2011 Lincoln Town Car Review

The 2011 Lincoln Town Car. The end of the line, the end of an era.

The end of the year clearance sales are on. 2011s are leaving the lot to make room for the 2012s.

Except for the Lincoln Town Car. When the last one is gone, that's it. There will be no more. It's been years since Ford bothered to put one in the press fleet in TireKicker's hometown, so we arranged with Fiesta Lincoln in Mesa, Arizona to drive one for a week.

The last Lincoln Town Car is a big deal because it's not just the end of a body style or a nameplate, but of a type of automobile. The Town Car is what American sedans were from World War II onward...big, comfortable, rear-wheel-drive, V8-powered machines that sat six adults in great comfort.

The 2011 Lincoln Town Car interior. You may have had smaller apartments.

See that armrest in the picture above? Fold it up, and you'll find a seat belt. There's no center console. The gear selector is sticking out of the steering column. 3 in the front, 3 in the back...and even given contemporary American bodily dimensions (within reason), nobody's crowded. There's 21 cubic feet of space in the trunk for all your things.

It's more comfortable than a large SUV, certainly has a better ride and arguably better handling, and it definitely gets better mileage (the EPA says 16 city/24 highway, and we saw 22.5 on a long stretch of urban freeway, with our weeklong city street/freeway mix never dropping below 19).

Our tester? Basic as it comes. The Signature model. $47,225. 4.6 liter single overhead cam flexible fuel V8, automatic transmission, halogen headlamps, heated power windows with memory, heated 8-way power front seats with lumbar, leather seating surfaces, leather and wood steering wheel with audio, cruise and climate controls, a dual-zone climate system, an AM/FM/6-CD changer premium audio system,  power adjustable pedals, rear park assist, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, traction contol and a security alarm. All that packaged with a 4 year/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, a 6 year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty and 24 hour roadside assistance.

Complete enough that ours had only one option...whitewall tires ($125). Yes, whitewall tires. You can still get them. And, apparently, reasonably.

All told, with $945 for destination and delivery charges, the Town Car rang in at $48,295. And you know what? We loved it. It's the ultimate road trip car (I rented dozens, if not hundreds over the years as a traveling TV news reporter), and it's perfectly fine in city traffic as well. There is, in fact, nothing wrong with it that couldn't be fixed with some cosmetic and convenience updates, and driving the Town Car, I kept coming up with arguments why it should be saved.

But the Town Car got stuck with the label of "old peoples' car", and in an acutely image-conscious society thus was doomed to declining sales as its owner base aged, gave up drivers' licenses and, well, began dying off. Demand stayed strong in the limousine and executive sedan market, where the combined virtues of room, relative economy and near-bulletproof reliability (300,000 to 400,000 miles is not uncommon for a Town Car) are highly prized.

The 2011 Lincoln Town Car. Off into the sunset.

Why don't civilian drivers who buy large (in some cases, huge) vehicles prize those qualities, too? Room for 6, more than respectable gas mileage, decent cargo space, epic safety ratings and legendary durability and reliability with a starting price under $50,000 would probably be a big draw...on paper..for a lot of buyers in their 40s and 50s.

Until you say the words "Lincoln Town Car".

So we walk away from something that works in favor of more stylish things that don't quite work as well. Our fault and our loss for that. There are a lot of people for whom a Lincoln Town Car would be just about perfect. If you have an open mind, Cars.com says there are 746 new Town Cars on dealer lots in the USA as I type this. That's 28 fewer than there were when I began writing this review a little less than an hour ago. 26.64 more hours like that and they're all gone.

TireKicker Time Machine: 1994 Acura Legend Coupe



Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe. Not your typical 18-year old car.

Confession: I've been neglecting the TireKicker Time Machine feature. Partly because it's 17 million degrees in Phoenix this summer but also because I'm looking for the exceptional.

Turns out I found it in the summer of 2009...and just needed reminding.

The picture above is of a 1994 Acura Legend 6-Speed Coupe belonging to a young man named Tyson Hugie. And it's a recent photo.



Tyson Hugie, Michael Hagerty and Tyson's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe in 2009.

