"Here is your host for Motorweek" made me run for the couch with my sandwich and turn the volume up every Sunday around noon. Some of the greatest car reviews ever.
A good friend had a 2011 Equinox I4 with AWD that was always dealer maintained. It needed a complete long block (engine) replacement before 70,000 miles due to abnormal issues and excessive oil consumption. It also had various transmission hesitation issues and a leaky rear diff. GM Quality? I think not. She replaced it with a 2015 Sorento and couldn't be happier. It is better than the Equinox in every respect.
@bigcrowfly ...........correction JettyBur has it right. the old Pushrod engine (3.4L v6) design from the first generation Equinox was built in China. The 2.4L and 3.0L v6 are built here in North America in either Canada or Flint, Michigan..
He forgot to mention that the Chevy is built in Canada and the V6 is made in China, while the Kia is made in Georgia (USA) with both engines made in Alabama (USA).
For the 2012 Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, all engines in all trims in FWD and AWD get Flex-Fuel Capability. In the top trim levels, a Lane Departure Warning System and Low-Speed Crash avoidance System similar to the Volvo XC60 is featured as well as remote start on LTZ trims. If you have ethanol stations in your area, then the 2012 Equinox and Terrain is for you. But I would compare both the Equinox and Terrain with the CR-V, rather than with the Sorento, which has a third row seat.
im surprised that these cars are that similar. i thought the Sorento was on the same level as a highlander, 4runner, or even pathfinder, and the equinox was on the level of a rav4 or CRV., very interesting. i like them both but i think i have more faith in the chevy, as long as it had 4 wheel drive.
What is weird about it? The 10/100k is drivetrain only. I traded the piece of junk off last week for a new Honda CR-V, and am SO glad it's gone. The seats cracked, I had a roof leak, the rotors wouldn't last more than a year (until I replaced them with aftermarket non-Kia rotors, and they got 6 years of wear after that), the transmission died TWICE. The last thing to go was something with my motor, and my mechanic said to get rid of it before it dies completely, which I did.
John Davis is one of the best automotive journalists of our time. I would definitely pick the Equinox over the Sorento, it's better looking and better built. On top of that in 5-7 years when you may have to repair either one the Chevy will be cheaper by far.
@pcmr57 Definitely true. Once someone leaves a brand, it takes a lot for them to consider going back. It will definitely take some time before a lot of people regain trust in GM/Ford/Chrysler. The redesign of a lot of Chrysler products for the 2011-2012 MY looks promising. It seems someone finally realized that putting interiors into cars that were made out of dollar store plastic wasn't working. People will buy a car with poor reliability, if it's designed and advertised properly, like a Mini.
I have a 2013 Sorento (It's not the greatest. I'd rather own a Jeep or Landrover if I could afford it). I rented a Equinox today cuz someone side swiped me. The equinox is DUMB. I guarantee if you test drive both of these the sorento will be more comfortable, practicle (I get 32mpg on high ways), and spacious. The real cargo is SO SMALL on the equinox. WTF? For an suv that small? THe Dash on the equinox is painful. Whoever designed it has mental issues.
I'll drive the Sorento over the Equinox! I prefer the foreign beauties over the domestic slow pokes. The Eurasian automakers have always been good with me. Domestics are bad luck to me.
@disbsam333 it won this test....but it didnt get negative reviews....other reviewers praise kia sorento as well....so much so...that their stocks have gone up....thats my point...didnt kno i had 2 spell it completely out for you...
5:10 good lord was that the 2.4 that did that? Wow, I knew the 3.0 is relatively fast (mom's friend has one, awsome CUV btw), but the 2.4 seems to be a monster in its own right.
@disbsam333 not yet...thinking between highlander and sorento....but i will take professional reviews over your opinion anyday....specially since you never even been in one.
test drove equiox then went and bought the kia so much better made . this is my 3rd kia and i love the build quality and the dependability will never buy another chevy product have had too many with issues i buy a car to drive it not to have it in the shop all the time
Well my dad wanted something that was sporty that could also haul cargo and our big dog. The Equinox has really great performance considering the kind of vehicle it is. I've driven it a few times and it handles like a sports car on the turns. It doesnt even lean barely at all. I haven't seen the new Sorento because my family doesnt follow foreign auto makers. We own all GM cars. We have 4 Chevy's and 1 GMC. We used to have a couple Dodges, they were good. Ford just sucks in general.
KandeeMann, you may confused for a liberal by condemning a simple opinion about a car with such name calling and vehemence. Huyndai/Kia are doing nice work and, thanks to licensed technologies, have come a long way. These are just cars we are expressing our opinions about, looks and "feel" are purely subjective. My brother bought a new Elantra expecting 41 mpg but at 8K miles he is averaging 27 mpg, identical to my daughters Mazda 3. To me, his car looks awkward and feels tinny.
Worldwide automobile sales would disagree with you. Just because Korean cars have seen growing sales in America, doesn't mean they have in the rest of the world. Check your facts. Japanese car makers still outsell Koreans, as do German car makers. As for American car makers, I'm not sure (my guess is no.)
