Chevrolet Beat’s Toyota; Affordable SUVS!
The new 2011 Chevrolet Equinox, which can be purchased at Brooklyn Park Chevrolet Dealer, was ranked number 1 out of 24 Affordable Compact SUV. The Equinox comes with a pretty nice protection plan. It consists of three years or 36,000 mile basic warranty as well as a transferable five year or 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and roadside assistance.
The 2011 Chevrolet Equinox, which can also be found at Aiken Chevrolet Dealership, has yet to be crash tested, but it's 2010 model did very well. That model received five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars on rollover tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2010 model it's highest ranking of "Good" in front, side, rear crash and roof strength tests. The Equinox comes with plenty of safety features as well. Some include dual-stage frontal airbags, thorax side impact airbags, seat mounted driver and front passenger airbags, and head curtain airbags for outboard seating positions. It also comes standard with anti-lock brakes, stabilitrak electronic stability control system, traction control, brake assist and OnStar automatic crash response and emergency services.
Now if you are looking for something a little bit bigger, you should look at the new 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser which can be purchased at Utah Toyota Dealership. It was ranked number 13 out of 23 Affordable Midsize SUV. It features an updated 4.0 liter V6 engine that creates 259 horsepower. It comes available with a five speed electronically controlled automatic transmission or an optional six speed manual for the full time four wheel drive model.

Toyota has given the Cruiser a pretty cut and dry protection package. It consists of three years or 36,000 mile basic warranty and a five year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. The Cruiser also did very well on crash tests. They received five stars for driver protection, four stars for passenger protection in frontal crash tests and five stars for both front and rear seat protection in side crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the FJ Cruiser it's highest ranking of "Good" in frontal offset, side impact and rear crash protection tests. It also comes with plenty of safety features as well. Some of them include; vehicle stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. Driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags, front seat mounted side airbags and front and second row roll-sensing side curtain airbags.
So whether you are looking for a mid-size SUV or one that has off road capabilities, I'm sure one of these will suit you. Take a trip to your local Chevrolet and Toyota dealerships in your town and test drive one or two. I'm sure you will find something that will suit all your needs.
What Is Equal With The Equinox?
The sport utility market continues to expand despite higher than normal gas prices. The reason? Because, these do-almost-everything-vehicles provide just what consumers want. Sure, sales are down right now, but they will recover as more economical vehicles enter the mix. SUVs carry people, haul stuff, pull stuff, can go off-roading [okay, maybe not the Equinox], provide superior handling than many cars, etc. Fortunately, not all are gas guzzlers either. Chevrolet’s Equinox and the Land Rover Freelander are two that come to mind. Let’s take a look at these two compact SUVs.
Chevrolet Equinox – I like the looks of the Equinox, Chevy’s car-based SUV that is only slightly smaller than the mid-size TrailBlazer. By car-based I mean a vehicle that handles and drives more like a car and is actually built on a car platform [like the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4, for example]. This means that the Equinox is built chiefly for the road, so if you want an off road experience you would need to opt for the TrailBlazer or get the Freelander. Cleveland Chevrolet says these are one of their top sellers.
The Equinox is available as either a front wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicle. Seating five passengers, the Equinox comes equipped with a 3.4L V6 that produces 185hp. The engine is paired with a five-speed automatic transmission; no manual transmission is available. Chevrolet Westlake says there is not a demand for manual in their Equinox. A traction control system is standard with the front wheel drive Equinox while all models come equipped with ABS and electric steering. Standard equipment for the Equinox includes power windows, power mirrors, and power locks with Remote Keyless Entry; AM/FM stereo and CD player with six speakers; and air conditioning. The Equinox has received a 5 star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for frontal crash and side-impact crash tests. Starting prices for the Equinox are very competitive with comparable models in its class. Base MSRP for the FWD is just over 22K; 24K for the AWD.
Land Rover Freelander – The smallest of all Land Rovers is the Freelander, a compact full time all wheel drive vehicle available as either a 3 or 5 door SUV. Unlike the Equinox, the Freelander has full off road capabilities as do every Land Rover model. The Freelander comes equipped with a Four-wheel Electronic Traction Control system; ABS; a 2.5L Quad Cam V6 engine paired with a 5 speed automatic transmission; an AM/FM stereo/CD system with RDS radio; air conditioning; fog lamps; a perimeter security system; and much more. The Freelander, a five passenger vehicle, sells for a price starting at just over 27K.
The Freelander is produced in England while the Equinox is built in Canada, In all, both the Equinox and Freelander represent well built compact SUVs with two different purposes: the Equinox is built primarily for the highway and around town and has the stronger engine, while the Freelander is built for both highway and trail. Make sure you stop by Chevrolet Hendersonville to test drive one today.
Equinox Still on Top!

The 2010 Equinox from Chevrolet is still quite impressive to consumers. Recent reports indicate that the sales of the Equinox for 2010 have increased by 113% compared to its sales from 2009. It's impressive what a complete redesign can do for popularity. Even people who are in the market for a Ford F-150 might be impressed by the features of the Equinox and change their mind on their next vehicle purchase. Dealerships are having to offer several incentives to compete with Chevy and it seems that there are continually Volkswagen Deals being offered to consumers on their Equinox competition, the VW Tiguan. So what is it exactly that makes this crossover compact SUV so popular?
The Equinox has been on the market since 2006 and you are likely to find a used model from GM Saginaw. This popular vehicle offers drivers the best fuel economy in its class, with 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. That is better gas mileage than popular sedans on the market right now! The demand on this vehicle continues to remain high, and dealerships have a hard time keeping them on the lot for more than a couple days. Plus, people are paying more than the MSRP price, on average according to U.S. News and Rankings.
While the CR-V from Honda and Rav4 from Toyota both also underwent recent redesigns, they have not been able to pass the Equinox in total sales. Consumers so far love its stylish exterior design, roomy and comfortable interior, as well as the fact that the vehicle looks and feels more expensive than it actually is. GM has installed a new state of the art noise canceling system in both the Chevy Equinox and its cousin the GMC Terrain, making for an incredibly quiet ride at an affordable price.
Chevy Equinox, vamped up.

The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox has been known as an affordable compact SUV by most Greenville Chevy dealers and their consumers. The Chevy Equinox has gained a lot of consumers attention both from its nice and quiet nature, efficient engines, excellent fuel economy, class-leading cargo space and roomy back-seat. Even the Chevy Equinox exterior design is well-liked by consumers.
However, as with any vehicle, it has its flaws. Starting with its predictable, uninspired driving expreience, lack of third-row seating, and sub-par interior materials that don't seem to measure up to most of the competitors who have beat it in popularity. Yet maybe with the new makeover for the 2010 version it will be able to amount to what their competitors have dished out for the Chevrolet company. The compliments to the consumer? Chevrolet is not charging a premium for the improvements done to the Chevy Equinox.
Are the improvements worth the $22,543-$29,704 price tag? We'll let the consumer decide.

