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The Big Picture

If you’re a woman who tends to be anxious and like her vehicle with lots of interior space and the solid-feeling weightiness, then the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox might be right up you alley. The Chevy Equinox crossover is one of the larger players in the compact-SUV category and offers the space carpooling moms say they need and the poundage they associate with safety. It gives a comfortable ride, has plenty of legroom in the back and will serve your family well on long road trips.

Family Friendliness

Although the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t have the cargo capacity of its competitors – the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4 – the 2013 Chevy Equinox nonetheless gets high marks for family friendliness and the rear leg room provides added space for bundles. The AWD makes it an excellent vehicle for camping trips up to the mountains or ski weekends. There’s plenty of interior storage compartments, including a deep center console that can hold a purse or laptop and a roof rack for schlepping skis or extra luggage.

Safety

Like similar vehicles on the market, the Chevrolet Equinox is loaded with safety features designed to protect you and those 14 kids, including a standard four–wheel antilock brake system with Electronic Brake Force distribution and the available Lane Departure Warning that lets you know when you’re wandering from your lane without using your turn signal. Meanwhile, the advanced Forward Collision Alert (requires the V6 model) alerts you when you’re rapidly approaching another vehicle and a collision seems imminent. Packed with plenty of airbags and rear parking sensors, in braking tests the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox came to a stop from 60 mph in 122 feet, which is good for a vehicle like this. In government crash tests it rated an overall score of four stars out of a maximum five, including: four out of five stars for overall frontal crash protection and five stars for overall side protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Chevy crossover a “good” rating in frontal-offset and side-impact crash testing.

Driving Experience

I can’t complain about how the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox drives. Its weightiness gives it a grounded and stable feel. It handles well – although the steering is a bit numb – holds the road and comfortably seats five. One of its useful features is the rear seat that slides back and forth eight inches making for 39.9 inches of leg room. I also like the rearview camera (I’m addicted to these) as it eliminates the blind spots that typically characterize driving an SUV. My biggest gripe with the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox is the confusing configuration on the steering wheel column that controls the lights. There are several turning knobs. Every time I exited the vehicle I found that my headlights or low lights were still on, then I had to jiggle for a minute or two to turn them off. My advice: always look back to make sure your lights are off.

Pricing and Trim Levels

2013 Chevrolet Equinox

FWD 4 Cyl, 2.4L 182hp 22 city/32 hwy mpg AWD V6, 3.6L, 264 hp 16 city/23 hwy mpg