.

[kevm14]

Another interesting piece was this:

At the track, the 2018 Equinox TD hit 60 mph in 9.0 seconds flat and completed the quarter mile in 16.9 seconds at 81 mph, which is on the slower side of the segment. Road test editor Chris Walton noted that with traction control disabled, it’s easy to spin the front tires. Putting the car in all-wheel-drive mode, however, slows it down. Walton liked that the transmission upshifts smoothly and that the start/stop system is surprisingly unobtrusive in this application.

At this power level (read as 81 mph trap), the extra traction from an AWD launch does not outweigh the extra parasitic loss from AWD.