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15 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, July 22, 2009 GM's comeback has a lot to do with consumer perception of 2010 Equinox Continued From Page 14 How consumers perceive the 2010 Equinox is going to have a lot to do with GM's comeback in the market. That's a lot of stress and much of it falls on the shoulders of Tim Herrick, the Vehicle Chief Engineer on the Equinox, with whom I spent the better part of day riding around through south central Ontario. He said there was no one silver bullet to achieving the targets set to make the Equinox the leader in its class. For instance, low rolling resistance tires for low fuel consumption were designed expressly for the Equinox. Rack electric power steering was used on the 2.4-litre instead of hydraulic. The body, which was designed in Oshawa, spent hours in the wind tunnel until the shape went from a drag coefficient of the previous Equinox of 0.42 down to 0.36, or about the same as the C5 Corvette. He said another challenge was noise and vibration. It went from things you'd expect such as foam injected into crevices, triple door seals and acoustic pads everywhere down to the infinitesimal like shift cable and steering boot openings in the firewall designed to quell sound coming from the transmission. But the capper is what GM calls Active Noise Cancellation found on four-cylinder models. It consists of a microphone mounted in the headliner just above the driver and another at the back. They act not unlike giant noise cancelling headphones that detect low rumbles and send out a counter tone from a speaker in the rear. Adding everything together, Herrick said the 2010 Equinox is up to three times quieter than the competition. He also told me an interesting story about the seats. His engineering team wanted them to be the most comfortable and supportive in the segment so they measured every imaginable parametre. They got these measurements down so accurately that it was found one of the GM engineers testing out the seats was found to have a back ailment that required medical treatment. I spent some time riding in the back seat where many compact CUVs come up literally short in legroom, but this is actually one of the strengths of the new Equinox. GM calls this its MultiFlex seat system that has a 200 mm (7.9 in) fore and aft travel. Fully back there is limousine like legroom. With the 60/40 split/fold seat forward there is 889 litres (31.4 cu. ft) of cargo space. When it comes to safety, we now expect four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, but Equinox also comes standard with tire pressure monitoring, electronic stability control and rollover mitigation control. There are four trim levels offered with starting prices for the FWD versions being LS, $25,995; 1LT, $27,725; 2LT, $30,110 and LTZ $33,460. All-wheel-drive (AWD) is optional on all models for $1,610. While the target competitors are Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and Ford Escape, there are also some high luxury models in the mix like the Acura MDX and the Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 and Chevy has an Equinox to match in the LTZ with AWD and the 3.0-litre V6. The LTZ I drove had an as tested price of $42,120 with nothing, and I mean nothing left out. The leather seats with red stitching feature a DVD system with eight-inch monitors grafted into each front seat back that swing up when in use or fitted flush when folded. But it was the navigation/infotainment system that stood out. I dislike these things because they never seem to do what I want them to. But the one in the Equinox, which is optional, was highly informative, easy to use, and for once, it was giving turn-by-turn navigation prompts before things happened rather then a second or two after you had passed the turn. But it all comes down to how the Equinox rides. It is visually bigger than the RAV4 and CRV that GM had on hand to test back-to-back. In terms of size, it is closer to the old Chevy Trailblazer/GMC Envoy that were considered full-size SUVs in their day. Compact it ain't. The Equinox certainly feels more substantial which I noticed mostly in braking. One thing for sure, it's quiet. My co-driver and I covered a lot of ground in two days on the highway and byways. Most of this was in a four-cylinder. With the noise cancelling system in play, I won't say you could hear a pin drop, but there wasn't much coming into the cabin from the outside even with the sunroof open a crack except on one stretch of frostheaved road that acted up with the tires. I have to confess that, when I rode in the back seat to test it out, I dozed off. That's how cozy it was back there. I hope