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You might not think right now is the best time to buy a Holden, what with the announcement from General Motors about closing down its Aussie operations at the end of 2020.
That’s understandable but side-stepping around the Equinox could see you miss out on what is a practical, comfortable and safe mid-sized SUV.
You can also bet on some heavily discounted deals on the final Holdens which could see you pick up a huge bargain if you buy an Equinox.
I’ve tested the top-of-the-range Equinox LTZ-V in this review and along with taking you though its features and what the SUV is like to drive, I’ll cover what type of support you can expect to have after Holden closes down. The company has promised to take care of its customers with parts and services for at least the next decade.
Explore the 2020 Equinox LTZ-V in 3D below
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=RnCngGtbQHx
A new JCW (John Cooper Works) Mini variant usually attracts a bit of attention. And there’s a fair bit to talk about with this latest example.
The third-generation Countryman is the largest model yet to carry the Mini name - it’s not far off the size of a Volvo XC40 now - so the question is, has Mini maintained its go-kart feel and darty dynamics with a vehicle that’s now firmly in small family SUV territory?
We travelled to Portugal to drive the new Countryman in SE electric and petrol-powered JCW guise. Despite the very different vibes, there’s some interesting parallels to their respective performance.
Overlook the Holden Equinox LTZ-V and you could miss out on a practical, spacious and value-for-money mid-sized SUV. Concerned about Holden’s exit from Australia and how this affects servicing and parts? Well Holden has assured us that it will provide servicing support for 10 years following its closure at the end of 2020. If anything, you could be picking up a bargain and one of the last cars to wear a Holden badge.
My time with the Countryman JCW was brief, but it was enough to confirm that the new-generation model has lost nothing by gaining a few inches.
Mini has ensured that the JCW remains the pinnacle of its range.
When you push the JCW into tight corners at speed, the car’s intentions are clear. This is a dedicated performance model, but it has that duality of being an everyday hauler as well.
Big cheesy grin grille? Check. Flowing curves? Check. Sharp creases? Check. Irregular shapes? Check.
The Equinox is a bit of a mishmash of design elements which doesn't win this reviewer over.
The sloping, broad grille bears more than a passing resemblance to the Cadillac family face, and hints at the Equinox’s American origins. In the United States the SUV wears a Chevrolet badge, although ours is built in Mexico.
The shape of the rear-side window is also a little jarring to me. If you want to see something you’ll never be able to unsee, take a look at my video above where I turn this mid-sized SUV into a small sedan. That sounds ridiculous but, trust me, watch it and be amazed.
How big is the Equinox? Just when you thought the design of the Equinox couldn’t get any more peculiar it does. The Equinox is longer than most of its rivals at 4652mm end-to-end but about the same width at 1843mm across (2105mm to the ends of the wing mirrors).
Telling the LTZ and the LTZ-V apart is tricky, but you can spot the top-grade Equinox by its sunroof and a metallic window garnish around the widows of the rear doors.
Inside is a premium and modern cabin. There’s a high quality feel here from the materials used on the dash, seats and doors, to the display screen which sits at an angle that’s perfect for my reach, although others in the CarsGuide office aren’t quite as enamored with it.
Many cars are dressed up at the front of the cabin, but lack the same treatment in the rear, and the Equinox is a case in point, with hard plastics used around the window sills and the back of the console.
I have already detailed the design of the new Countryman in my review of the Countryman SE, but the JCW has a slightly different look.
The sporty JCW body kit includes elements like stripes, a two-tone roof, some extra visual flourishes and black 19-inch alloy wheels. In black body paint with a red roof, the look is quite cool. But a static example we saw in Portugal in Nanuq White was our pick.
Inside there are unique JCW elements including the sports seat design, steering wheel, and black and red contrast seats and stitching.
None of the JCW styling elements are over the top. They add up to give it a subtly sporty look without shouting it from the rooftops.
The Equinox’s greatest strength is its spaciousness and much of that comes down to its wheelbase.
See, the longer a car’s wheelbase the more room there is for the passengers inside. The Equinox’s wheelbase is longer than most of its rivals (25mm longer than a CX-5’s) and that goes some way to explaining how, at 191cm tall, I can sit behind my driving position with plenty of knee room.
The longer wheelbase also means the rear wheelarches don’t cut far into the back doors, which allows for a wider aperture and easier access.
So, if you have young kids like me, they’ll find it easy to climb in, but if they’re really little the large opening will make it easy for you to put them into their car seats.
Headroom, even with the LTZ-V’s sunroof, is good in the back seats, too.
Cabin storage is excellent: the centre console bin is enormous, the door pockets are large; there are four cupholders (two in the back and two up front),
Even with all this extra room, however, the Equinox is only a five-seater SUV. Still, that leaves you with a large boot with cargo capacity of 846L when the rear row is up and 1798L with the second-row seats folded.
