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The first thing you notice about the Equinox is the interior. GM people have been banging on for some time about how they really get it now with interiors, and with the Equinox, you really see what they're talking about. The dashboard looks like it was lifted straight out of an Acura. There's plenty of style and good separation of function on the busy center stack (this example is optioned to the hilt with navigation, satellite radio, et cetera). Rear-seat riders get not one but two DVD screens. And the two-tone leather in this top-of-the-line LTZ looks great, though one wonders what the three lesser trim levels look like. Furthermore, the rear seat, which reclines and slides fore and aft, has loads of legroom (which is about the only respect in which the cabin echoes the previous Equinox); while huge doors and narrow sills make entry an exit a breeze.inline_mediumwraptextright29919492/reviews/editors_notebook/0909_2010_chevy_equinox_ltz_awd0909_05_z+2010_chevy_equinox_lTZ_aWD+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Cockpit furnishings feature a narrow touch screen at the top of the center console, a small-diameter steering wheel, and a reconfigurable electronic display in the compact instrument binnacle. Steering-column stalks that command the trip computer and cruise control are custom aluminum castings. An integrated pair of shift paddles rock about a central steering-column pivot point. Instead of using the mouse-and-menu approach or multiple buttons to command important systems, one knob manages chassis variables and another changes powertrain settings. Climate controls are located on the door panels.