Wow , so many opinions on here and all these review videos are the same when it comes to comments about domestic vehicle reliability. If anyone wants the truth, just ask any professional mechanic from an unbiased repair shop and you may be surprised to find that all cars are pretty much the same as far as reliability goes.
I have also owned 2 Accords (a 1997 and a 2006) the 97' was totaled and my 2006 had a load of issues at 75K miles, I traded it in for a brand new G6 GXP that I still own now), I had a Camry (a 1999) it had issues from the start including steering, brakes, suspension and leaks I got rid of it with 56K miles for my 01 Grand Prix GTP which I still own) I have had a couple of good ones though a 07 Volvo S60 (which was totaled, it was a sad day) and a 11 Saab 9-3 (which I traded in on my new Malibu)
To me, in this comparisons -- both of these border towards mid-size crossovers. If you prefer fuel efficiency and prefer a Inline-4 - go with the Equinox. If you need more power -- I'd go with the Sorento. Kia's V-6 is more efficient and more powerful (270 hp - Sorento 264 hp - Equinox)
Although I own a 2006 chevy equinox LT. I traded my jeep wrangler in since my daughter was born and needed a more family sized vehicle. The equinox has been my favorite car that I've driven since. My wife loves it over her 2010 nissan sentra. If it was choosing between the Sorento or equinox I would choose the equinox.
I have a 14 Four cylinder Equinox. I like it but I don't really care for the engine. Trading it in for a black LTZ 2016 model. With the V6. It's a like another car almost. The power is a huge improvement over the four. 310 on the 6 and 180 on the 4.
you cant say a car sucks if you havent driven it! both cars are amazing for their price. also its not "un-American" to buy foreign cars nowadays. they do have plants in the US. look at vw with their tenessee plant. koreans have plants in alabama. honda has plants in ohio, alabama and much more. so its not un-American since theyre hiring AMERICANS. try to have an open mind and drive foreign cars. it wont kill you.
Yeah ok, so Hyundai/Kia now has shifted alot of production into the US. So that's what? 10 years or so at best for US production? Only 90+ years or so and millions of cars to go to catch up to GM, if you wanna play that game. Or you could quit pretending Hyundai/Kia or ANY manufacturer builds products in the US just to help our economy -cause they don't- and move on.
If the Chevy sucks so much, why do they sell like hotcakes?? I hope the engines will change for 2015: A 2.5L I4 iVLC eAssist regen. braking and start/stop with 202HP and 191TQ. 26 mpg City / 38 mpg Hwy (Start/Stop) A 2.8L Twin Turbo High Feature V6 VVT, SIDI, AFM and DOHC with 375HP and 363TQ. 19 mpg City / 30 mpg Hwy A Hybrid Plug In/2-Mode Transmission/Regen. Braking/Start-Stop 2.1L Turbo Diesel I4 163HP/278TQ. 35 mpg City / 47 mpg Hwy and 52 mpg City / 64 mpg Hwy for up to 30 miles
i hate crossovers, my mom has a 2011 Equinox and i hate it, i have driven it and am now scarred for life, i feel so embarrassed that i drove the type of vehicle that i hate so much, and i regreat it. my vehicle is a 1999 GMC Suburban SLT and i love true SUV's to death, my vehicle is going to be a 1999 or older Chevy Tahoe LT
They are still foreign cars even though they are built here. . . They came from foreign car companies and most of our money that we pay for them goes to those foreign companies. I have driven both worlds and I personally stick with GM, I own a 2000 Grand Prix GT sedan with 44K, a 2001 Grand Prix GTP special edition coupe with 19K, a 2005 Bonneville GXP with 58K, a 2009.5 G6 GXP sedan with 12K and a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 2LZ with 29K (soon to be replaced by a 2014 Malibu 2LZ)
GMC offers 4GLTE in their vehicles, hoping it will boost sales. Hey, GM, you know most devices ALREADY have that and your 4G service costs $1000's of dollars a year. GM's so called magnetic ride suspension is garbage. Driving over a small bump in the road in a GM vehicle is not an event. More a series of events as the clumsy vehicle heaves and pulsates in random directions. As for the rear view detection system, they're called rear view mirrors, they've been around for decades. Apparently, GM owners don't know how to use them.
The Camaro, which is a dumb name for a car. Is now, after it's manufacturing demise due to dismal sales, reborn in the USA for the first time since 1992. Finally it has a decent chassis thanks to the Australians but still looks like shit and is made from recycled Pepsi bottles.
The Sorento sucks and so does all foreign cars. Your anti american if you like them better than american cars. My dad has a 2011 Equinox LS with the 2.4L in it and he took off from a stop light and smoked a Porsche Cayenne SUV with it. And when it switched from first to second gear it broke the tires loose. And it did it again from second to third gear he said. Thats power right there. That is a very ballsy 4 cylinder. And it was in ECO mode too. If he took it out of ECO mode it would be faster.
A good friend had a 2011 Equinox I4 with AWD that was always dealer maintained. It needed a complete long block (engine) replacement before 70,000 miles due to abnormal issues and excessive oil consumption. It also had various transmission hesitation issues and a leaky rear diff. GM Quality? I think not. She replaced it with a 2015 Sorento and couldn't be happier. It is better than the Equinox in every respect.
