2020 Chevrolet Equinox

The 2020 Chevrolet Equinox feels a step behind the competition when it comes to interior quality. It's not bad from the standpoint of style or functionality, but there are more low-rent materials than in most competitors. The seats are supportive and reasonably spacious, and the infotainment system is user-friendly. Several rivals have more cargo space.

• "The interior materials quality is disappointing for the class and even more so when you consider how expensive the Equinox is. Hard plastics are one thing, but the textures are mismatched and there's a definite downmarket look and feel." -- Edmunds (2019)
• The interior similarly places function over form. It'll look familiar to anyone who's been in the most recent Chevrolet Malibu or Cruze, and it's useful and well organized, if a little staid. The topmost Premier trim level uses a nice mix of leather and soft-touch plastics, although cheaper materials creep in as you move down the price ladder into the less expensive LT model (L and LS trims are available, but Chevrolet didn't have any of those price leaders available for us to drive)." -- Car and Driver (2018)
• "When we slowed down and drove like a regular Equinox buyer, we had time to enjoy the redesigned cabin. Like the exterior design, the inside is plucked from other Chevrolet models. This isn't a bad thing, as it does away with the rough plastic-fantastic Equinox interior of yore. Plastic is still used liberally, but there's a clear move toward softer touch and lower impact materials." -- Automobile Magazine (2018)

Seating

The Chevy Equinox seats five and comes standard with cloth upholstery. Leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel are available.

Equinox drivers enjoy terrific forward visibility thanks to the seat height. Comfort levels are OK, and there's ample support on longer drives. The low step-in height makes it easy to get in and out of this Chevrolet. The rear seats offer a decent amount of space, but the optional sunroof drastically reduces headroom.

For securing child safety seats, the Equinox has two full sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats, as well as an upper tether anchor for the rear middle seat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the tether anchors can be confused with other hardware.

• "Overall, the ride is pleasant, with the seating height delivering excellent visibility." -- Autotrader
• Getting into and out of the cabin is fairly easy thanks to a low step-in height. However, the bottom edges of the doors are low and prone to scraping on high curbs. The interior is quite roomy, but only if you skip the optional panoramic sunroof. Selecting it reduces rear headroom severely. There's a good range of seat adjustment, but the steering wheel doesn't telescope far enough for average-size adult drivers, forcing them to sit closer and more upright than many will prefer." -- Edmunds (2019)
• "… two days' driving confirmed one of our initial takeaways: The Equinox's new seats are a step backward. As compact SUVs go, the old Equinox had exceptionally big, comfy seats; these are, well, ordinary. Headroom and seat height are good across the board, but the optional panoramic moonroof annexes nearly 2 inches of headroom, front and rear. Get a car with this feature and tall passengers in back will have to slouch." -- Cars.com (2018)

Interior Features

Standard features in the Equinox include the Infotainment 3 system with a 7-inch touch screen, a six-speaker audio system, two USB ports, Bluetooth, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and a Wi-Fi hot spot. Also standard are a rear-seat reminder, push-button start, and Chevy’s Teen Driver system, which lets you do things like set speed and audio volume limits for secondary drivers, as well as monitor their driving performance.

Standard driver assistance features include a rearview camera, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection.

Available features include dual-zone automatic climate control, remote start, a panoramic sunroof, a rear-seat entertainment system, an 8-inch touch screen, navigation, satellite radio, HD Radio, a seven-speaker Bose audio system, wireless device charging, and additional USB ports.

Available driver assistance features include adaptive cruise control, a surround-view parking camera system, rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, and a safety alert seat.

The infotainment system works well, and it doesn't require much of a learning curve. In addition to the touch screen, there are physical controls for some functions. However, glare from the sun can make the display hard to see at times, and it takes many steps to adjust some settings.

See 2020 Chevrolet Equinox specs »

• The touchscreen is awkwardly angled away, making it prone to catching glare and obscuring the display. Otherwise, the layout of the controls is logical, and operating the many systems is intuitive." -- Edmunds (2019)
• "One of the first things that struck me when I entered the new Equinox was the restyled infotainment setup. Where last year's edition was essentially a wall of buttons, the updated model has a simple, clean design that's easier on the eyes without detracting from usability. … From a driving perspective, my favorite add-on is the information display screen in the gauge cluster, which, unlike most of its contemporaries, is horizontally oriented. Chevy doesn't give much lip service to this feature, which is becoming a standard offering throughout its lineup, but its lightyears ahead of its predecessor." -- New York Daily News (2018)
• Audio systems differ depending on trim level – and thus, so might their layout – so this may only apply to the one in the Premier we drove. There's only a volume knob and a couple of physical buttons below the 8-inch touchscreen, with everything else being done through 'virtual' buttons on the screen. That often means drilling down through multiple layers to get where you want – something that tends to take more study and a longer look from the road – but it's not as complicated here as in some. Climate controls consist of rotary temperature and individual mode buttons (nice), but repetitive-step buttons for fan speed (not as nice)." -- Consumer Guide (2018)

Cargo

The Chevy Equinox provides 29.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seats and 63.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. That's a decent amount of room for the compact SUV class, though many competitors offer more space.

This Chevy's cargo hold is useful and versatile thanks to rear seats that fold flat and an underfloor storage area. There's plenty of small-item storage in the cabin as well. A power liftgate and a hands-free power liftgate are available.

• While the Equinox doesn't have an abundance of cargo space compared to rivals, it should still handle the bulk of everyday hauling. When you consider some of the thoughtful features [such as the self-folding rear seats and underfloor storage] it's easy to give it a nod for the lack of on-paper capacity." -- Edmunds
• "Although the Equinox is a bit smaller on the outside, it hasn't lost any cargo capacity. … The seats don't fold perfectly flat, but it's pretty close and should do just fine for the ubiquitous run to Ikea or Home Depot." -- CNET (2018)
• Behind the rear seat, the Equinox offers 29.9 cubic feet of cargo room … enough to handle a pair of suitcases with plenty of room to spare. The 'kneeling' rear seat features a bottom set of cushions that jut forward to allow the seatback to fold flat, opening up 63.5 cubic feet for storage, putting it within range of all its top competitors but still solidly behind the top-selling Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue and Ford Escape." -- New York Daily News (2018)