A pair of experts in their fields honored a third recently, when the editors of Parents magazine teamed up with Edmunds.com to name two Chevrolet products to their annual “Best Family Cars” of the year list. And with Chevrolet known for its leadership in the industry’s highly competitive crossover segments, it makes sense that it was the Equinox and Traverse that garnered this recognition.
The Equinox is a mid-sized crossover that offers families an impressively roomy and versatile interior, with rear seating that can be adjusted for 8 inches of fore and aft travel, along with front seats that can be similarly moved 10 inches in either direction. That gives the Equinox the most second-row leg room in its class when the rear seats are all the way back or, with rear seating pulled all the way forward and the seatbacks folded, an ample 31.4 cu. ft. of cargo room. Space versatility, Beavercreek Chevrolet says, is important to active families. There’s plenty of in-cabin storage, too, with numerous storage bins throughout the interior.
Another family friendly feature is the Equinox’s power train, which mates an economical direct-injection four-cylinder engine to an advanced six-speed automatic transmission, which, in turn, boasts a standard “eco” mode that can optimize the transmission’s shift points for enhanced fuel efficiency. The results: A strong 22 mpg in the city and best-in-class highway and combined EPA ratings of 32 mpg and 26 mpg, respectively. Economy is important for busy families, according to Peoria Chevrolet.
Yet, as Parents magazine emphasizes, the Equinox offers “ample oomph on the highway” and “it’s surprisingly maneuverable in traffic.”
That’s all great for family road trips, as are Equinox’s infotainment options, including a nav system with a 7-inch touchscreen, an up-level sound system, and a DVD-based rear-seat entertainment system with two separate screens that can allow one passenger to play video games while the other watches a movie, all at the same time.
As for the Traverse, “It’s just as versatile as a minivan, but this sporty SUV has way more street cred,” according to Parents/Edmunds.com. It also has seating for up to eight, including a third-row designed to hold actual adults. Plus, with its “Smart Slide” second-row setup, it’s easy for adults—or any passengers—to get to those back seats. At the same time, “You can fit a week’s-vacation worth of luggage into the rear cargo well, and with the seats folded down, this vehicle could almost double as a delivery van.”
Of course, delivery vans are also unlikely to offer the Traverse’s wide range of in-vehicle connectivity, information and entertainment systems, which just happen to match those available on the Equinox. Chevrolet dealers Manassas believe those features are important to crossover buyers.
But even in a package that offers all that room and all those features, the Traverse handles crisply and leads its segment in highway fuel efficiency, with an EPA rating of 24 mpg.
Both vehicles offer a wide range of safety features, too. Among them: a full suite of airbags, anti-lock brakes, power rear liftgates, electronic stability/traction control, rear cameras and GM’s OnStar service with Automatic Crash Response. In case of an accident, OnStar can send emergency personnel directly to a vehicle’s exact GPS coordinates even if no one in the vehicle can respond.
In other words, if you want to take care of your family on the road, you should first let your local Chevy dealer take care of your family at the dealership.
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