East Meets West

MANILA, Philippines - It’s not everyday you get to drive a car in the United States, let alone take a vacation there. Once in a while – when schedule permits, I make it a point to try something different; something not available for Philippine consumption; and well, something uniquely American. And though my prayers for a Chevrolet Camaro weren’t answered, I still got a nice consolation prize: the Chevrolet Equinox.

Dreams of driving a muscle car and ending up with a compact crossover may sound like a prank, but think about it: with four people and luggage in tow, perhaps the Equinox did make perfect sense. And that’s not all: in a surprising twist of fate, I didn’t realize how the Equinox and our locally available Captiva are actually siblings! This is the perfect opportunity: driving Chevy’s compact crossover offering for the North American market and comparing that with the one they sell for the European and Asian market.

The Looks

Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder and truth be told, my wife and I were split on which one we liked better. On one hand, I found the Equinox’s sharply creased sheetmetal to be quite refreshing. The familial pentagonal split-grille nicely ties it to Chevy’s newer offerings such as the Cruze. A strong line along the flanks and emboldened fenders complete the look. On the other hand, my wife had some concern with the Equinox’s airdam which swoops down quite low. Designed primarily with fuel economy in mind, it becomes prone to damage from larger bumps or the first inkling of off-road terrain. She also found the Equinox to have way too much chrome. “Enough to scare aspiring rappers out of its way,” she says.

She then refers to the Captiva as something of a classic crossover. For instance, the Captiva’s chunky looks are devoid of any low hanging aero parts which should make it less prone to typical EDSA craters. The almost complete absence of “bling” also makes the Captiva much more purposeful and discreet – things of particular importance to Filipino buyers. And after further thought, I realized she was on to something here: with the Captiva first hitting our roads in 2006, it’s hard to tell that it’s already 4 years old. It still looks fresh. Perhaps the only thing it needs is a nose job, to at least put it in line with Chevy’s new design language more than anything else.

The Inside

Slipping into the cabin reveals the biggest difference between the Captiva and the Equinox. With the latter being recently revamped, it’s immediately clear that it’s taking on the new Chevy design motif also found in the Camaro and Cruze; while the former’s stuck with the old-world Chevy. Overall, the Equinox cabin experience makes you forget that you’re in a crossover. It feels more like a sports car. The seats for instance, are nicely bolstered and supportive; the instruments are nestled deep in twin binnacles while the twin cockpit dashboard cocoons the front occupants nicely. Completing the look are ice-blue mood lights that dot the cabin. Despite the sporty look, the Equinox doesn’t disappoint when it comes to practicality: it has rear seats that slide and recline in a 60/40 split and it has more than enough storage compartments here and there to rival a family van. Perhaps the only gripe with the Equinox’s cabin comes down to the overly crowded center stack and equally complicated control scheme. Though not labyrinthine like German systems, I found it confusing at times.

I found no such problems with the Chevy Captiva which has a simpler, much more straight-forward cabin. Though it didn’t have the initial “wow” as the Equinox, at least it’s easier to get comfy with. The all-black interior with metallic accents scattered about may look a bit dated, but ergonomically, it’s still hard to fault the Captiva. Like the Equinox, there’s a tremendous amount of space all around, but unlike its US-based sibling, the Captiva’s the only one with third row seating. Though the space isn’t as princely as you’d find in larger SUVs, having a pair of emergency jump seats is much better than sitting in the cargo hold. The Captiva’s also nicely constructed with soft-touch plastics everywhere. It’s a shame that it doesn’t come with any sort of leather. Given its price tag, I would have expected to find cow hide on my steering wheel at the very least.

The Driving

Despite sharing the same Theta platform, the Chevy Equinox and Captiva have fairly different driving characteristics, clearly tuned to its intended market. Dropping the shifter into Drive, the Equinox sends all 182 horses from the standard 2.4-liter Ecotec in a smooth and refined fashion. The six-speed automatic, while refined, is sometimes reluctant to do anything remotely sporty. Most of the time, it just wants to shift to sixth as quickly as possible (again, it’s down to the Equinox’s focus towards fuel economy). There’s a +/- toggle switch on the shifter, but you’ll have to wait for an eternity for it to respond. There’s even an Eco mode which attempts to eek out every drop of fuel by lowering the idle speed and making the transmission hunt for sixth gear at the earliest possible time. This muddles the Equinox experience somewhat as the rest of this crossover is clearly built for spirited driving from the tightly controlled body motions to quick-witted steering responses.

Unlike the US market which is largely fed on a gasoline diet, the Philippines finds diesels much more appealing, so it’s great that the Captiva’s available in both diesel and gasoline flavors. Fitted with a 2.0-liter CRDi engine, the Captiva pushes out a healthy 150 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque. This drivetrain offers a lively experience off the line and commendable fuel mileage (7.7 km/L in the city, around 13 km/L on the highway) at the expense of the typical diesel rattle. It may not deliver the same higher revving thrill as the 2.4-liter gasoline, but it’s much more appreciated for the everyday drive. And like the Equinox, the Captiva has its own share of handling prowess. Though it’s not as sharp as the Equinox, the Captiva feels surefooted, solid and comfortable whatever the road surface or condition.

The Final Word

Whether you’re in North America or Asia, it’s clear from both the Equinox and Captiva that Chevrolet has a newfound seriousness about making good vehicles. Both of these vehicles may not have the sex appeal as some of its rivals, but they both offer interesting talking points which should net them a couple of buyers. The Equinox certainly delivers right for its mission and is good value, given its US$ 32,405 (P1,460,000) as tested price tag. Meanwhile, the similarly priced Captiva AWD (P1,545,000) lends a sense of sensibility and practicality in a segment that’s overly pushy on style over substance. It shows that when Chevrolet puts its mind to it, it has the cars to truly deliver a new renaissance. And I for one can’t wait for more great American cars.