Don’t Call It A Comeback!

There’s a lot going on in the US today. The 2010 Winter Olympics are coming to an end. The auto industry is being rocked by multiple recalls totaling millions of vehicles for safety stalwart Toyota. And the US automakers are poised to take charge and make, dare I say it, a comeback.

Too bad, for many, many people in the US, buying a Ford, Chevy or Chrysler is akin to sticking a fork in your eye. Repeatedly.

I say this because I talk to people and I listen to what they have to say. Mostly, I hear things like, “oh, we’ll never buy another American car. we’ve had such bad experiences.” It’s truly unfortunate that these people were burned so bad that they can’t see all the good vehicles out there by the US carmakers.

A co-worker, who owned a Saturn ION Coupe, recently purchased a 2010 Chevy Equinox.  Hers is a four-cylinder base model but it’s comfortable, with a classy interior and a decent amount of options for a small-ish price and good looks.

I was really impressed with the quality of materials and the interior space, it’s really roomy! Granted, the driver and front  passenger had their seats scooted up but it was a cavern in the back seat, big enough to hold a square dance.

The seats were covered in a cool-looking, two-tone fabric that mimics jersey mesh and was very grippy and looked like it would last a long time and wear well.  It was a total departure from the lackluster beige or lack-of-color black in other Chevy vehicles’ interiors that gave the vehicles either an apartment-like feel (with the beige) or a dark, uninviting cave feel (with the black).

The center stack in the Equinox is a nice step forward in design and execution, combining radio and HVAC controls in a concise, easy to use and understand layout. Tinkerers may be disappointed since it will be nearly impossible to upgrade the radio.

Thank goodness Chevy has a plethora of infotainment options, including XM, 40 Gb hard drive, navigation and DVD playback, depending on which options you choose.

It’s no wonder Equinox was a finalist for North American Truck of the Year at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January.

Chalk one up for the American car companies!