That's us, a little over two years ago, meeting for the first time when I was doing a story for television on people who keep their cars for 100,000  200,000 miles or more. Tyson more than qualified...his Legend had 378,000 miles..and was not only running...but virtually flawless. That was our only meeting. We've stayed in sporadic touch by e-mail since.



Rear view of Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe.

Tyson's a huge believer in maintenance. Anything that breaks gets fixed fast, and there's so much attention to upkeep that nothing much breaks.

And if you think he keeps it nice by not driving it much...remember that mileage? 378,000 two summers ago? Here's the odometer from this past weekend:



Tyson's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe odometer reading as of this weekend.

That's right...now closing in on half a million miles. Tyson has driven 113,774 miles in 26 months. That's 4,375 miles a month. Testing two cars a week, I do maybe 2,000...2,400 tops. How's he do it?

He drives places. Interesting, faraway places:



Tyson and the 1994 Acura Legend at the Alaskan border.

There are a lot of interesting adventures and insights wrapped up in getting a car to the 500,000 mile mark...and Tyson tells them best in his own blog devoted to getting there: DriveToFive (Legendary Quest for 500,000 Miles). He'll hit that milestone soon at this rate...so bookmark it now and start enjoying the ride.

2011 Porsche Panamera Review



The 2011 Porsche Panamera. "Controversial" doesn't begin to describe the styling.

The Nissan Juke. The Scion xB. Those are the two cars that have gotten the most negative comments about their styling while we were driving them. And by the most, I mean a 50/50 split on the xB, 60/40 negative/positive on the Juke.

The Porsche Panamera? 100% thumbs down.

Now, this is rare. Normally, when I roll up in a Porsche...any Porsche...even the Cayenne and especially the 911...there's a lot of oohing and aahing and "omigodiwantone" going on.

Not with the Panamera. "Looks like someone dropped a boulder on a 911" was the frequent review.



Approach the 2011 Porsche Panamera from the front the first few times. It'll help.

The good news is that, especially from the front, there is some family resemblance to the cars we've come to know and love from Porsche. And, while not blindingly fast, at least not in Panamera 4 all-wheel-drive form like our tester, it still is a very quick big sedan...0-60 in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 159 miles per hour.

That performance is from the 3.6 liter V6, which cooks up 300 horsepower and 295 pounds per foot of torque. With a 7-speed automatic, the Panamera gets an EPA estimated 18 city/26 highway miles per gallon. Which, again, is very good for a big sedan. And it handles very, very well.



The four-seat interior of the 2011 Porsche Panamera.

Inside the car, you can't see what the car looks like on the outside, and you are in a very Porsche environment...at least a Porsche environment as defined by the Cayenne SUV. There's room for four, it's all very plush...but the Teutonic simplicity of the marque's best sports cars? No. Of course, you probably couldn't sell a luxury sedan equipped like that, but the Panamera went the exact opposite direction. There are forty-four buttons on the center console alone. Factor in window switches, audio system stuff and the rest, and the count throughout the cabin gets stratospheric.

The list of what comes with the car as standard equipment and what's optional is very long and highly dependent on whether you order the Panamera, Panamera S, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera S Hybrid, Panamera Turbo or Panamera Turbo S, so we'll just let you surf over to Porsche's website to check it out for yourself.

As noted above, ours was the Panamera 4. Base price $79,800. And Porsche's press fleet folks added Basalt Black Metallic paint ($790), a ski bag ($405), auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors ($420), front heated seats ($525), heated steering wheel ($250), 19" Panamera Turbo wheels ($1,950), a Bose surround sound system ($1,440), SiriusXM radio ($750) and Porsche crest front headrests ($285). Bottom line including $975 destination charge: $87,590.

The only thing missing...at least to this Porschephile who's never met a 911 he didn't like? The roar of the engine. Porsche's sixes give off this wonderful wail when you tromp on the accelerator, but the Panamera V6 just gathers up speed silently. I wonder if the faster Panameras (the S hybrid makes 60 in 5.7 seconds with a top speed of 167, the S 5.2 and 175, the 4S 4.8 and 175, the Turbo 4.0 and 188 and the Turbo S 3.6 and 190) have any of that snarl or if it's all speed.  Hopefully Porsche will allow us to find out first-hand.

