Test driving the Holden Equinox: How it stacks up against the competitors

Say ‘howdy’ to the latest long-term addition to the CarAdvice garage, the 2019 Holden Equinox LTZ AWD.

The LTZ variant of Holden’s mid-size SUV starts at $39,990 for the petrol with front-wheel drive, with our all-wheel driven version bumping the starting price up to $44,290 plus on-road costs.

A 1.6-litre diesel with AWD is also available for $47,290.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, advanced park assist for perpendicular and parallel spots, automatic wipers, leather-appointed seats, wireless phone charging, heated front and rear seats, DAB+ digital radio, LED headlights and tail-lights, Bose premium audio, electric adjustment for the driver with lumbar and memory functions, and roof rails.

Features carried over from lower grades include an 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

There’s also a leather steering wheel, power folding side mirrors, six airbags, and a rear-view camera with sensors.

As mentioned above, our tester is the petrol-powered all-wheel drive version, which features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo making 188kW at 5500rpm and 353Nm at 2500-4500rpm, sending drive to an on-demand all-wheel drive system through a standard nine-speed automatic transmission.

Read more: Holden Equinox news, reviews, comparisons and videos

Fuel use is officially rated at 8.4L/100km on the combined cycle, with the Equinox’s 59L fuel tank demanding minimum 95 RON premium unleaded. There’s idle stop/start tech fitted, too.

The only option available for the only option available for the Equinox LTZ are premium paints, such as the Tuxedo Black we have here which asks for $550 extra – bringing the as-tested price tag to $44,840 before ORCs.

Supplementary specs include 175mm of ground clearance, a massive 846L boot (we assume that’s measured to the roof, not the window line) which expands to 1798L with the rear seats folded, and a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg – 500kg more than the diesel.

In terms of sales, the Mexico-sourced Equinox saw 563 registrations in April 2019, a 11.3 per cent improvement on the same month last year.

Year-to-date it’s also 10.2 per cent up, though it only commands 5.1 per cent of the medium SUV market, paling in comparison to the top-selling Mazda CX-5 (16.4 per cent market share).

Read more: Everything Holden

Stay tuned for regular long-term updates over the coming months, where we’ll test the Equinox in urban and long-distance driving situations, assess its infotainment and tech suite, interior comfort and practicality, along with input from the wider team.

Do you have any question for the Car Advice team? Leave them in the comments below!