To attract the attention of the crowd, the exterior area of this roadster comes in various vibrant colors like black, black granite, mocha steel metallic, silver ice, summit white, twilight blue, and gold mist etc. On the other hand, the interior area is available in brownstone, jet black and light titanium.

This 2012 model comes in LS, LT, and LTZ trims. For comfort of the occupants, the LS variant has all necessary amenities like air conditioning, power driver partial seat, rear reclining and sliding seat, complete power accessories, steering tilt and telescoping wheel, audio controls, OnStar, Bluetooth connectivity, CD player with 6 ? speaker sound system, audio auxiliary jack, satellite radio, and alloy 17 ? inch wheels.

Traveling in the LT trim is really comfortable and is subdivided in 2 ? different trims such as 1LT and 2LT. The 1LT variant is fully loaded with all essential features rear tinted windows, outside heated mirrors, premium cloth upholstery, rearview camera, steering leather ? wrapped wheel, 7 ? inch touch screen with upgraded sound system, USB / iPod audio interface, and rack side roof rails etc.

The 2LT remote start, automatic climate control, front heated, 8 ? way power driver seat, auto ? dimming mirror, 8 ? speaker Pioneer sound system, and fog lights. To boosts the convenient level of LTZ, it includes automatic headlights, perforated leather upholstery, power liftgate, driver memory settings, and rear parking sensors.

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox has some optional amenities like 18 ? inch or 19 ? inch chrome clad alloy wheel, warning forward collision / lane departure system, sunroof, and navigation system.

For improving its driving capabilities, this Chevrolet model is powered by a 2.4 ? liter 4 ? cylinder double overhead cam (DOHC) 16 ? valves engine which is able to pump out more than 182 hp of maximum energy at 6,700 rpm and 172 lb ? ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. To enhance the engine performance, the Equinox model is mated with standard front ? wheel drive and 6 ? speed automatic transmission.

In 9.3 seconds, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph. As per the fuel EPA estimation, it achieves 22 mpg on city roads and 32 mpg on highways with front wheel drive. According to the fuel EPA economy, it achieves 20 mpg on city roads and 29 mpg on highways. The LS trim has powerful 3.0 ? liter V6 engine that churns out around 264 hp of energy and 222 lb ? ft of torque.

Only in 8.3 seconds, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph. The width of this model is 72.5 inch and height is 69.3 inch while the length is 187.8 inch. The ground clearance of this vehicle is 6.9 inch and front track is 62.9 inch while the rear track is 62.1 inch. Its wheelbase is 112.5 inch and the top cargo capacity is 63.7 cu. Ft while the maximum towing capacity is 3,500 lbs.

The top payload capacity of this 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is 1,131 lbs and gross weight is 4,960 lbs while the curb weight is 3,829 lbs. The turning circle of this vehicle is 40.0 ft and the maximum fuel tank capacity is 18.8 gallons.

For the safety of passengers, the security panel offers antilock disc brakes, electronic stability control, curtain side airbags, side front seat airbags, OnStar, and last but not the least, traction control. On all trims, the rearview camera is standard. In government crash tests, this roadster achieved overall four stars out of five for frontal crash tests and five stars for overall side protection.

In the side impact and frontal ? offset crash testing, it earned highest 'Good' rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It boasts stylish cabin which is filled with premium touches. Its 2 ? tone color schemes are really eye ? catching that perfectly complement the dashboard's elegant design. This vehicle is one of the great choices for long road trips because it offers a comfortable ride quality and quiet cabin.

First Look:

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is the second generation of the Chevy Equinox, which moved to the also-existed status of small SUVs. The new Equinox offers an exclusive look and a certain level of refinement which makes it a feasible option to the long-popular segment leaders from Toyota and Honda.

One of the biggest strengths of the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is its rear legroom, which we could easily attribute to its rear seat, which slides back and creates a space just like the a prom-night limousine. But in addition to the rear legroom, the Equinox also offers impressive ride quality, with the car delivering a stable, well-established ride indicatory of a full-size SUV. Even in terms of equipments the Equinox is ready to compete in the big league with its wide assortment of standard features and some really impressive upgrades such as a hard-drive-based navigation system. It's sad that you no longer gets the optional back seat entertainment system.

As for the power choices, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox offers you two engine choices including an inline-4 engine generating 182-horsepower or a V6 engine churning 264-hp. Both the engines powering the Equinox deliver adequate power and acceleration and the 4-cylinder engine for the car is noticeable for its above-average fuel economy.

But, just as its GMC Terrain twin, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox also suffers from some small weaknesses. The most noticeable weakness is a comparative absence of cargo capacity next to the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Also even in terms of agility and maneuverability, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox falls a tad shorter in comparison to its sporty compact crossovers such as the Subaru Forester and Kia Sportage. But if you neither of the aforementioned issues seems to affect you then the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, surely is a superb small crossover SUV.

What's New for 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox boasts brand new lane-departure warning systems and forward collision alert. Also the Equinox 1LT models now gets rearview camera as their standard equipment this year. Though, the rear seat video entertainment system has been dropped from the car.

Body Styling and Features:

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is offered in three trim levels: LS, LT and LTZ.

The LS trim of the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox gets 17 in alloy wheels, cloth upholstery, air-conditioning, a reclining and sliding rear seat, a partial power driver seat (height adjustment only), complete power accessories, cruise control, Bluetooth, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel having audio controls, a 6-speaker sound system having satellite radio, a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack and OnStar.

The LT trim of the Equinox has been divided into two models, the 1LT, which has the roof rack side rails, tinted rear windows, a rearview camera, heated outside mirrors, a leather-covered steering wheel, premium cloth upholstery and an advanced sound system having an iPod/USB audio interface and a 7 in touchscreen. The second version beind the 2LT, which will get you fog lamps, automatic climate control, remote start, an 8-way power driver seat, heated front seats, an 8-speaker Pioneer sound system and an auto-dimming mirror.

Go for the top-of-the-line LTZ and you could get a power liftgate, automatic headlights, perforated leather upholstery, rear parking sensors and driver memory settings.

A lot of standard features that are found on the upper trim levels could also be added to the rather less luxurious models using optional packages. Some other options for the vehicle includes 18 in and 19 in chrome-clad alloy wheels, a navigation system, a new forward lane departure/collision warning system and a sunroof.

Under The Hood:

The standard power house for all the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is a 2.4 ltr 4-cylinder engine, churning maximum output power of 182 bhp and 172 lbs-ft of maximum torque. Regardless of the engine choice, all the Equinox models have a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard transmission and front-wheel drive; there is an option of all-wheel drive.

There also is a choice of a 3.0 ltr V6 engine on every model except for the LS. The V6 engine here generates maximum power of 264 hp and 222 lb-ft of maximum torque.

Safety:

The standard safety equipments for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox includes antilock disc brakes (having brake assist), stability and traction control, side curtain airbags, front seat side airbags and OnStar. Also standard on all the trims except for LS is a rearview camera, while on the LTZ trim you will also get rear parking sensors. Only for LTZ trim there also is an option of the all new lane departure/forward collision warning system.

Verdict:

Finally we would say that the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is a comfy and stylish entry is the immensely tough competitive small-crossover segment. If you are thinking about getting CR-V and RAV4 then you should also consider this model.