Again, you have to remember that the Panamera is new territory...Porsche's response to swoopy luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7, Maserati Quattroporte and the Jaguar XJ. And by any objective measure, they've hit the target. 

2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe Review

The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe.

Just about three weeks ago, we sang the praises of the 2011 Infiniti G37 Sedan in a review here at TireKicker. Now it's the Infiniti G37 Coupe's turn.

The DNA is the same, there's just a level of style that the coupe brings (along with 2 more horsepower...a nice round 330).

Base price starts at $37,150, and as usual with Infiniti, you get a very complete car, should you wish to go no further: 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Intelligent Key, pushbutton start, leather-appointed seating, a 7-inch color display, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/mp3/SiriusXM audio system, tilt/telescope steering column, a full complement of air bags, and a 7-speed automatic transmission, which helps reach the EPA mileage estimate of 19 city/27 highway.

Yep, the automatic is standard. If you want the six-speed stick, you need to specify the Sport 6MT trim level, which starts at $43,350, but throws in slicker wheels and standard satellite navigation. There's also an all-wheel-drive level, the G37x, which begins at $40,250.

Slick, sleek and shapely from the rear: The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe.

Our tester was the second level up, the Journey. It starts at $38,600 and adds a rear-view monitor, heated front seats and outside mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth and a USB connection to the audio system. All worthwhile things for a road-trip car, hence (I guess) the name Journey. Though how they manage that (or why they would want to) when Dodge has a model called Journey I'm not at all clear on.

Doesn't matter. The car drives like a dream. Five minutes at the wheel and you'll want one. And that's just the base coupe. As we said, the Journey adds things that make driving safer and more comfortable. And the Infiniti press fleet people added to that.

The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe interior.

Not just a little....no, we're talking $8,450 worth of option packages.

There was the Technology Package ($1,200). Intelligent Cruise Control (maintains a set distance between you and the car in front of you...worked well...the first ones on the market 10 years ago didn't), rain-sensing windshield wipers, front pre-crash seat belts, advanced climate control system and brake assist with preview braking.

The Premium Package ($2,900). Power sliding tinted glass moonroof, rear parking sonar system, the Infiniti Studio on Wheels Premium Audio System by Bose, including a 2.0GB Music Box with 800MB storage, memory system for the driver's seat, which also gets power lumbar support, and the tilt/telescoping steering column gets powered. The audio system does sound great. The rest? $2,900 is a lot of money...and it was the most expensive option package.

The Sport Package ($1,900). Upgrade to the 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels with summer performance tires, add solid magnesium paddle shifters, a viscuous limited-slip differential, sport brakes with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear calipers, sport-tuned suspension and steering, a sport front fascia, 12-way driver and 8-way passenger sport seats with manual thigh extenders and aluminum pedals. Since most if not all of that actually goes into the driving experience of a very good sport coupe, I'd have no hesitation saying yes.

The Navigation Package ($1,850). A hard drive navigation system with DVD video playback, 3-D building graphics, Birdview, lane guidance, speed limit advisory, the Zagat Survey restaurant guide, voic recognition and an upgrade of the Music Box from 2.0GB to 9.3 gigs.

As we say when confronted with almost 2 grand for a nav system, "your phone does that".  Okay, maybe not the 3-D graphics and Birdview (which is just an effect that tips the map a bit so it looks like you're looking down on the city or wherever you are)...and not lane guidance or speed limit advisory (watch what lane you're in and read the street signs), but certainly maps and directions...and if you're even one generation behind the current iPhone and Android, there's a $9.99 app for Zagat and your phone probably can hold close to the 9.3 GB of music (the iPhone 4 comes in 16GB and 32GB models). Do you really need to drop $1,850?

And the final option: The Interior Accents Package ($600). High gloss maple interior accents. Looks nice. Purely a matter of taste and whether you think it's worth it.

