What do you think of the Equinox EV? And should we put more content about it on Mach-E Vlog or our EVexplored RUclips channel? (BTW, please also subscribe to EVexplored - www.youtube.com/@EVexplored )
Question. I know you hated the dealership experience. Why? If you had paid MSRP, they would have given you the best experience like Tesla where people pay MSRP. So you have to pick your poison. Since you guys are the owner of the mach e and mach-e blog, will you guys be honest in comparing this to mach e? Based on cost parity.
@@Abevlife It's OK to like the price I got with a dealer but hate the experience. It truly is an annoying experience to get the "best offer" only to have them change their tune when I point out their ad. Or, back when we were trying to buy a Bolt and they insisted that we had to pay $3,500+ for stuff like nitrogen in the tires and a really poor alarm system. As I pointed out, our experience with the Ford dealer was super easy and with the GT it was almost the same as the Tesla/Rivian experience that people love. If you have watched any of our other reviews, you'll notice that we are pretty fair in pointing out the pros/cons of all vehicles including our own. Check out our 3 year Mach-E video. It can be hard to always base things on cost parity because deals (like the one we got) come and go pretty quickly. But, I get annoyed with reviews that say stuff like "for just $5,000 more you could buy the competitor!" It really is important that we keep price in mind. Even with the Equinox the price varies from $42K to $56K so it can be important to consider which features are included. (For a 2025 Mach-E, the price can vary from $38.5 to $58K.)
Leasing EVs is smart right now. Equinox is a great lease/sale. I got an Ioniq 6 for 38k back in January 2024. At the time, the model 3 was 47k. You just have to go with the best deal at the particular time.
I am 1 year into my Bolt EUV with Super Cruise. The depreciation on the purchase has been so substantial that the only car that would make sense is a used EV that has had a similar fall in price. I am pleased with Bolt EUV other than on long road trips where the charging time is a killer.
Congrats! Our 1st EV was in February this year (new 23 RZ 450), and we love it. I purchased a Blazer EV RS in July. I live in Apple Valley, CA, and do Vegas usually once per month; I charge 100% when leaving and getting there with 20%. Using the navigation system is spot on with what you’ll have at your destination. The Blazer gets a “279-mile range”, and two times, I tested it and did 285, with about 90% of the time freeway between 70 and 75 ac on.
We bought our MachE Premium in June 2021. In July 2024 we bought our EquinoxEV 3RS. We seem to be on the same journey. We love both of our EVs. They each have their plusses amd minusses. Love all of your shows. Love you both.
Hey guys this is amazing! I leased exactly the same model and color Equinox EV in July. The payment was so ridiculously low that I could not refuse. It's a great compliment to my Mach E GT Performance. I love both cars for different reasons. Congratulations!
y'all made the best choice for yourself as people and also for creating! i like folks like you and out of spec who go into great detail on evs and their known problems at launch. its a public service to do long-term ownership tests!
Enjoyed your video. Leased an Equinox EV RS for my wife and she loves it. We bought our Daughter a 2023 Bolt EUV so we owned one and got the $3000 off plus some of Chevy’s other discounts stacked. Our lease deal for the RS was no money down, $350/month, for 27 months. She doesn’t drive far to work so we charge every two weeks because it gets over 300 miles of range. Loved hearing your dealership stories, we lucky have one near us where they don’t play games, no add ons, and will deal through email. Only complaint about car is no CarPlay. Oh, I got in a Polestar 2 as rental and hated it too, so uncomfortable with my right leg hitting the center console. Switched it out for a Bolt EV at Hertz awhile back because I couldn’t take it. I’m a big guy. Subscribed to your other channel. Love your videos!
Awesome discussion/channel, you got a sub. We entered the EV market in October and drove a bunch of stuff, but the combination of driving dynamics, range and value the Equinox EV presented ultimately won us over. (We also looked at Chevy Bolts from the Victory group in KS). We settled on a 2025 Equinox EV LT w/ the Comfort & Safety II that included all-season mats and a Level 2 Charger for 25 OTD, which (as a purchase) far exceeded any type of deal we could get from the competitors.
We love our Bolt EUV even it doesn't have Supercruise. It does have wireless Android auto and Apple car play, wireless cooled phone charger which DOES work, adaptive cruise control, opening sun roof, automatic headlights, automatic windshild wiping feature as in front as in the rear, ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, navigation, 360 degrees camera, rear, front camera, mirror doubles a rear view camera or simple mirror with a swith, 201 horsepower motor for a relatively small car. Chevrolet Bolt EUV has a simple button switching one pedal driving on and off. We love that instead of paddles in Hyundai Ioniq5 which has tons of in between coasting levels and one pedal driving.
Congrats on your new vehicle! Listening to your story, it feels similar to what I went through this year. I tried multiple Kia and Hyundai dealers, and they were absolute nightmares here in AZ. It came down to a ID.4 and the Mach-E, and both the VW dealer and Ford were easy to work with, willing to do everything over the phone, and work a good deal. Ford just happened to have the good financing, so I went with the Mach-E and have zero regrets.
The Mrs and I also just got a 25 EEV FWD LT BLK a week ago. Absolutely loving this vehicle…! Got an amazing deal on a lease. Coming from a 2007 HHR with over 200K on it. Even the base model of the EEV Is an awesome amount of technology and automobile for the price. Enjoyed your video. Thanks…!
Congrats on the new Equinox. If not for the charging speed and lack of Apple Car Play, it would have been on our short list. And we share your love for the Bolt as well as your frustration at the refusal of car makers to make anything smaller than the state of Delaware available in the U.S. We've been driving a '22 Bolt EUV that we've taken on lots of road trips including one from here in Tampa over to Arizona, then up to Ohio, and back home from there. It did GREAT. This April, we traded our Prius for an Ioniq 5. What a road tripper!!! It's been to Ohio and Iowa on one trip and then another one this fall to Ohio. Being a 2-EV family has been great, especially since the Ioniq 5 kept our lights and refrigerator on during & after Hurricane Helene. I got a chance to sit in and play with the controls on and Equinox. There wasn't time to drive it, but it did look like something we could live with if something happened to our Bolt despite the lack of phone projection. I hope you get great smileage from yours. I'm looking forward to more of your content on the Equinox, especially since I help moderate the chevybolt forum and the Equinox is a frequent topic there. BTW, when you mentioned evexplored, I paused the video immediately and subscribed to it right away.
