2006 Equinox LT Good or No Good

[Atlanticcanuck]

I am looking at a 2006 Equinox LT.  Just wondering what the general feed back on these things is?

I currently have a 2004 Ford Escape that has 5 payments left on it.  The Equinoz dealer is willing to absorb the 5 payments (get me out of my lease) and set me up in the fully loaded Equinox for $515 per month. (4 years)

Thanks for the feed back.

Canuck

[y2chuck]

I own a 2006 Torrent and love it.  The Torrent seems to be a more upscale version of the Equinox, but mechanically it's identical.  Have you test driven it?

The 3.4 has plenty of torque for day to day driving so it has some nice jump off the line but you do feel the lack of power once you hit highway speeds over 120.  I know the steering and suspension are tuned differently in both but my Torrent handles great for a big SUV, the steering is solid and direct and for an SUV it carves the corners pretty well, but the big beefy tires help with that as well.

Tons of cargo space, tight as a drum, no rattles squeaks or flex in the chassis (like the VUE has) over harsh bumps.  The interior is very quiet as well and dare I say quieter than my old Mazda6.

Are you getting AWD?

[Atlanticcanuck]

I am getting AWD.  I have a demo out front right now.  I love the extra space (compared to my Escape) but the drive will take getting used to.  The Escape feels more in contact with the road especially in turns.

[y2chuck]

Check out a Torrent if you can before making the deal.  It will handle much better and give you a better road feel.

[Accordingly]

I am looking into this vehicle myself, but have been put off a bit by the feedback in the Edmunds forums. There appear to be regularly recurring problems with a foul odor, suspension issues, and rear thumping noises.

But it looks nice! 

[Atlanticcanuck]

I noticed an ordor as well while test driving but I am asuming it was just the parts getting used to motion.  The SUV only had 10k on it when we took it out for a test drive.  No smell on the inside, just when you got out of the vechile it smelled like rubber burning.

[y2chuck]

I am looking into this vehicle myself, but have been put off a bit by the feedback in the Edmunds forums. There appear to be regularly recurring problems with a foul odor, suspension issues, and rear thumping noises.

But it looks nice! 

If you're coming to the CTC meet in Sept (if you're in the GTA) you can take my Torrent for a spin!

[Gwendly]

I own a 2006 Torrent and love it.  The Torrent seems to be a more upscale version of the Equinox, but mechanically it's identical. 

I testdrove both also when I bought my X-trail and I got kinda the same impression. I muchly prefered the Torrent to the Equinox....

[tenpenny]

One of the guys here has an 06 Equinox.  After a month, it needed to have the all the hoses and the rad replaced and the engine flushed, because the trans cooler leaked...last month, the rear end was knackered, so in order to fix it, they took a rear end out of a brand new one on the lot, and swapped it out for his, so that he could still go on his vacation.  That's not the end of his problems, but thems the highlights.

I think it's been in the shop 6 times so far for unscheduled repairs/warranty issues, and he's extremely good to his vehicles.

[laspalmas]

One of the guys here has an 06 Equinox.  After a month, it needed to have the all the hoses and the rad replaced and the engine flushed, because the trans cooler leaked...last month, the rear end was knackered, so in order to fix it, they took a rear end out of a brand new one on the lot, and swapped it out for his, so that he could still go on his vacation.  That's not the end of his problems, but thems the highlights.

I think it's been in the shop 6 times so far for unscheduled repairs/warranty issues, and he's extremely good to his vehicles.

That does not surprise me one bit...back when I was test driving all the cute-utes, I took the Equinox for a spin and returned it promptly. Old technology dressed up to look good for the prom (OHV engine etc..) No comparison with the one I eventually purchased.

[y2chuck]

One of the guys here has an 06 Equinox.  After a month, it needed to have the all the hoses and the rad replaced and the engine flushed, because the trans cooler leaked...last month, the rear end was knackered, so in order to fix it, they took a rear end out of a brand new one on the lot, and swapped it out for his, so that he could still go on his vacation.  That's not the end of his problems, but thems the highlights.

I think it's been in the shop 6 times so far for unscheduled repairs/warranty issues, and he's extremely good to his vehicles.

I think by visit #6 I woulda politely "parked" it in the showroom...

[Atlanticcanuck]

I have checked out everything from Canadian Driver to Consumer Reports and they find no significant difference between the two.  In fact, consumer reports basically used the same vechile to review them both.  Other articles available on the web such as http://www.skipressworld.com/us/en/daily_news/2006/02/winter_wheels_pontiac_torrent_nice_but_no_equinox_which_is_odd_since_theyre_built_on_the_same_platform.html?cat=Travel  also find no difference accept for colour/front grill/ and other small features.

The 2005 models seem to have had really big issues.  The verdict is still out on 2006.  A co-worker bought one earlier this year and has had no issues with it.  Out of the 16 or so comments on consumer reports, only a couple had issues.  Everyone else was very pleased with both the Torrent and the Equinox. 

I am looking at leasing, so I will have a warrantee to cover the whole lease period.  It would be a pain to keep bringing it in, but atleast the work would be covered.

[Accordingly]

I am looking into this vehicle myself, but have been put off a bit by the feedback in the Edmunds forums. There appear to be regularly recurring problems with a foul odor, suspension issues, and rear thumping noises.

But it looks nice! 

If you're coming to the CTC meet in Sept (if you're in the GTA) you can take my Torrent for a spin!

thanks for the offer...when is that (I can't find the thread)...sorry for the hi-jack

[stodge]

I test drove a 1 year old Equinox with 20.000km on the clock that was the "manager's vehicle". The suspension creaked, rattled, thudded and groaned over every bump and sounded like it was a 30 year old vehicle. If that was the manager's vehicle, please god never let me work for GM!   

[Wetson]

I like the looks of the Equinox but I'm pretty sure the Torrent handles better.  It's too bad you can't get an Equinox with the handling of a Torrent.  None the less, I'm sure both are great SUV's. Good Luck

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I just preferred the black interior scheme of the Torrent and supposedly the firmer suspension settings.

The new '07MY interior for Equinox and Torrent is a nice upgrade. Same basic shape, but richer. Didn't like the plastic silver, but dunno if I like the wood effect much more.

'07 - http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=422
'06 - http://www.truckworld.com/Sport-Utility/05-Equinox/EquinoxDashWeb.jpg

[y2chuck]

I think GMI has an 07 Torrent interor shot too.  AFAIR it's sorta a piano black finish instead of the plastic.  I don't mind the silvery plastic parts, but the main dash material is pretty horrendous. Looks ok, but very cheap feeling.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I'm a fan of piano black (even if it leaves prints) so will look out for it. If the plastic looks okay and is durable, I probably won't mind it. I only dash-stroke SOMEtimes 

[safristi]

Ebony & Ivory....wax dem suckers......................

[Atlanticcanuck]

Well!

At the end of the day I went with the Equinox LT Fully loaded.  The dealer's deal just kept getting better and better and they paid the last 5 payments on my Escape directly to Ford.

The scary feedback is a worry; but the feedback on Consumer Reports was positive overall.  And lets face it, its a lease.  If the damn thing breaks down, they give me a demo to replace it.  And I listen to my cd system so loud I'll never hear a squeak, let alone the bumber falling off.

I have to say that XM radio was not something I was looking for or even interested in, but now that I have it...damn it sounds good.