With $875 for destination charges, our 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe rang in at $46,975.  Lose the nav package and it's $45,125. Pass on the moonroof, sonar, Bose audio, memory driver's seat with lumbar and the electrified tilt/telescope steering column and it becomes $42,225.  And at that level, it's a wonderful car at a very fair price.

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible Review

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible. Side effects may include elevated heart rate.

Go ahead, stare. I'll wait.

That, frankly, was the only thing that kept me from jumping in and twisting the key when they dropped off the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible. I had to look. For a long time. The thing was just incredibly gorgeous. A perfect blend of sensuality and menace.

Regular TireKicker readers know we haven't given a bad review to the re-born Camaro. We liked the SS coupe, and found that the 6-cylinder RS coupe was a big-time winner, as well. The only complaint we've ever had about the new Camaro was how dark the interior was...a combination of high doorsills, a low roof, minimal glass area and a sea of black plastic.

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible from the rear. No, there is no bad angle.

Problem solved. Not only does the convertible allow light and visibility, with the top down, the Camaro looks slimmer, sleeker...and even more desirable.

My only complaint now? That Chevy remembered to come get it at the end of the week.

The tester was the Camaro 2SS Convertible. That takes the 426-horsepower 6.2 liter V8, 20-inch bright painted aluminum wheels, four-piston Brembo vented front disc brakes, SS front and rear styling treatment, seat embroidery and limited-slip differential and adds leather-appointed seats, a heads-up display, the four-gauge cluster on the console (just like the '67-'69), a Boston Acoustics 8-speaker premium audio system, Bluetooth and a USB port. Starting price: $39,650. Ours had just one option, the RS Package, which swapped out the wheels for 20X8s in the front and 20X9s in the rear, with a midnight silver finish, HID headlamps with a halo ring and RS taillamps. That's $1,200. Fold in $850 for destination charge, and the bottom line is $41.700.

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible interior. Ahhh, much better.

So what's it like from behind the wheel? Fast. Like 4.8 to 60 and 13-second quarter miles. Furious...as in the engine note when you leave it in second and tromp on it (it makes great sounds in third and fourth, too). And then there's the other "F" word. Fun. Like little kids waving from inside the minivan in the next lane...teenagers doing 180s on their skateboards to look as you go by...pretty girls giving you looks (yes, it's the car...but you're IN it) you haven't seen in years.

And let's face it. There aren't many cars available today that can make all those things happen. There are some that can't make any of those things happen. And apart from a Mustang GT Convertible, there aren't any others who can make it happen for $41,700 as tested...and get an EPA estimated 16 city/24 highway in the process (the Mustang has 24 horsepower less, but is smaller, lighter and gets 17 city/26 highway).

When the ponycar and muscle car era of the late 60s came to a screeching halt in the early 70s, a lot of people thought the party was over for good. Well, it took a while, but not only are they back...they're better performers than they were 40-plus years ago.

Happy days are here again.

2011 Mazda RX-8 Review

The 2011 Mazda RX-8. End of the line.

I plead coincidence. This review of the 2011 Mazda RX-8 was on my schedule for this week before Mazda's announcement on Tuesday that it was discontinuing production. So this is a review and a farewell.

For seven model years, the RX-8 has been something of an underachiever...never quite meeting expectations of performance set by its looks nor expectations of performance in sales.

Part of the problem was compromise. Staying true to a mission pays off in sporting machines (the Mazda MX-5 Miata being a textbook example), but the RX-8 came with two too many seats (the rear ones being virtually unusable) and two too many doors (though half-doors would be more a more accurate way to describe the openings used for rear-seat access). As a result, the immediate impression was one of awkwardness. A head-on competitor to the Nissan 370Z would have been more satisfying.

Beyond that, there were more issues: A small rotary engine (1.3 liters) with limited output (232 horsepower, 159 pounds per foot of torque) meant it felt slow off the line and needed to be revved high and driven hard to feel like a sporting machine. Which was a double-bind, because rotary engines aren't known for their fuel economy...and the best the EPA could come up with for an RX-8 estimate was 16 city/22 highway.  Put all that together with a vague shifter and (in early models) a startlingly touchy clutch (stall it at one light, chirp the tires at the next), and the recipe just wasn't there.