Thanks so much for the support, Jerry! And for sharing your input! What do you call your Ioniq 5? I'm so sorry you had to experience Hurricane Helene but that's definitely awesome that you had such a helpful vehicle ready to support your house! - Liv
We haven't come up with a name yet for the Ioniq 5. I named the Bolt, Bolt from the Blue. We were surprised in October, 2022 to be able to buy it off the lot at MSRP. It is Ice Blue. And our hockey team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, often called the Bolts. So that was natural. Ha! You got me thinking and I think I have a name for our white, fast charging, long range EV. How does Strider sound? Inspired by Aragorn's nickname in Lord of the Rings. We love long trips in that car.
What a unique story Liv has!! My father is a left leg amputee and can not drive a manual stick car. I sometimes have bought them just because I like shifting.
Subscribed to EV explore, look forward to new content on the (new to me) channel. Agree with waiting for 2025 to upgrade your Mache, I went 2021 select then 2023 CR1, (3.5 miles/kwhr) on a 3000 km road trip last summer (just keep it under110 km/hr). The tech is changing so quickly I wish I had considered leasing in 2023 but have always considered leasing dumb (thanks Patrick). Enjoy my Mache everyday and Love the ride.
Great rundown of the options you explored. As far as the two channels go, I would say put future Equinox videos on the other channel, but maybe do some crossovers once in a while? TV shows do this, where, for example, Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street did combo episodes. Sometimes part 1 was on one show and part 2 was n the other, with lots of promotion in both directions.
My dealership experience (with the one I bought from, Bob King Kia/Hyundai/Genesis in Winston-Salem North Carolina) was and still is awesome. Getting my 7500 mile tire rotation in December.
No Apple CarPlay is a deal breaker for the Equinox for me. I’m betting the Equinox is cheap in Kansas because let’s face it; the charging infrastructure out there isn’t great. I’m getting tired of people commenting that the charging infrastructure issues are FUD when there are large geographic swaths of the US with no charging infrastructure including a lot of side roads. Towns like Carbondale in Illinois have built out train infrastructure but no EV fast charging until recently. Vogler Ford on the eastern outskirts of town recently added a fast charger that’s 150kW.
I picked this car up this past Monday. I’m an apple cult member and I can honestly say that I don’t miss apple CarPlay. You connect your iPhone via Bluetooth and you can take phone calls and play your music Without any issues. Google maps is a decent substitute for Apple Maps. The only thing I miss is being able to see and answer texts while driving which honestly I probably should not be doing. If you are looking for a non Tesla the Equinox is the way to go. I absolutely love the car and am glad I’m leasing it.
Good call on moving. Lighting is more even. Put Chevy content on other channel unless you are doing side by side with MachE. It would be interesting to see how the 2 charge 10-80%. Or true highway range on same day.
I absolutely agree. If you're getting an old Bolt EV, be sure it's actually had the battery replaced under recall. I wouldn't get one that only received the software update.
Great video. I subscribed to the other channel now too. I’m excited to hear more on the Equinox EV. I have a 2023 Bolt EUV and I get so aggravated with the myChevrolet app. It’s hit or miss if it updates battery miles and percentage. I hope it works better on the Equinox.
Our EVs are a Mach E and Blazer EV. We’re very frustrated with the Blazer EV. 7 months and it’s been at the dealership thrice. Right now we’re waiting for a charging port replacement since ours won’t open. One time it kept turning off after you sat inside, other time there was a HVB problem.
Some dealerships are great to work with remotely, but most aren’t as you indicated. My last 2 vehicles including my Mach E were through the same dealership and we did everything via text. I reward the good ones and avoid the others other than if I want to test drive something. Even then I consider renting the vehicle as a prolonged test drive. Totally agree with Liv that my dream EV is yet to become available. But I’m patient and will wait as long as it takes. Keep up the great work.
Great choice! We got the same, in blue, 3LT FWD, with the white interior! Love it! We did manage in the fall the exact mileage announced…and even more! Our name: remeki!
Congrats!! Great everyday driver, can't wait to see it in person. You mean to tell us you're not in the "Kyle Connor club for people who buy every vehicle they want all the time regardless of cost"?! 😆. I eagerly await your ongoing reviews of what daily life is like without Android Auto. I think you should put that content here until you can monetize the other channel then move it over there. The 1-Pedal on/off preference tied to profiles is such a benefit in the Mach-E, since I love it and my husband hates it. Makes it so easy when we swap drivers. Also worth noting for those looking for a used Bolt that they dramatically increased the seat quality and comfort starting with the 22s. We had an older one and I couldn't sit in it longer than 45 min without my legs falling asleep. Lastly, subscribed to the other channel 👍
This is the sub my wife would have loved to replace her Buick enclave. But we went a bit smaller as the Lyriq was not available. But looking back I would like more storage, and optionally passenger space. In the Lyriq footprint. This or the new Ioniq 9 is the right size, just not premium enough for my better half. :)
For Equinox content, anything to do with efficiency and affordability is interesting to me since this is an EV for the cost consious.. Maintenance and repair specifically. My 2019 Model 3 has never seen a service center and I can do all the maintenance.
Love it! I test drove a Blazer recently and liked the ride a lot better than the Mach-E. But just about everything else about the Mach-E was better. I was hoping the charging curve would be better on the Equinox - maybe do a 10-80% side-by-side charging comparison. Bring both to a solid DCFC location and charge them at the same time. Subscribed the other other channel as well!