The Equinox has power outlets galore: three 12-volt sockets, a 230-volt power point; five USB ports (including one type C); and a wireless charging bay. That’s more outlets than any mid-sized SUV I’ve tested.
A flat floor in the second row, large windows and comfortable seats complete a well-appointed and practical cabin.
Really, the only reasons the Equinox doesn't score 10-out-of-10 here is the lack of a third-row seat, and sunshades or privacy glass for the rear windows.
Once again, please visit the Countryman SE review for the ins and outs of the 2024 Mini Countryman interior.
But for highlights, the storage up front is lacking somewhat, but there is ample space throughout the cabin, given the new Countryman is 130mm longer and 60mm taller than the old model.
The toggles are cute, but the engine stop/start and Mini Experiences toggles look too similar and are right next to each other.
The massive new 9.5-inch circular OLED screen is beautiful to look at, and fairly logical to navigate. The various Mini Experiences - basically modes that change things like ambient lighting and more - are cute, if a little gimmicky.
Rear seat space is ample, too, and the usual amenities are also there, including a central armrest with cupholders, outboard ISOFIX points, knee-level air vents, map pockets, big bottle storage and two USB-C ports.
The boot offers more space than the electric Countryman - the JCW can swallow 505 litres, increasing to 1530L with the rear seats lowered.
The Holden Equinox LTZ-V is the fanciest version you can buy with its list price of $46,290. That may sound expensive, but the standard features list is massive.
There’s an 8.0-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, heated leather seats, dual-zone climate control, a Bose sound system with digital radio and also wireless charging.
Then there are the roof rails, the front fog lights and LED headlights, heated wing mirrors, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
But you get all that on the grade below it, too - the LTZ for $44,290. So, adding the V to LTZ along with an extra $2K adds the panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats up front, and a heated steering wheel. Still great value, but not as good as the LTZ.
Also, as Holden gets closer to the 2021 finish line you can expect the prices of it cars and SUVs to be heavily discounted - after all, everything must go
If you’re considering an Equinox, you could do a model comparison with the Mazda CX-5 or Honda CR-V. The Equinox is a five-seater, mid-sized SUV, so, if you’re looking for seven seats but roughly the same size and price there’s the Hyundai Santa Fe.
As with the other Countryman powertrain grades - which includes the entry-level petrol C, sporty petrol SE, entry-level battery-electric E, and a sporty EV in the SE - the JCW is offered in three distinct model grades.
The Core kicks things off at $67,990 before on-road costs, then there’s the Classic for $70,990 and the Favoured at $73,990.
Interestingly, that opening price is a couple of hundred dollars less than the equivalent grade of the model it’s replacing. And the flagship Favoured is more than $3000 cheaper than the outgoing top-spec JCW Yours.
It’s not everyday that a new-generation model with tech and design advances is cheaper than its predecessor, so kudos to Mini for keeping prices down when everyone else is increasing them.
Spec is fairly generous across the three grades too, with the Core coming standard with the JCW body kit and brakes, as well as JCW steering wheel and seats, adaptive suspension, a Harman/Kardon 12-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, keyless entry and start, a head-up display, digital radio, a heated steering wheel and a power tailgate with kick function.
The Classic adds an interior camera, augmented reality sat-nav, heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof and body stripes.
The Favoured gains a few extras, including ‘Active Seat Functions’ for the driver, power seat adjustment with memory function, and additional window glazing.
In terms of rivals, there are not a lot of performance-focused small SUVs that are in direct competition with the Countryman JCW. There is the mechanical twins under the skin - the BMW X1 and X2 M35i ($90,900 and $92,900), as well the Mercedes-Benz GLA35 ($96,900) that all offer very similar power and torque figures, but are much more expensive. The Volkswagen T-Roc R ($63,490) is another spicy small SUV worth considering and it's more affordable than all of them.
The Equinox LTZ-V has the most powerful engine in the Equinox line-up – a 188kW/353Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.
The only other grade in the line-up to have this engine is LTZ, although it doesn’t have the LTZ-V’s all-wheel drive system.
It’s a powerful engine, especially considering that it’s just a four cylinder. Only a bit more than a decade ago V8s were making less power.
The nine-speed automatic transmission shifts slowly, but I found it to be a smooth unit at all speeds.
Under the rather sculpted bonnet of the Countryman JCW is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Power and torque outputs of 233kW and 400Nm is up and down compared to the previous model’s 225kW and 450Nm. Australia also gets a more potent tune than Europe. Because of stricter emissions regulations, it only pumps out 221kW in Europe. The new Countryman’s figures match the X1 and X2 M35i, given it’s the exact same powertrain.