Rear view of the 2011 Mazda RX-8.

Well, Mazda fixed some of those things. I was surprised during my week in the 2011 Mazda RX-8 at how much better the car rode and handled (suspension upgrades), at how vastly improved the shifter and clutch were and how those improvements made the engine's power more accessible. It had been refined into a very enjoyable car, and for the price and equipment, not a bad choice in the segment.

Base price for the base model is $26,795. Our tester was the Grand Touring model, which begins at $32,260. And that's where ours stopped, too...no options, since the Grand Touring brings a huge list of standard features (18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, high performance tires, Xenon headlights, fog lights, automatic climate control, a 300-watt Bose AM/FM/SiriusXM/6-disc CD changer audio system with 9 speakers, power windows and locks, 8-way power driver's seat with 3 memory settings, leather-trimmed and heated front seats, leather-wrapped shift knob, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, and Bluetooth. Tack on the delivery charge and it's $33,055.

The stylish and comfortable cabin of the 2011 Mazda RX-8.

So, the real story on the RX-8 is that it's ending just as it was getting good. If you want one, now's the time. Dealers are starting the clearance sales and Cars.com says that as of this writing, there are 216 left at U.S. dealers.

TireKicker Turns Three!

On August 24, 2008, I sat down at a computer and prepared to type the first words that would be published under the TireKicker banner. Even though I'd been reviewing cars for eleven years at that point, I fought the urge to type "Is this thing on?", because I had no idea if anyone would ever see what I wrote.

Review #1 was a fairly straightforward (and very brief) review of the 2009 BMW 128i Convertible. Since then, hundreds more have followed. As have many thousands of readers.

This summer has been a time of huge growth for TireKicker: Inclusion in Technorati's Top 100 Auto Sites and an explosion in visitors and pageviews. Doing a quick check of the analytics today, I was happy to see that not only has the past month been another all-time record, but that, if we maintained the traffic levels we have today, it would only take us seven months to equal the total number of pageviews we've had in the first three years.

So, whether you're reading TireKicker for the first time or have been with us since the beginning, thank you. Please come back, feel free to use the comment button, and share with your friends using the handy e-mail, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and +1 tool at the bottom of each post.

Speaking of Facebook and Twitter, please take the time to "Like" TireKicker on Facebook. One of our next steps is unique content there that you won't want to miss. And please follow TireKicker on Twitter, too. Or for all that and more in one convienient package, download the free TireKicker Toolbar! It gives you one-click access and helps Alexa keep more accurate track of TireKicker's growth.

And finally, don't forget TireKicker Mobile...great for keeping tabs via your iPhone, Android or other smart phone.

Thanks again for your support!

2011 Lincoln MKX Review

The 2011 Lincoln MKX sports the new Lincoln grille.

Creativity works wonders. What you see above is the 2011 Lincoln MKX.  Under the skin, it's pretty much a Ford Edge, but skin matters, even (maybe especially) when that skin is sheetmetal. For while the MKX and the Edge look a lot alike from the front wheels back when viewed from the side,  the current Lincoln grille...meant to evoke the original pre-War (as in WWII) Continental...makes a big, bold impression.

It's certainly more contemporary (who knew?) than the first MKX grille, meant to evoke a Continental 20 years more recent. Our review of that MKX was almost three years ago, so it was time for a refresher run, arranged through Fiesta Lincoln in Mesa, Arizona, who let us have a week in one.

Rear view of the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

The good news is that the MKX has improved in every possible way since our last test drive. $39,415 is the starting point for the front-wheel drive model (all-wheel drive begins at $41,265) and that includes a 3.7 liter Variable Cam Timing V6 that makes 305 horsepower with a six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. And the six-speed results in great fuel economy for the weight and the power...an EPA estimate of 19 city/26 highway (as they say in the commercials, your mileage may vary...we only managed 17.6 in a 60/40 mix of city streets and urban freeways).

