Sad Goodbye Chevy Equinox, Hello Mazda cx5

[jmm63]

At the end of June, I was in an accident in my 18 Chevy Equinox. I had just taken the dog for a walk and we were going to get the car washed. I was rear-ended by a fully loaded dump truck that lost its brakes. I actually had been following the truck down a hill and he was having problems already. He pulled over in a right turn lane so I went around him assuming he was turning or stopping. I proceeded to an intersection at the bottom of the hill, was waiting for the red light, and then I see him in the rear view mirror. Bam ! I just remember the windows exploding. There was a car in front of me so I hit him and pushed him into the intersection, the truck hit me a second time and turned me around. Thank God no one was coming the other direction. My dog was on the back seat and although scared was unhurt, just covered in glass. I ended up being ok, just sore for a few days. We were both very lucky for sure.

The Equinox ended up being a total loss. As they took more and more parts off, the found a badly bent frame and floor. The estimate took it over the 18K to repair. So after a month of settling things with them and shopping for a new car, I ended up with the Mazda cx5. What a very nice, well equipped car, my first Mazda and the plan is that this is the car that will last into retirement in 10 years.

The pics of the front of the Equinox were at the repair shop. Although the damage was minimal up front, there was a lot of internal damage. The last pic shows the interior view of the back hatch, and just how far it came into the back. Pretty scary and you haven't lived until you see the grill of a Mack truck coming through your window.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well I'm glad you and your dog made it okay, may something like this never happen again...

And usually while like the ad about switching to Chevy, your Mazda offers just as good or better, though while nothing guarantees the best protection from rear impact, I'm jjust glad you're both okay...

-- Dave

 

[philcobendixduo]

WOW!

So glad you were not seriously injured.
I absolutely LOVE that red Mazda uses.
Every time I see a Mazda that color, it gets my attention.
I kept hoping Mazda would give the U.S. the diesel powered CX5 but I don't think they ever did.
I like the tan interior - just wish there was more tan and less black (especially the carpet!)
ENJOY your new ride.

 

[appnut]

Jim, I'm very glad you and your dog weren't more seriously injured. Love the new car. I've owned Mazdas since 1991. The 1991 was a Mazda 626 LX and the 2010 is a Mazda 5 Grand Touring. [this post was last edited: 8/16/2020-17:47]

 

[DADoES]

 
I had a 1993 626 through 2001.  No trouble except the power antenna broke.  Would consider another but no local dealer and I'm done w/buying cars out-of-town.

 

[jamiel]

Mazda shows the diesel CX5 on the US website, but nary a one seems available. In that class vehicle, only the (previous gen) Equinox offered diesel.

 

[maytagbear]

Jim................

I am so glad that neither you or your dear companion were not severly injured. So glad.

Mazda's are nice. I hope you have many years of good service!

Here in Kent, the Mazda dealer is exactly next door to the Toyota dealer. I am among the few who find this to be extremely funny.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mistereric]

Oh wow... glad you're OK and the new ride is handsome. Were you coming over the train tracks? I hate the hill, especially that corner, because the hill leading up to the light is blind.

 

[vacerator]

Jim,

glad you and the pup are fine. I think you'll like the Mazda. Not many dealers around here.
Half of our families drive Equinox's. Our kids had one of thge last gen like yours was. I liked that one, but the newer ones seem to lack seat thigh support, says my sister too. I don't care for the styling, but it's better than some others. The sweptline side crease is a-la-Buick. I don't know if the sharper raked roofline reduces cargo height. What urks me is the Buick Encore is a lot smaller. A Buick was always a premium over a any Chevrolet.
I still love our Edge, but in 2.5 years, we've only put 10,000 miles on it. Depending on the deals next May, we'll turn it in for another, or an Explorer, or the new Bronco perhaps. Stepson works for Ford, so thats why Ford, and we like it.
The 3.6 V6 is strong. I can only imagine the extra oopmh the 3.2 ecoboost has, as it has more torque and power. Maybe on the next one.
I found a '79 Lincoln 4 dr. Town car collector series with 38,000 miles on it for $14 grand near Indy. Loaded with leather, even a moonroof. The 6 of us can travel in that with all our luggage, and room for a body or two. But, hubby is not on board. It is 233 inches long, and that would leave 6 in. to spare in the garage. I passed up a 2010 S class 550 because it needs new air supension bladders. I can work on older cars, not those, but they are Spitzenklasse!