my co-driver was joking when he said the noise cancellation really but down my snoring. What I have to mention is the superlative build quality of this Ontario-built truck. The spaces between closures like the front door and doorjamb rival any Lexus out there and that's saying something. If this is what the next generation of vehicles from the New GM are going to be like, bring 'em on. FRIDAY SATURDAY JULY 24 JULY 25 8AM-8PM 8AM-8PM 82 NEW CARS IN STOCK AND INDOOR SHOWROOM RAIN OR SHINE R REFRESHMENTS & FUN* II per month for 60 months with $2,080 down. Most fuel-efficient vehicle in its class, four years in a row $250 LEASE ALLOWANCE 1.9% LEASING II per month for 48 months with $2,060 down. $500 LEASE ALLOWANCE FINANCING 0% * per month for 48 months with $2,300 down. ON SELECT HYBRIDS $6000 600 UP TO * per month for 48 months with $4,390 down. LAST CHANCE 2010 PRIUS + more horsepower effi + more fuelyou cient + more for Starting at with every in stock purchase. BBQ, Cineplex Card, or Bluetooth ear piece BRONTE RD 3RD LINE 4TH LINE GIFT GIVE AWAY $27,500 QEW WYECROFT BOOK YOUR TEST DRIVE TODAY! SPEERS Rd. oakville www.oakvilletoyota.ca email: sales@oakvilletoyota.ca ¥*Limited time lease and finance offers available from Toyota Financial Services on approved credit. License, registration, PPSA, insurance, applicable fees and taxes are extra. MSRP of a new 2009 Yaris Hatchback (Model JT923MA), 2010 Corolla (Model BU42EMA), 2010 Matrix (Model KU4EEMA), and 2009 RAV4 (Model ZE33VPA) is $13,620/$15,260/$16,440/$24,295 plus freight and PDE of $1,280/$1,320/$1,320/$1,490. Tax for fuel conservation is $75 for Matrix. ¥0%/0%/0%/0% finance APR equals $379/$424/$457/$675 per month for 36/36/36/36 months. Cost of borrowing is $0/$0/$0/$0 for a total obligation of $13,620/$15,260/$16,440/$24,295. 3.9%/3.9% lease APR for 60/48 months on a new 2009 Yaris Hatchback (Model JT923MA) and 2010 Corolla (Model BU42EMA). When you apply the $250/$500 cashback equivalent offer, monthly payment is $135/$155 with a $2,080/$2,060 down payment or trade equivalent, and first monthly payment due at lease inception plus freight and PDE of $1,280/$1,320. Total lease obligation is $10,206/$9,479 plus freight and PDE. Based on a maximum of 120,000/96,000 KMS. Additional KM charge of $.07/$.07 for excess kilometres if applicable. *3.9%/4.9% lease APR for 48/48 months on a new 2010 Matrix (Model KU4EEMA) and 2009 RAV4 (Model ZE33VPA). Monthly payment is $175/$245 with a $2,300/$4,390 down payment or trade equivalent, and first monthly payment due at lease inception plus freight and PDE of $1,320/$1,490. Total lease obligation is $10,720/$16,163 plus freight and PDE. Based on a maximum of 96,000/96,000 KMS. Additional KM charge of $.07/$.10 for excess kilometres if applicable. Complimentary Job Loss Credit Protection is offered by Toyota Credit Canada Inc. ("Toyota Credit" or "TFS") and available to eligible retail customers who purchase or lease one of the following vehicles through TFS between March 3 and August 31, 2009: new and demonstrator Yaris Hatchback, Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4 models. The program provides up to $10,000 in credit protection to consumers who suffer an unexpected job loss during the term of their lease or financing contract, provide proof that they are collecting unemployment benefits and return their vehicle to their Toyota dealer. Excludes charges for excess wear and tear, excess kilometres, unrepaired damages and similar charges. Program only applies to natural persons, over the age of 18, who suffer Involuntary Unemployment (as defined in the contract) and who meet the other eligibility criteria. Program does not apply to corporations, companies, associations, self-employed people, seasonal employees, employees of TFS or employees under a fixed term contract. Eligible consumers will be required to make regular monthly payments while their claim is evaluated. Further conditions and limitations apply. For complete details, ask your Toyota dealer. These estimates are based on the Government of Canada's approved criteria and testing methods. The actual fuel consumption of these vehicles may vary. Based on Fuel Consumption Guide ratings published by Natural Resources Canada. Refer to the Government of Canada publication EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide. To find out more, visit ecoaction.gc.ca/vehicles. All rights are reserved. Offers valid between July 2, 2009 and July 31, 2009 and are subject to change without notice. Based upon a Reader's Digest Harris Decima January 2009 consumer survey of 1500 Canadians. *While supplies last. Hurry in for best selection. See dealer for details. 2375 Wyecroft Road Oakville · 905-842-8400