jb456

This is more of a curiosity question then anything but has anyone else noticed gas mileage seems better on older Equinox models then the newer ones?

This past weekend I did two exact trips (same place, same amount of kilometers) with a 2005 Equinox and a 2015 model. Both Equinox AWD and really only difference is the 2005 is a V6 while the 2015 was a 4 cylinder.

Majority was highway driving, maintained similar speeds in both vehicles, same climate controls settings and outdoor conditions were identical (sunny, hardly no wind)

At the end of the trips the 2015 Equinox used over 1/4 a tank of gas more then my 2005 model which has me curious as to how that can be. Especially since the 2015 is a 4 cylinder with eco mode to give a better mpg rating.

So anyone else ever notice this?

ruley73

I have a hard time believing this. The 2015 Equinox holds over two gallons more fuel than your 2005 Equinox (18.8 gallons vs 16.7 gallons). I have a friend with a 2010 GMC Terrain AWD 2.4L and he usually gets around 26-27 MPG on the highway. Our 2007 Equinox FWD very rarely gets more than 25 MPG even on long trips. I would say about 19 city and 24 hwy is the norm for us under ideal conditions. The best fuel economy I ever got was 26.5 MPG with virtually all highway driving at 75-80 MPH on a long trip during the summer after we bought it.

Just going off the fuel gauge reading while completing the same trip once in each vehicle is not a good way to perform a fair comparison. If you drove each route repeatedly with each vehicle and actually calculated the fuel economy your data would be far more credible.

jb456

Well I am not sure the best way of explaining this but prior to each trip I filled up each vehicle at the same gas station. Upon returning from each trip my 2005 had half a tank. Right on the button. The 2015 (which has more marks on the fuel gauge) was two marks under the half a tank marker. (closer to quarter of a tank then half a tank)

I have to do the same trip this weekend 4 times so I will use each vehicle again and calculate better.

ruley73

You went about it the same way I would have. I would've came to the same conclusion based on what you observed.

The 2015 Equinox w/2.4L is supposed to be much more fuel efficient than the 2005. The 2005 is rated for 18.5 mpg city/23.5mpg hwy (AWD) while the 2015 is rated for 20mpg city/29mpg hwy (AWD). They both have about the same amount of HP (2.4L has 182 and 3.4L has 185), but the 2005 has a lot more torque (2.4L has 172 lb-ft and 3.4L has 210 lb-ft). The 2015 has a 6-speed auto while the 2005 has a 5-speed auto.