Because the other options were black or grey. There were just a few Riptide Blue and even less Galaxy Grey Metallic. I loved that color too but ultimately I'm a bright color person💙 so Riptide Blue it is 😊 They do have a red, but there weren't any in inventory and I honestly prefer blue to red. The car I last had for 16 years was Maroon so I can handle a blue overdose more than red right now :) I wish they had more bright, fun color options! - Liv
Hmm - we sold our 2022 Mach-e Select for a leased 2024 Blazer EV. About 1/2 the monthly cost. Culture shock going from Ford to Chevy. Our Mach-e had stopped receiving OTA updates (dealers could not fix) and was incapable of route planning that included compatible superchargers. Google Built-in was a wise move by Chevy. But Chevy wants you to buy the Tesla adapter from them even if you already have one - and they enforce it! I always appreciate your upbeat tone.
Thanks Mike! Congrats on your Blazer and welcome to the Chevy family too! It's been super interesting so far being able to compare the two ecosystems! - Liv
Deals with the bolt owner are so good....I just leased two. One blazer for $3400 and one equinox EV AWD for $1500 One payment. And looking to purchase the 3rd one.
@MachE_VLOG NJ zero down, 24 months, 10k miles per year. I had many incentives like Costco, lease, supplier discount from work , bolt, $500 for new credit card . Gor $4500 rebates for blazer and $5500 rebates for equinox EV. Thanks to the users from leasehacker forum..
The 2025 Equinox EV is on my short list for replacing my Chevy Volt, but I can't do a lease. Not with the miles that I drive. Also, leasing really changes the equation for the car you should get. Super Cruise doesn't really make sense for a car that you'll probably only use locally. DC fast charging is far less important on a car that you're probably not taking on long trips. So it all comes down to comfort, utility, and total the cost-per-mile. Either way, it sounds like the deal is done, so now it's just down to enjoying the car. I can't wait to see more about your experiences with it!
Oof yeah if we were in a position to buy...the deals on the Equinox are miiiighty tempting! Especially with the Bolt owner credit! I've seen people getting anywhere from 20-23k out the door which really does seem like great value for money for what this offers. Either way, can't wait to share about our experiences and always love hearing your input! - Liv
I'm leasing the Rally for quite a bit more than your Equinox. My wife is still driving the new car we got in early 2008. I agree on the details of the use case. I find most cars don't quite fit right, and the depth of the seat is the usually the problem. I had a good experience with my dealer. I would like to see a Vegas Road Trip in the Equinox. I buy new, and the Rally is my third Ford, and I had 4 Subarus before that. The first Subaru was because a Ford dealership convinced me I wanted nothing to do with Ford. I have easily over a million miles over those vehicles.
That's an interesting point. I almost feel like most automakers need to invest in the seat depth adjustment. It seems like a luxury option typically but it could really help more people be comfortable in more cars - Liv
I'm an Android Gal too!!! I have Android Auto in the Ioniq 6 but I'm using XM radio for 15 months because it's almost free. My husband's R1T has Spotify and Apple Music but no Android Auto. You get XM radio with the Equinox for 3 months free. To keep it, just let it almost run out and then XM radio lowers the price to 5 bucks a month.
The Equinox EV is a great choice. Excellent range, practical design and good pricing. The only thing that GM sacrificed is the battery voltage which Kyle Conner went into detail that hampers DC fast charging speeds, but honestly not an issue given you have the Mach-E as the roadtripper.
We did not. As we shared, we had to be realistic about keeping the cost down vs getting a feature just for content. But we just spent a week in a press loan Equinox EV with Supercruise so we will have some content coming out and we may see if we can request it again to do comparisons with. - Liv
When buying out a lease at the end of the term, does depreciation factor into the deal? Does it make sense to lease and buy out the term vs just buying?
When you sign the lease deal, there is already a set buyout price for the end of the lease. If there isn't a lot of depreciation, the buyout might make sense. But if there is a ton of depreciation, buying it out doesn't make financial sense. We talked about this offline after we recorded the video. In 2 years, if we want to buy the Equinox and it has depreciated more than what the buyout price is, we could literally just turn it and and try to buy a used Equinox. It can be a bit complicated and the manufacturers are hoping you either just lease another new car or buy it out.
I think it's a testament to the value of the Equinox EV that with totally different needs we both ended up with the same car (including trim level.) This was my first new car in 30 years. Who wants to take that depreciation hit? But with my 95 mile per day commute anything but electric was off the table. The Equinox EV with the tax credit and all the stackable GM incentives made more sense, especially with the miles I put on it, than trying to get something used. For me the icing on the cake was Google built in using a very traditional cabin layout with physical buttons, I'm looking at you VW. That being said I am less pleased with GMs interpretation of Google versus Volvos. GM lacks video apps and tools like Google Messages and the phone app which is horribly slow to load car state. I'm six months in and closing in on 12,000 miles and I i still enjoy driving it as much as I did on day 1.
Not an EV owner yet, but I'm considering an EV with close to 300 mile range. I want to have one vehicle that can cover all my needs. I want to know how the range of the Equinox compares to the Ford Mach-e.
Getting something different as a 2nd vehicle seems like a smart decision. At the very least, you'd want a better understanding of why the Mach-E is so awesome :)
Was your total expense including taxes & all fees only $5500 for 24 months. That’s fabulous. I thought my deal was pretty good leasing an EV6 GT last week. It’s no cash down and $400/mo for 24 mo. So it’s $9600 total including taxes/fees. They took $17.1 K off for incentives. While I didn’t want a high end model, this one came with a nice heads-up display and sun roof.
Yup, taxes and fees, all in for $5500! If you can believe it, there are better deals than that, but we were definitely happy and excited for the next 2 years! Congrats on your new EV6 GT! That's a great vehicle! - Liv
Congrats on the Equinox. Leased my first ev, an EV9 2 weeks ago. GM dealers around here are terrible. Their best lease deal on an equinox ev was $16k for 2yrs.
