The Chevrolet Equinox is one cost-effective midsize SUV that doesn’t cut costs when it comes to equipment and creature comfort. In fact, its seats and ride comfort can be easily stated as one of the more refined and supple in its class. The ergonomics are pretty well sorted, with most controls falling into hand easily and placed where you exactly expect them to be.
2013 Chevrolet Equinox Dashboard
However, just two years into its life span, we just can’t hide the feeling that the overall appeal of this cabin doesn’t match what the competition has on offer these days. Although the fitment of the panels feels tight and durable, the panel themselves feel plasticky and hollow, which makes us question the longevity of these items. So has Chevrolet done too little to make the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox’s cabin standout over competition like the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V, and the Ford Escape? Are you even getting stuff that’s worth the basic asking price of $24,225? Let’s take a look.
To start with a positive note, the seats on the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox are really good, more so if you are equipped with the power/heated units with perforated leather upholstery. There is a wide range of adjustments on offer and as far as we can tell, long-distance drives shouldn’t be a problem, at least for the front row occupants. The seats are set high, so forward visibility does not comes in as an issue. The door pads and the center console armrest are perfectly placed and have enough padding to rest your elbows so that you don’t arms don’t get all drained out clinging to the steering on long drives.
2013 Chevrolet Equinox Front Seats
The rear seats are also comfortable enough for this class of SUVs and also offer around 40-inches of legroom. The seat-backs tilt a teeny-weeny bit so that you could squeeze out this last bit of comfort if ever end in one of these on long drives. But the absence of separate HVAC vents is a bit of a bummer and the unavailability of rear USB ports is something that bothered us along with it. You do get a 12V power outlet placed on the lower center console, but there is no sensible place to keep the device you would be plugging in part from the seatback pockets, which leaves the wires dangling in the leg space. You also get a sunroof and that does really help light up the cabin, especially if you have an all-black leather.
Model
2013 Chevrolet Equinox
2013 Toyota RAV4
2013 Honda CR-V
2013 Ford Escape
Passenger Capacity
5
5
5
5
First Row (Head/shoulder/legroom)
40.9/55.8/41.2
38.9/57.3/42.6
39.9/58.6/41.3
39.9/56.0/40.4
Second Row (Head/shoulder/legroom)
39.2/55.3/39.9
38.9/55.4/37.2
38.6/56.4/38.3
39.0/55.3/36.8
The cabin space on the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox is mostly on par with the other cars in its segment while offering the best headroom and second-row legroom. The Honda CR-V has the most effective use of space here with decent segregation of room between the first and second rows. The Toyota RAV4 closely follows in dimensions whilst offering the most front row legroom in comparison here, which helps in bringing the most sense of space. The Ford Escape places itself bang in the middle, with its second longest wheelbase. However, the compact proportion does make it feel the least spacious here.
Some standout interior features of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox include:
8-Way Power heated front seats
Driver seat and mirror memory functions
Leather wrapped steering with cruise control/tilt/telescopic adjustment
Polished metal/silver cabin inserts
Automatic climate control system
Available leather interior upholstery with dash/door panel inlays
Keyless entry system
How intuitive is the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox’s infotainment system?
The 2013 Chevrolet Equinox as standard comes with a basic media system with a graphic interface display with support for iPod, radio, CD, and Bluetooth music coupled with an 80W 6-speaker audio system. However, if we were to advise, we would suggest you spend the additional buck and go for any of the LT or higher trims so that you get equipped with the 7-inch My Link touchscreen system that is miles ahead in functionality than the basic unit.
2013 Chevrolet Equinox Infotainment System
Not only does it bring in a vastly more usable touchscreen interface but it also gets support for navigation and a backup camera if you equip one with so. You also have an option to upgrade to an 8-speaker Pioneer Premium Audio system with this unit, which in full honesty, doesn’t sound all that “premium” to us. One thing to note here is that, even though the screen is decently sized, the display is far from the best we have seen in this class and it tends to take a shift in color when you look at it off axis or indirect light.
Standout infotainment features available with the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox:
7-Inch infotainment touch screen (7-inch MyLink system available)
Bluetooth hands-free
Satellite radio
Backup camera
Navigation ( available)
Voice activation
6-speaker audio system (8-speaker Pioneer system available)
Steering mounted audio controls
What are the creature comfort features inside the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox?
Though the lower trims might feel a bit basic, the higher you go up the trim line, features like automatic climate control, keyless entry, auto-dimming inside mirror, driver seat/exterior mirror memory functions, leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, and even lane departure alert get on the spec list. However, as mentioned, the basic trims do feel a bit barebones in comparison and we even doubt if the actual quality of the plastic feels cut down on them when compared back-to-back with a nicely appointed trim.
What is the cargo capacity on offer?
At the back of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, you get a 31.5 cu.-ft. cargo area, which is decent enough for an average family but far from what the best in class has on offer. The size may be enough for an average family, but ask for anything more than a weekend getaway, the limit in the cargo room is definitely felt.
2013 Chevrolet Equinox Infotainment System
You can obviously fold down the rear seat to excavate close to 64 cu.-ft. of cargo area, but that is just leaving the rear seats unusable.
Model
2013 Chevrolet Equinox
2013 Toyota RAV4
2013 Honda CR-V
2013 Ford Escape
Cargo Capacity to the second row(cu.-ft)
31.5
38.4
37.2
34.3
The 2013 Chevrolet Equinox just doesn’t match the competition when it comes to the cargo area. The Toyota RAV4 is the one that leads the pack with its massive 38.4 cu.-ft. trunk while the Honda CR-V comes a close second with 37.2 cu.-ft. on offer. The Ford Escape also gets way with a 34.3 cu.-ft. cargo area leaving the SUV with the longest wheelbase here in the dust of competitors when it comes to practicality.
What are the other storage spaces inside?
There is not a lot going on when it comes to in-cabin storage spaces. The only significant space we would find apart from the door bins and cup holders are the spaces under the armrests. You do get a couple of pockets below the HVAC controls, but don’t really hold anything and throw out what is held if you do a quick acceleration. The wheel arch covers in the cargo hold have some pockets on them. If you have something that moves around a lot, that would be the place to keep it, especially if you have one of those cargo covers equipped.
So, is the interior of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox luxurious and opulent enough?
The insides of the Chevrolet Equinox never really had a wow factor, to begin with. Just a few years into the generation update and overall insides, we think, is finding it hard to stand the test of time, especially if you are not someone fortunate enough to grab one of those premium trims. The tech, space, and comfort are all there, but they just don’t seem to come out altogether to form something interesting. The sense of occasion that you get when spending over 32 grand on a vehicle, well that is definitely something that we felt missing.