And, like so many vehicles, base price buys you a nicely loaded machine. In fact, ours had no options on it whatsoever. The standard equipment? 18-inch premium painted aluminum wheels, fog lamps, heated power windows with memory and security approach lamps, a power liftgate, dual exhausts with chrome tips, leather seats (10-way power adjustable, heated and cooled for the driver and front passenger), the MyLincolnTouch system with AM/FM/Sirius/CD/mp3/SYNC audio, tilt/telescope steering column, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, remote keyless entry and start, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, reverse sensing system, a full compliment of airbags, anti-theft and tire pressure monitoring.

The 2011 Lincoln MKX interior.

The interior? Well, it looks and feels like a premium machine. The MKX has power and handling that puts it right in the hunt with segment leaders like the Lexus RX350. And Lincoln steps up with some attractive warranty and maintenance, too: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper, 6 years/70,000 miles powertrain and 4 years/50,000 miles complimentary scheduled maintenance.

The only thing that put the total MSRP over $40,000 was the $850 destination and delivery charge. Otherwise, the car began and ended at $39,415. A screaming deal in this class.

Yes, you can spend more. There's a Premium Package, an Elite Package, a Limited Edition Package, upgraded wheels, DVD systems, a trailer towing package, a wood package...you can break $50,000 without even checking the all-wheel-drive option. And if you do, you'll have all the bells and whistles.

But if you don't, if you just buy the base 2011 Lincoln MKX, you'll be getting a terrific luxury crossover for less than $40,000 (plus destination and delivery). And these days, that's gotta count for something.

2011 Chevrolet Equinox Review

The 2011 Chevrolet Equinox.

The same knee-jerk that put drivers into SUVs last decade is taking a lot of them out, and in a lot of cases that's an over-reaction, too. The answer for many isn't "no SUV", it's a smarter, right-sized SUV, which in most cases means a crossover.

It's been a while since we've done a review of a Chevrolet Equinox, so we borrowed one from Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix for a week.

Chevy's done a great job of covering a wide price range with the Equinox, which is its smallest crossover. The base model (LS) starts at $22,995 in front-wheel drive. There are three trim levels up from there (1LT, 2LT and LTZ) and all four are also available in all-wheel drive.

Ours was the front-wheel drive LTZ. Base price $28,570. That'll get you the 2.4 liter 4-cylinder ECOTEC engine with 182 horsepower hooked up to a 6-speed automatic transmission and some nice EPA fuel economy estimates: 22 city/32 highway. Also on the standard goodies list: Four wheel anti-lock disc brakes, Stabilitrak, remote keyless entry, OnStar, a rear-view camera, Ultrasonic parking assist, programmable power lifgate, heated power outside mirrors, 17-inch aluminum sheels, fog lamps, projector beam headlamps, and and exterior chrome package.

Inside, the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox is comfortable and, in LTZ trim, loaded.

The standard equipment list for the interior is pretty long, too: Leather appointed seats with heated front buckets, 8-way power memory driver's seat and memory mirrors, sliding and reclining rear seats, automatic climate control, cargo net, cover and cross rails, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD 8-speaker Pioneer audio system, Bluetooth, outside temperature and compass, self-dimming rear view mirror and leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls.

Again, that's all part of the deal at $28,570. Not bad. In fact, very good. Good enough, in fact, that ours added only two options: 19-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels ($1,250) and the 3.0 liter V6 engine ($1,500).

About the engine...it's a big step up in power...to 264 horses. It's great. But it's also never going to get you anywhere near the mileage of the standard four. In fact, in 60% city street and 40% urban freeway driving, we averaged 16.5 miles per gallon (the EPA estimates 17 city/24 highway for the V6). If your driving includes mountain passes, that may be a trade worth making. If, on the other hand, you're mostly doing city-street commuting, seriously consider sticking with the ECOTEC four. 

With the V6, the Equinox's bottom line was $32,130. Stick with the four and stick with the stock 17-inch wheels, and she'd come in at $29,380.

Chevy says the Equinox's prime competition is the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V and the Ford Escape, all three well into their product cycle. The Equinox is by far the freshest of the four and should be on your  list.