You have to be brave. The Equinox is full of sotware glitches. If fact is was retired from the market when car reviewers showed 22 faults in only 2 weeks of use. A few months later GM released it again, but not all the glitches were fixed. Leasing it solves a lot of future problems.
I had my right foot broken so I had to drive with left foot for several months. In order to be comfortable the design of the car has to be ALLOWING such kind of operation even manufacturers never intentionally thought about that feature. One pedal driving is not comfortable with left foot. I wish Liv good luck!
@MachE_VLOG Thank you for your answer. The odd driving experience was relearning using right foot, and for a while using both feet: left for brake pedal, right for gas pedal. That was mind boggling since for the brain it was sending conflicting messaging on both sides of the body.
Great video about the various considerations. It is too bad about the California used car scene. The Equinox EV deal is amazing. It seems like the Equinox is slightly overkill for what you need since it looks like a good road trip car (Much better than the Leaf). A Vegas road trip video with the Equinox would be great. I do not like one pedal and turned it off in my Mach-E. Nothing was more sluggish than when I drove a Mercedes Benz 300D (Diesel) years ago. No turbo so it was a couple of seconds after pressing the accelerator before it even moved. I later drove a turbo version and it was just as responsive as a gasoline car. The FWD Equinox is about 7.7 seconds. My 2006 Ford Fusion ICE was 7.5 seconds. I am also a Costco member. BTW, Many Costco warehouses in California back in the day had MagneCharge chargers for the GM EV1. Costco is currently rolling out CCS Fast Charging at their warehouses. Mostly in California, but there is one in Denver.
I think the discussion about Liv's driving considerations can be helpful for other people in like situations. One of my friends recently needed a prosthesis for his lower left leg and was in rehab for a long time. He drove a manual transmission, so his next car will be an automatic. Yesterday someone commented about him being fortunate that it was not his right leg and could not picture how one could drive with the left leg. Your discussion showed it is possible to use the left leg comfortably if you get the right vehicle.
@MachE_VLOG no name yet. I got the awd RS. I did put aftermarket wheels on it. The 21in wheels on the RS trim has a stiff ride and replacement tires are expensive.
All the leases that I have seen for the Honda Prologue are more expensive than the Equinox EV. For example, near us, there's a deal for a Prologue for $129 (plus tax) per month, with $4995 down. Sounds good but thats $8091 in total at minimum. Plus tax. So the Equinox EV is still $3000 cheaper. We actually have a video coming out on the Prologue soon. It's a GREAT vehicle. But felt too big for me. Just like I prefer an Equinox EV over a Blazer. - Liv
Dealers taking advantage of their customers? How shocking. Did anyone really think that $4,000 used EV rebate was actually for the customer? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.
The Toyota bZ4X combines futuristic design, eco-friendly efficiency, and luxurious comfort. With advanced features like panoramic moonroof, X-MODE driving, and intelligent connected services, this electric SUV is engineered to deliver adventure, convenience, and style on every road.
What do you think of the Equinox EV? And should we put more content about it on Mach-E Vlog or our EVexplored RUclips channel? (BTW, please also subscribe to EVexplored - www.youtube.com/@EVexplored )
In my humble opinion put it on the new channel and that way you can make coverage of all the other cars.
No, keep Mach e log for guess what Mach e s
Subscribed.
Question.
I know you hated the dealership experience. Why? If you had paid MSRP, they would have given you the best experience like Tesla where people pay MSRP. So you have to pick your poison.
Since you guys are the owner of the mach e and mach-e blog, will you guys be honest in comparing this to mach e? Based on cost parity.
@@Abevlife It's OK to like the price I got with a dealer but hate the experience. It truly is an annoying experience to get the "best offer" only to have them change their tune when I point out their ad. Or, back when we were trying to buy a Bolt and they insisted that we had to pay $3,500+ for stuff like nitrogen in the tires and a really poor alarm system. As I pointed out, our experience with the Ford dealer was super easy and with the GT it was almost the same as the Tesla/Rivian experience that people love.
If you have watched any of our other reviews, you'll notice that we are pretty fair in pointing out the pros/cons of all vehicles including our own. Check out our 3 year Mach-E video. It can be hard to always base things on cost parity because deals (like the one we got) come and go pretty quickly. But, I get annoyed with reviews that say stuff like "for just $5,000 more you could buy the competitor!" It really is important that we keep price in mind. Even with the Equinox the price varies from $42K to $56K so it can be important to consider which features are included. (For a 2025 Mach-E, the price can vary from $38.5 to $58K.)
Leasing EVs is smart right now. Equinox is a great lease/sale. I got an Ioniq 6 for 38k back in January 2024. At the time, the model 3 was 47k. You just have to go with the best deal at the particular time.
Great car. I have the Ioniq 6 too. Love driving it & the compliments it gets
Glad to see you come over to the EQNX world. We have gone from a Volt to a Bolt to the Equinox EV. Love it
Epic! Glad to join the gang! What do you call your Equinox? - Liv
I am 1 year into my Bolt EUV with Super Cruise. The depreciation on the purchase has been so substantial that the only car that would make sense is a used EV that has had a similar fall in price. I am pleased with Bolt EUV other than on long road trips where the charging time is a killer.
Patrick, I did not know you were a Veteran. Thank you for your service.
Thank you!
My family recently became a full MACH-E family. My wife and I both leased 2024 select MACH-E's and we are in love. Keep up the great content.
Yay congrats!! What colors did you guys get? - Liv
@@MachE_VLOG I got the Vapor Blue and my wife got the Glacier Gray metallic. Both colors are stunning.
Love that you're testing thumbnails... would be fun to know which color shade converts best 🤔
Congrats on the Equinox EV. Hope it serves you well!
Love that you noticed! I'll let you know which one wins! I think it's super interesting. And thanks! - Liv
Congrats!
Our 1st EV was in February this year (new 23 RZ 450), and we love it. I purchased a Blazer EV RS in July.