The 0-100km/h dash time for this model is 5.4sec. That’s just 0.4sec quicker than the all-electric Countryman SE.
Holden says the Equinox LTZ-V all-wheel drive with the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and nine-speed auto transmission will use 8.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.
My fuel test covered 131.6km, with 65km of that being city and suburban roads, while 66.6km were on the motorway almost entirely at 110km/h.
At the end of that I brimmed the tank with 19.13L of 95 RON premium unleaded which works out to be 14.5L/100km.
The trip computer disagreed and reported 13.3L/100km. Either way that’s a thirsty mid-sized SUV and it hadn’t even been carrying a full load of people or cargo.
Mini says the JCW consumes 7.8-8.3 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, but an Australian figure is yet to be confirmed.
Given my brief time behind the wheel I did not record an on-test fuel use figure.
The Equinox’s handling isn’t superb and the ride could be more comfortable, but this is an SUV with far more good points than bad.
Such as impressive power from that four cylinder engine, and an all-wheel drive system which provides excellent traction, to the good visibility, and a stack of safety features.
But while I can excuse the average dynamics, the 12.7m turning circle proved annoying in car parks. Not knowing you can make U-turns in the space provided is an anxiety you should only experience when driving a bus.
Five-point turns aside, the LTZ-V is easy to drive, with accurate steering providing good road feel.
So I had a bit of a taste of the Countryman JCW the day prior to driving it when I was behind the wheel of the BMW X2 M35i. The two models share a powertrain, but in the same way that the electric iX2 differs from the mechanically related Countryman SE, they have different characteristics.
Mini does its own tunes for things like steering and suspension, and the two models differ in size. Other elements like tyre choice and even the feel of the steering wheel further differentiate the models.
I have driven a few recent JCW products, including the adorable but recently discontinued Clubman JCW at a previous job. There’s something special about a Mini JCW model, and the brand has worked hard to preserve that with the new, bigger Countryman.
For starters, that 2.0L turbo engine is a sweetie. There is a bit of turbo lag accelerating from a standing start, but once it kicks in there’s plenty of power to hit that 5.4-second 0-100km/h time. And it just keeps going. It’s responsive, willing and just plain fun!
It has a lovely engine note, but I suspect some of that is amplified sound.
As with the electric SE, the JCW’s steering is sharp and tuned for dynamic driving. As is the suspension setup, which has a firmness to it without being uncomfortable, even on pockmarked backroads. Mini has struck a nice balance here.
What about the go-kart feel Mini is known for? Fear not, because the JCW’s dynamism hasn’t been blunted by the additional size of the new-gen model. It carved through bends without a hint of body roll and maintained an impressive amount of grip.
The Holden Equinox was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017.
Coming standard is advanced safety technology such as AEB with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control.
For child seats there are two ISOFIX mounts and three top-tether points. There’s also a rear-seat alert to remind you there are children sitting in the back, when you park and switch off the vehicle. Don’t scoff… it’s happened to parents before.
Front and rear parking sensors are standard, but in the media menu you can swap the ‘beeps’ for ‘buzzes’ that vibrate the seat to let you know when you’re getting close to objects.
The driver’s seat that is, if everybody’s seat buzzed that’d be weird. Actually, who am I kidding – it’s weird that even the driver’s seat buzzes.
The rear-view camera is good, and the LTZ-V comes with a 360-degree view, as well – great for when kids are running around the car.
A space saver spare wheel sits under the boot floor.
The Countryman is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP.
All JCW grades come standard with autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot and lane change warning, an exit warning, ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’, rear collision prevention, rear cross-traffic warning with braking, a speed limiter and tyre pressure monitoring system.
The Holden Equinox is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. At the time this review was published Holden was offering seven years’ free scheduled servicing.
But normally, the Equinox is covered by a capped price servicing program which recommends servicing annually or every 12,000km and costs $259 for the first visit, $339 for the second, $259 for the third, $339 for the fourth and $349 for the fifth.
So, how will servicing work after Holden closes down? In Holden’s February 17, 2020, announcement that the company will cease trading by 2021 it said that it would support Australian and New Zealand customers in honouring all existing warranties and guarantees, while providing servicing and spare parts for at least 10 years. The current seven-year free servicing offer will also be honoured.
Like its Mini stablemates, the Countryman is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and like its BMW relatives, Minis don’t have a specific term for a service schedule. Rather, the servicing is ‘conditions-based’ meaning the vehicle will tell the user when it needs to be booked into a dealership.
A six-year ‘Service Inclusive’ package from Mini Australia will cost $3092 for the JCW, which is about $80 less than the BMW iX2 twin, but still not cheap.