 

[littlegreeny]

Glad you and your dog are okay. That's a beautiful new Mazda. They make great, fun to drive and reliable cars. I have a Mazda 3 in the same soul red color.

 

[pulltostart]

Jim,

I, too, am glad that both you and your dog came through without injury!  And the New Ride is sharp; but - does the dog approve???

 

lawrence

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Glad you're both ok. I had a similar experience several years ago, but it was a van, not a Mack truck!!! As with you, mine got totalled.

 

I wish you the best of luck with the Mazda.

 

[sudsmaster]

Mazda likely is a very good choice. My impression is that Mazdas have superior engineering and quality. They call it, "Kansei Engineering", or at least they used to in their TV ads. I've never owned a Mazda, but I would certainly consider one. Although I'm sort of partial to Subaru.

 

 

[jmm63]

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Doggo has not been in the new car yet. Although I have a pet seat cover, I'm just not ready for the dog hair. We use 'the doggo mobile" our 05 Subaru Outback with almost 200k miles.

Eric - do you know the area? It happened at the corner of Myrtle Ave and Wooton Ave in Boonton. Not far from the Walmart. So glad no one was coming the other direction as that is a busy intersection.

Mike - I really liked the Equinox, had a 15 and the 18. The 18 was much improved and fixed alot of issues from the 15. But the 20's look exactly the same and it was time for something different. We have a couple Mazda dealers not far. I had 19 Ford Fusion as a rental and really loved it, a pleasure to drive. But not in the market for a sedan. Really no other Ford interested me, which is a shame since I grew up next to Dearborn. Get the Lincoln by the way.

 

[jamiel]

Chevrolet now has so many SUVs...the Trax is the oldest model, then the TrailBlazer (made in Korea with the 3 cylinder engine but on the newest platform), then the Equinox, then the Blazer (which is the old bigger Equinox platform with the sliding back seat) then the Traverse (3 row). Brian bought an Equinox in Feb 19 on a 2 year lease--it's been ok---we preferred his Cruze, actually...

 

[vacerator]

Jamie,

by the Trax being the oldest, do you mean it's Daewoo platform shared with the Encore, Aveo, then Sonic? The intital Equinox shared a floorpan, control arms, etc. with the Saturn View, Pontiac Torrent, and has been tweaked, widened, and lengthened since with suspension changes. All fwd GM suv's share the new archtecture with differences in width, wheelbase, and length. Even the Caddy's. The newer Traverse is also a version. The Lambda platform finsihed with the prior Enclave.

 

[vacerator]

Jim,

Fusions basically are a Mazda 6. Flatrock built both before Mustangs. The Lincoln MXZ also shares underpinnings, etc.

 

[jamiel]

Trax/Encore is based on the Sonic with the GMKorea platform. These will be replaced ultimately by the TrailBlazer and EncoreGX...which are on the successor platform and slightly larger and wider but lighter in weight and currently are only a 3 cylinder engine, engineered in Korea and a "first world" platform. There's a low-cost "third world" platform called GEM which was engineered in China which we won't see here in US/Canada.

The Envision is on the Opel-derived Cruze platform, adapted and manufactured in China.

Equinox/Terrain/CT4 (manufactured Ingersoll/Mexico) are one size larger and one generation newer. Blazer and CT5 (built Mexico) are the largest of the five seat; Acadia and CT6 are smaller 3-seat (built Spring Hill) and Traverse/Enclave are larger 3-seat (manufactured Lansing)