I live in Apple Valley, CA, and do Vegas usually once per month; I charge 100% when leaving and getting there with 20%. Using the navigation system is spot on with what you’ll have at your destination.
The Blazer gets a “279-mile range”, and two times, I tested it and did 285, with about 90% of the time freeway between 70 and 75 ac on.
Love that efficiency! Congrats on both your EVs! What a fun mix - Liv
We bought our MachE Premium in June 2021.
In July 2024 we bought our EquinoxEV 3RS.
We seem to be on the same journey.
We love both of our EVs. They each have their plusses amd minusses.
Love all of your shows. Love you both.
Hey guys this is amazing! I leased exactly the same model and color Equinox EV in July. The payment was so ridiculously low that I could not refuse. It's a great compliment to my Mach E GT Performance. I love both cars for different reasons. Congratulations!
y'all made the best choice for yourself as people and also for creating! i like folks like you and out of spec who go into great detail on evs and their known problems at launch. its a public service to do long-term ownership tests!
Enjoyed your video. Leased an Equinox EV RS for my wife and she loves it. We bought our Daughter a 2023 Bolt EUV so we owned one and got the $3000 off plus some of Chevy’s other discounts stacked. Our lease deal for the RS was no money down, $350/month, for 27 months. She doesn’t drive far to work so we charge every two weeks because it gets over 300 miles of range. Loved hearing your dealership stories, we lucky have one near us where they don’t play games, no add ons, and will deal through email. Only complaint about car is no CarPlay. Oh, I got in a Polestar 2 as rental and hated it too, so uncomfortable with my right leg hitting the center console. Switched it out for a Bolt EV at Hertz awhile back because I couldn’t take it. I’m a big guy. Subscribed to your other channel. Love your videos!
Thanks so much for the support! Love your input! So cool that you guys have both a Bolt and an Equinox. Such a good pair! - Liv
I'm glad I'm not the only one that hates those huge center consoles.
Awesome discussion/channel, you got a sub.
We entered the EV market in October and drove a bunch of stuff, but the combination of driving dynamics, range and value the Equinox EV presented ultimately won us over. (We also looked at Chevy Bolts from the Victory group in KS).
We settled on a 2025 Equinox EV LT w/ the Comfort & Safety II that included all-season mats and a Level 2 Charger for 25 OTD, which (as a purchase) far exceeded any type of deal we could get from the competitors.
We also just got our 2025 Equinox EV, and will be watching for Equinox road trips. Either channel, will be watching both. Yes take it to Vegas...
We love our Bolt EUV even it doesn't have Supercruise. It does have wireless Android auto and Apple car play, wireless cooled phone charger which DOES work, adaptive cruise control, opening sun roof, automatic headlights, automatic windshild wiping feature as in front as in the rear, ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, navigation, 360 degrees camera, rear, front camera, mirror doubles a rear view camera or simple mirror with a swith, 201 horsepower motor for a relatively small car.
Chevrolet Bolt EUV has a simple button switching one pedal driving on and off. We love that instead of paddles in Hyundai Ioniq5 which has tons of in between coasting levels and one pedal driving.
Daaaaang ok those are honestly all super lovely features that I'd be happy to have! - Liv
USA lease deals make me sad here in Canada.
Congrats on your new vehicle! Listening to your story, it feels similar to what I went through this year. I tried multiple Kia and Hyundai dealers, and they were absolute nightmares here in AZ. It came down to a ID.4 and the Mach-E, and both the VW dealer and Ford were easy to work with, willing to do everything over the phone, and work a good deal. Ford just happened to have the good financing, so I went with the Mach-E and have zero regrets.
Already subscribed to the other channel and looking forward to Chevy content on that channel!
What a great deal!
Thanks Lori! - Liv
Congrats on the new vehicle! Hope you have a great experience with it during the full lease term!
Great choice! Very economical. Shows EVs are not that expensive. This broadens the real life content possibilities for you.
The Mrs and I also just got a 25 EEV FWD LT BLK a week ago.
Absolutely loving this vehicle…!
Got an amazing deal on a lease.
Coming from a 2007 HHR with over 200K on it.
Even the base model of the EEV Is an awesome amount of technology and automobile for the price.
Enjoyed your video.
Thanks…!
Congrats! And welcome to the EQEV club! Happy New Year! - Liv
Congrats on the new Equinox. If not for the charging speed and lack of Apple Car Play, it would have been on our short list. And we share your love for the Bolt as well as your frustration at the refusal of car makers to make anything smaller than the state of Delaware available in the U.S. We've been driving a '22 Bolt EUV that we've taken on lots of road trips including one from here in Tampa over to Arizona, then up to Ohio, and back home from there. It did GREAT. This April, we traded our Prius for an Ioniq 5. What a road tripper!!! It's been to Ohio and Iowa on one trip and then another one this fall to Ohio. Being a 2-EV family has been great, especially since the Ioniq 5 kept our lights and refrigerator on during & after Hurricane Helene.
I got a chance to sit in and play with the controls on and Equinox. There wasn't time to drive it, but it did look like something we could live with if something happened to our Bolt despite the lack of phone projection. I hope you get great smileage from yours. I'm looking forward to more of your content on the Equinox, especially since I help moderate the chevybolt forum and the Equinox is a frequent topic there.
BTW, when you mentioned evexplored, I paused the video immediately and subscribed to it right away.
Thanks so much for the support, Jerry! And for sharing your input! What do you call your Ioniq 5? I'm so sorry you had to experience Hurricane Helene but that's definitely awesome that you had such a helpful vehicle ready to support your house! - Liv
We haven't come up with a name yet for the Ioniq 5. I named the Bolt, Bolt from the Blue. We were surprised in October, 2022 to be able to buy it off the lot at MSRP. It is Ice Blue. And our hockey team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, often called the Bolts. So that was natural.
Ha! You got me thinking and I think I have a name for our white, fast charging, long range EV. How does Strider sound? Inspired by Aragorn's nickname in Lord of the Rings. We love long trips in that car.
