My New Ride

It's been about two and a half weeks since the accident and the insurance company was very quick to get us the payout on the car. I went in to Murray Chev in Lethbridge and talked to Bruce about a new vehicle after doing some research online. The service was outstanding, if you're in Southern Alberta and looking for a vehicle I'd highly recommend paying them a visit

Originally, we had been trying to decide between an Impala and an Equinox. After I got a chance to actually sit in one, I immediately decided in favor of the Equinox. It has all the safety features we were looking for and is very comfortable inside. I will never buy another vehicle without OnStar...

Here it is in our driveway. I thought I should get a picture of it while it was still clean... Yah, it's "only" a 4 cylinder engine, but there's only 80hp difference between this and the V6. Since I'm not going to be towing anything, that's not a big deal. It also gets about 10mpg better fuel economy than does the V6, which had more impact on the decision making process. When you drive between 1550 and 1860 miles each month, that adds up to about 10-12 gallons saved each month (37-45 liters), and with fuel closing in on $1/liter again, that adds up.

Here's a shot of the dash. The telescoping wheel is awesome and reduces a lot of arm strain (for me, anyway). Controls on the steering wheel for cruise and the stereo. There is a USB plug in the center arm rest console where I can plug in my iPod. I can then control the iPod from the steering wheel, which is very handy for all the time I spend on the road. I can skip forward or backward in the playlist without taking my hands off the wheel. It took me a while to figure out that the power door lock buttons were below the environmental control buttons in the center, but I found them eventually. The childlock button for the rear doors is also in the center, which I think is a great idea.

Another great feature is the Bluetooth connection (for phones or GPS). As soon as I start the engine, the car recognizes my phone so when a call comes in, the stereo turns off and the fan goes to low so I can take the call (by pressing the phone button on the steering wheel). The stereo display also shows me the incoming phone number, way cool.

The digital display panel in the center of the drive console can show all kinds of useful information, like a digital speedometer, two trip meters, compass info, even a drive timer.

Plenty of storage space in the back. the seats can slide forward up to 8", so even the passengers can have leg room (I even sat in the back to make sure). In fact, this is the first car I remember driving where I've been able to comfortably slide the seat forward. The seat goes up quite a ways too, as Dawn found out. This is without a doubt the most comfortable car I've driven. The visibility is also very good. One of my complaints about the Aura (may it rest in peace) was the rear-view mirror could (and did) hide a whole car at an intersection because it was so low on the windshield.

Anyhow, I'll be putting on around 1800km's in the next two weeks, so I'll have a good chance to break it in on the road. And sure enough, the day after I pick up my car, the new 2011 models come out. Oh well, doesn't look like they changed a lot...