It’s easy to assume that any car is ideal for all types of driving or that at least any vehicle will be able to excel in every environment at least a little. While this is often true that most vehicles will be able to drive in both rural and urban environments, it is also true that some vehicles are better suited to one type of road condition. Lucky for city-drivers, Chevy has the best SUV for urban performance in the 2021 model year: the 2021 Chevy Equinox. With an outstanding fuel economy, enhanced comfort features, and more, there is no limit to the Equinox’s features that city drivers will love.
What Is There to City-Driving?
Generally speaking, the driving experience can be split into two to three trends: rural, urban, and suburban if you want to get really specific. The expectations of a vehicle are going to depend on a variety of factors in terms of mobility and performance. Overall, the trend is that trucks and larger vehicles that can tough out terrain difficulties are more suitable for the rural experience. On the other hand, sedans and smaller, more mobile cars are more suited towards city driving.
That said, SUVs are more of a gray zone when it comes to their most suitable driving experience. On the one hand, they are more mobile than your standard truck. However, they are also much larger than a typical sedan, so figuring out where to place the SUV in this equation can be a rather harrowing process. Generally, the SUV is the crown jewel of the suburban experience, with each SUV offering a better or worse experience when tackling rural or urban environments.
What Is Notable in the 2021 Chevy Equinox?
As far as the 2021 Chevy Equinox is concerned, there are plenty of notable features that make it an ideal city SUV. That isn’t to say that the 2021 addition doesn’t excel in rural locations; it can certainly hold its own in both types of environments. However, it does clearly suit the city end of the spectrum more than the rural, with features like enhanced fuel economy and increased safety standards.
Fuel Economy
Most people understand that having a good fuel economy is a good thing; after all, why wouldn’t it be. But most people wouldn’t be able to tell you if a good fuel economy is better in the city or on rural road trips. Truthfully, having a good fuel economy is good all around, but the thing about city driving is that the actual amount of driving done in a city can be deceiving. Although the overall distance is smaller in the city, it takes more time to get from one place to the other than in the country due to traffic alone, much less the maze-like routes needed to get from place A to place B. All in all, this translates to an incredible amount of gas that is expended in one trip, which doesn’t even take into consideration the higher gas prices of the city and the busy lifestyle. Life in the city is expensive, so spending less time at a gas pump is absolutely essential.
Luckily for city-drivers, the 2021 Chevy Equinox is at the center of an industry-wide struggle to achieve the highest fuel economy, and Chevy’s high-hitter of an SUV has been rather successful on that front for the most part. With gas mileage of 26 miles per gallon in the city with front-wheel drive and 25 miles per gallon with all-wheel drive, the 2021 Chevy Equinox beats most of the competitors in its class so far. Whether or not this is enough to be the best fuel economy among midsize SUVs, which is a very real possibility, does not take away from the fact that this is an SUV that can pull its weight even in the vigorous streets of the center city.
Safety Suite
Safety is a large priority for vehicles on the market, especially for SUVs, which are a popular choice for families. Needless to say, in the ever-changing conditions of city traffic, safety matters a lot more to a city driver than a primarily rural driver. Given the high volume of traffic in cities, more vehicle accidents tend to occur, and pedestrians are at far more risk in the city than in the country. Luck for city drivers, the 2021 Chevy Equinox heavily improves its safety suite to include many of the top picks for SUV lovers.
From automatic braking for emergencies to automatic high beams to prevent emergencies beforehand, there are six standard safety features of the 2021 Chevy Equinox. Front pedestrian braking is especially useful for the city-driver. The city streets tend to have more pedestrians, so it goes without saying that having these types of safety features makes the 2021 Chevy Equinox safer for everybody in the street and the car.
Comfort Features
Another quirk of city traffic is a situation called touch-and-go traffic. If you’ve ever driven in a city, then this should be familiar to you. That situation of bumper-to-bumper traffic in which one second you’re moving and the next you find yourself stopped again, rinse and repeat. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in this situation after a long day of work, you’ll know that it is one of the most uncomfortable situations imaginable: legs cramping, neck stiffening, blood-pressure rising with every second of it. The bottom line, the city is full of these kinds of uncomfortable situations, so comfort technology is an escape for many city drivers into a small moment of bliss during an endless struggle to get home.
Of course, the 2021 Chevy Equinox prepares for these kinds of situations with a wide variety of comfort features to enhance the drive in every scenario: from a sizable interior to more ease of connectivity. While luxury seating can be a big draw at first glance, although the 2021 Chevy Equinox’s seating is nothing to scoff at, it really is space that makes up the backbone of long-lasting comfort in a vehicle. A good stretching of the legs can alleviate much more muscle tension than the actual texture of the seat can make up for, and just like before and after a good workout, the ability to stretch will help to refresh the body. The same concept exists in the front- and back-seats of any vehicle, so the 40+ inches of legroom in the 2021 Chevy Equinox should be enough to make any traffic situation more bearable.
To add to that, the 2021 Chevy Equinox also makes for enhanced connectivity with their new and improved central infotainment center. Technically, this could also be used as a safety feature, but the inclusion of Apple Carplay and Android Auto into the standard model makes answering your phone easier in the new SUV. This ultimately means that you will be able to destress the traffic situations around you without having to worry about your phone taking your eyes off of the road.
What Will You Be Driving in the City?
To start, driving is inherently complex, based on a diverse set of differing road conditions depending on where you’re driving, as city-driving and rural-driving are exceptionally different. Vehicles that are efficient and mobile may be more suited to the city experience while not being suitable for uneven country roads, and terrain-tackling trucks might be too big for the narrow city streets. SUVs are always a wildcard as far as this balance, with some being more suited to one type of driving over the other. For example, the 2021 Chevy Equinox is fairly good at both types of driving but more suitable for driving in the city. This is because of its subtle balance of efficiency, safety, and comfort, making the Equinox a pinnacle of individualism and high performance in traffic. With all these benefits, why wouldn’t you buy the best SUV for city-driving available?