What a unique story Liv has!! My father is a left leg amputee and can not drive a manual stick car. I sometimes have bought them just because I like shifting.
Congratulations! In the small print, I believe the Costco deal requires you to be a member for at least 30 days prior to using the certificate.
So happy for you! Sounds like it’s the perfect fit. Thanks for sharing the experience!
Thanks so much Brian! - Liv
Congrats Liv and Patrick, looks fantastic!
Thank you! - Liv
Just subscribed to the other channel and it had an Ioniq6 video on it. Huzzah!!!
Thank you!! - Liv
Subscribed to EV explore, look forward to new content on the (new to me) channel. Agree with waiting for 2025 to upgrade your Mache, I went 2021 select then 2023 CR1, (3.5 miles/kwhr) on a 3000 km road trip last summer (just keep it under110 km/hr). The tech is changing so quickly I wish I had considered leasing in 2023 but have always considered leasing dumb (thanks Patrick). Enjoy my Mache everyday and Love the ride.
Great rundown of the options you explored. As far as the two channels go, I would say put future Equinox videos on the other channel, but maybe do some crossovers once in a while? TV shows do this, where, for example, Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street did combo episodes. Sometimes part 1 was on one show and part 2 was n the other, with lots of promotion in both directions.
My dealership experience (with the one I bought from, Bob King Kia/Hyundai/Genesis in Winston-Salem North Carolina) was and still is awesome. Getting my 7500 mile tire rotation in December.
Yay I'm so glad! - Liv
No Apple CarPlay is a deal breaker for the Equinox for me. I’m betting the Equinox is cheap in Kansas because let’s face it; the charging infrastructure out there isn’t great. I’m getting tired of people commenting that the charging infrastructure issues are FUD when there are large geographic swaths of the US with no charging infrastructure including a lot of side roads. Towns like Carbondale in Illinois have built out train infrastructure but no EV fast charging until recently. Vogler Ford on the eastern outskirts of town recently added a fast charger that’s 150kW.
I picked this car up this past Monday. I’m an apple cult member and I can honestly say that I don’t miss apple CarPlay. You connect your iPhone via Bluetooth and you can take phone calls and play your music Without any issues. Google maps is a decent substitute for Apple Maps. The only thing I miss is being able to see and answer texts while driving which honestly I probably should not be doing. If you are looking for a non Tesla the Equinox is the way to go. I absolutely love the car and am glad I’m leasing it.
Congrats! It’s a beauty!
Congrats! I just got a 2024 Equinox RS and I love it. Traded in my Bolt EUV for it. Mine is black so I named it Drogan.
Good call on moving. Lighting is more even. Put Chevy content on other channel unless you are doing side by side with MachE. It would be interesting to see how the 2 charge 10-80%. Or true highway range on same day.
Just brought this yesterday, the long range was a
key to me
I absolutely agree. If you're getting an old Bolt EV, be sure it's actually had the battery replaced under recall. I wouldn't get one that only received the software update.
Great video!!
Great choice for an EV. Sharing the leasing deals was very informative. For the name- perhaps Equus? Latin for Horse.
Great video. I subscribed to the other channel now too. I’m excited to hear more on the Equinox EV. I have a 2023 Bolt EUV and I get so aggravated with the myChevrolet app. It’s hit or miss if it updates battery miles and percentage. I hope it works better on the Equinox.
Congratulations on your new EV Patrick & Liv, love your content.
Thanks so much! - Liv
Thanks for being so honest, Liv. I LOVE your Equinox.
I am subscribed to your 2nd channel now
Our EVs are a Mach E and Blazer EV. We’re very frustrated with the Blazer EV. 7 months and it’s been at the dealership thrice. Right now we’re waiting for a charging port replacement since ours won’t open. One time it kept turning off after you sat inside, other time there was a HVB problem.
Awesome! I enjoy your channel. Which car has the lighter steering feel? Thank you
Some dealerships are great to work with remotely, but most aren’t as you indicated. My last 2 vehicles including my Mach E were through the same dealership and we did everything via text. I reward the good ones and avoid the others other than if I want to test drive something. Even then I consider renting the vehicle as a prolonged test drive.
Totally agree with Liv that my dream EV is yet to become available. But I’m patient and will wait as long as it takes.
Keep up the great work.
I didn't know you guys had another channel.. new subscriber here too the other channel
Congratulations!!!!
Good information regarding used EVs.
Great choice! We got the same, in blue, 3LT FWD, with the white interior! Love it! We did manage in the fall the exact mileage announced…and even more! Our name: remeki!
Germans say "Coasting" is more efficient than "One Pedal".
Congrats!! Great everyday driver, can't wait to see it in person. You mean to tell us you're not in the "Kyle Connor club for people who buy every vehicle they want all the time regardless of cost"?! 😆. I eagerly await your ongoing reviews of what daily life is like without Android Auto. I think you should put that content here until you can monetize the other channel then move it over there. The 1-Pedal on/off preference tied to profiles is such a benefit in the Mach-E, since I love it and my husband hates it. Makes it so easy when we swap drivers. Also worth noting for those looking for a used Bolt that they dramatically increased the seat quality and comfort starting with the 22s. We had an older one and I couldn't sit in it longer than 45 min without my legs falling asleep. Lastly, subscribed to the other channel 👍
Thanks so much Adam! Can't wait to show it to you! Really appreciate the input and support and we definitely have lots to share about this! - Liv
This is the sub my wife would have loved to replace her Buick enclave. But we went a bit smaller as the Lyriq was not available. But looking back I would like more storage, and optionally passenger space. In the Lyriq footprint. This or the new Ioniq 9 is the right size, just not premium enough for my better half. :)
Congratulations on your new EV 🎉
Thank you! - Liv
For Equinox content, anything to do with efficiency and affordability is interesting to me since this is an EV for the cost consious.. Maintenance and repair specifically. My 2019 Model 3 has never seen a service center and I can do all the maintenance.
Love it! I test drove a Blazer recently and liked the ride a lot better than the Mach-E. But just about everything else about the Mach-E was better. I was hoping the charging curve would be better on the Equinox - maybe do a 10-80% side-by-side charging comparison. Bring both to a solid DCFC location and charge them at the same time. Subscribed the other other channel as well!
Very interested in the Equinox! Looking forward to your impressions of the Chevy.
Congratulations on ur new EV, I know this is a start to new adventures.
Thanks so much! - Liv
Congrats! But why another blue car? Curious. Looking forward to content on the Equinox on EVexplored!!!
Because the other options were black or grey. There were just a few Riptide Blue and even less Galaxy Grey Metallic. I loved that color too but ultimately I'm a bright color person💙 so Riptide Blue it is 😊
They do have a red, but there weren't any in inventory and I honestly prefer blue to red. The car I last had for 16 years was Maroon so I can handle a blue overdose more than red right now :) I wish they had more bright, fun color options! - Liv
Hmm - we sold our 2022 Mach-e Select for a leased 2024 Blazer EV. About 1/2 the monthly cost. Culture shock going from Ford to Chevy. Our Mach-e had stopped receiving OTA updates (dealers could not fix) and was incapable of route planning that included compatible superchargers.
Google Built-in was a wise move by Chevy. But Chevy wants you to buy the Tesla adapter from them even if you already have one - and they enforce it!
I always appreciate your upbeat tone.
Thanks Mike! Congrats on your Blazer and welcome to the Chevy family too! It's been super interesting so far being able to compare the two ecosystems! - Liv
Deals with the bolt owner are so good....I just leased two. One blazer for $3400 and one equinox EV AWD for $1500 One payment. And looking to purchase the 3rd one.
Dang that's crazy! What terms, how much down, and what State? - Liv
@MachE_VLOG NJ zero down, 24 months, 10k miles per year. I had many incentives like Costco, lease, supplier discount from work , bolt, $500 for new credit card . Gor $4500 rebates for blazer and $5500 rebates for equinox EV. Thanks to the users from leasehacker forum..
Cube, was I was thinking. If what something fun then Noxxi.
The 2025 Equinox EV is on my short list for replacing my Chevy Volt, but I can't do a lease. Not with the miles that I drive. Also, leasing really changes the equation for the car you should get. Super Cruise doesn't really make sense for a car that you'll probably only use locally. DC fast charging is far less important on a car that you're probably not taking on long trips. So it all comes down to comfort, utility, and total the cost-per-mile. Either way, it sounds like the deal is done, so now it's just down to enjoying the car. I can't wait to see more about your experiences with it!
Oof yeah if we were in a position to buy...the deals on the Equinox are miiiighty tempting! Especially with the Bolt owner credit! I've seen people getting anywhere from 20-23k out the door which really does seem like great value for money for what this offers. Either way, can't wait to share about our experiences and always love hearing your input! - Liv
I'm leasing the Rally for quite a bit more than your Equinox.
My wife is still driving the new car we got in early 2008.
I agree on the details of the use case. I find most cars don't quite fit right, and the depth of the seat is the usually the problem.
I had a good experience with my dealer.
I would like to see a Vegas Road Trip in the Equinox.
I buy new, and the Rally is my third Ford, and I had 4 Subarus before that. The first Subaru was because a Ford dealership convinced me I wanted nothing to do with Ford. I have easily over a million miles over those vehicles.
That's an interesting point. I almost feel like most automakers need to invest in the seat depth adjustment. It seems like a luxury option typically but it could really help more people be comfortable in more cars - Liv
I'm an Android Gal too!!! I have Android Auto in the Ioniq 6 but I'm using XM radio for 15 months because it's almost free. My husband's R1T has Spotify and Apple Music but no Android Auto. You get XM radio with the Equinox for 3 months free. To keep it, just let it almost run out and then XM radio lowers the price to 5 bucks a month.
I heard EV Explorer not EV Explored in the video
The Equinox EV is a great choice. Excellent range, practical design and good pricing. The only thing that GM sacrificed is the battery voltage which Kyle Conner went into detail that hampers DC fast charging speeds, but honestly not an issue given you have the Mach-E as the roadtripper.
Did you get super cruise. Cool to compare with blue cruise.
We did not. As we shared, we had to be realistic about keeping the cost down vs getting a feature just for content. But we just spent a week in a press loan Equinox EV with Supercruise so we will have some content coming out and we may see if we can request it again to do comparisons with. - Liv
When buying out a lease at the end of the term, does depreciation factor into the deal? Does it make sense to lease and buy out the term vs just buying?
When you sign the lease deal, there is already a set buyout price for the end of the lease. If there isn't a lot of depreciation, the buyout might make sense. But if there is a ton of depreciation, buying it out doesn't make financial sense. We talked about this offline after we recorded the video. In 2 years, if we want to buy the Equinox and it has depreciated more than what the buyout price is, we could literally just turn it and and try to buy a used Equinox. It can be a bit complicated and the manufacturers are hoping you either just lease another new car or buy it out.
I think it's a testament to the value of the Equinox EV that with totally different needs we both ended up with the same car (including trim level.)
This was my first new car in 30 years. Who wants to take that depreciation hit? But with my 95 mile per day commute anything but electric was off the table.
The Equinox EV with the tax credit and all the stackable GM incentives made more sense, especially with the miles I put on it, than trying to get something used.
For me the icing on the cake was Google built in using a very traditional cabin layout with physical buttons, I'm looking at you VW. That being said I am less pleased with GMs interpretation of Google versus Volvos. GM lacks video apps and tools like Google Messages and the phone app which is horribly slow to load car state.
I'm six months in and closing in on 12,000 miles and I i still enjoy driving it as much as I did on day 1.
Not an EV owner yet, but I'm considering an EV with close to 300 mile range. I want to have one vehicle that can cover all my needs. I want to know how the range of the Equinox compares to the Ford Mach-e.
Getting something different as a 2nd vehicle seems like a smart decision. At the very least, you'd want a better understanding of why the Mach-E is so awesome :)
Totally! It has already been so interesting to have the comparison! - Liv
Was your total expense including taxes & all fees only $5500 for 24 months. That’s fabulous. I thought my deal was pretty good leasing an EV6 GT last week. It’s no cash down and $400/mo for 24 mo. So it’s $9600 total including taxes/fees. They took $17.1 K off for incentives. While I didn’t want a high end model, this one came with a nice heads-up display and sun roof.
Yup, taxes and fees, all in for $5500! If you can believe it, there are better deals than that, but we were definitely happy and excited for the next 2 years! Congrats on your new EV6 GT! That's a great vehicle! - Liv
You should take both Vechicles to Vegas
congrats on the equinox ev
Thanks Ryan! - Liv
Evanox or Eva for short, or maybe Evvy.
Love the input! Thanks! - Liv
Congrats on the Equinox. Leased my first ev, an EV9 2 weeks ago. GM dealers around here are terrible. Their best lease deal on an equinox ev was $16k for 2yrs.
Yes to Vegas run in the Equinox!
Would like to see road trip to Vegas. Does Equinox would as road tripper.
Awesome! I think we're going to do it! - Liv
"Whatever you drive, enjoy the ride."
Delighted for you! Take advantage of the incentives before they… disappear! How 'bout… Bluebell? Blueberry? TwoBlue? TruBlue?
I thought you were going to break out in song: 🎶"If you don't know us by now...." 🎶
Aaaand now I have that stuck in my head. Thanks. 😆 - Liv
My nomination for the name is: "Chaka Blue".
You have to be brave. The Equinox is full of sotware glitches. If fact is was retired from the market when car reviewers showed 22 faults in only 2 weeks of use. A few months later GM released it again, but not all the glitches were fixed. Leasing it solves a lot of future problems.
I had my right foot broken so I had to drive with left foot for several months. In order to be comfortable the design of the car has to be ALLOWING such kind of operation even manufacturers never intentionally thought about that feature. One pedal driving is not comfortable with left foot.
I wish Liv good luck!
Thanks! Sorry you had to experience that but cool that you have that unique insight now! - Liv
@MachE_VLOG Thank you for your answer. The odd driving experience was relearning using right foot, and for a while using both feet: left for brake pedal, right for gas pedal. That was mind boggling since for the brain it was sending conflicting messaging on both sides of the body.
Great video about the various considerations. It is too bad about the California used car scene. The Equinox EV deal is amazing. It seems like the Equinox is slightly overkill for what you need since it looks like a good road trip car (Much better than the Leaf). A Vegas road trip video with the Equinox would be great. I do not like one pedal and turned it off in my Mach-E.
Nothing was more sluggish than when I drove a Mercedes Benz 300D (Diesel) years ago. No turbo so it was a couple of seconds after pressing the accelerator before it even moved. I later drove a turbo version and it was just as responsive as a gasoline car. The FWD Equinox is about 7.7 seconds. My 2006 Ford Fusion ICE was 7.5 seconds.
I am also a Costco member. BTW, Many Costco warehouses in California back in the day had MagneCharge chargers for the GM EV1. Costco is currently rolling out CCS Fast Charging at their warehouses. Mostly in California, but there is one in Denver.
I think the discussion about Liv's driving considerations can be helpful for other people in like situations. One of my friends recently needed a prosthesis for his lower left leg and was in rehab for a long time. He drove a manual transmission, so his next car will be an automatic. Yesterday someone commented about him being fortunate that it was not his right leg and could not picture how one could drive with the left leg. Your discussion showed it is possible to use the left leg comfortably if you get the right vehicle.
Call it Antikythera. From
Antikythera mechanism. Look it up i think it works for you guys
Dang, that's an interesting name! It might not work for me but it for sure sounds like what you should call your EV! - Liv
I have an Equinox EV and love it. Enjoy!
Yay that's awesome! What trim and color and does it have a name? - Liv
@MachE_VLOG no name yet. I got the awd RS. I did put aftermarket wheels on it. The 21in wheels on the RS trim has a stiff ride and replacement tires are expensive.
So that's all you paid?? OMG. Awesome. I've never even heard of that.
Is ford Mach E using Tesla plug in the near future (2025-26) models??
Not on 2025.
@ okay thanks for letting me know. I was asking for a friend.
Equinox to Vegas , Yes.
How about a Honda Prologue.. they have a great leases I think $229 month
All the leases that I have seen for the Honda Prologue are more expensive than the Equinox EV. For example, near us, there's a deal for a Prologue for $129 (plus tax) per month, with $4995 down. Sounds good but thats $8091 in total at minimum. Plus tax. So the Equinox EV is still $3000 cheaper. We actually have a video coming out on the Prologue soon. It's a GREAT vehicle. But felt too big for me. Just like I prefer an Equinox EV over a Blazer. - Liv
Take it to Vegas!
Awesome! Congratulations, she a beauty.
Thanks Dennis! - Liv
Dealers taking advantage of their customers? How shocking.
Did anyone really think that $4,000 used EV rebate was actually for the customer? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.
The Toyota bZ4X combines futuristic design, eco-friendly efficiency, and luxurious comfort. With advanced features like panoramic moonroof, X-MODE driving, and intelligent connected services, this electric SUV is engineered to deliver adventure, convenience, and style on every road.
That sounds like an ad. We briefly considered a bZ4X but decided against it mostly due to a combo of the low range & slow charging speed.
Liv, I think you should take over control of the other channel.
Yay 🎉❤
take the new Chevy on a road trip to shop how its chargers and how it is to road trip
Will do! - Liv
Shacka Khan!
You are RAMBLING!! Tell us about the Equinox. I don’t want to know about the Bolt.
@@MrZimmmy We leased an Equinox EV.
EV Shaka!!!