We recently took a hard look at the fact that the Chevy Camaro does not feature a split-folding rear seat, and compared it to the back seat of its rival, the Ford Mustang, which still features a split-folding rear seat. This time around, we’re looking into a seating discrepancy in a different Chevy-Ford rivalry: the Chevy Equinox and the Ford Escape. Notably, despite the current, third-generation Chevy Equinox having all kinds of useful features, it no longer features a sliding rear seat. Meanwhile, its crosstown rival – the all-new 2020 Ford Escape – does have a sliding rear seat. All that leads us to ask: has Chevy dropped the ball?
Just as the Ford Mustang offers a bit of functionality that the Chevy Camaro does not, so too does the new Ford Escape when compared to the Chevy Equinox. Hopefully this doesn’t become a pattern when cross-shopping Chevy products with those from Ford. Interestingly, the ability to slide the rear seats was something that the previous, second-generation Chevy Equinox did offer as a segment exclusive, so we have to wonder why the Bow Tie brand would opt to get rid of this convenience for the third-generation, which was introduced for the 2018 model year.
In short, this means that owners of the Ford Escape have more flexibility when it comes to their crossover: when necessary to accommodate taller passengers in the rear seat, they can slide the rear seat backward. Meanwhile, when more cargo room is necessary, they can simply slide the rear seat forward. And unlike the discussion about the rear seats in a Camaro, which some might consider irrelevant, the fact that the Chevy Equinox – a utility vehicle – doesn’t have sliding rear seats is a bit more noteworthy, since the entire purpose of such a vehicle is to provide a spacious, convenient, and comfortable mode of transportation.
Rear seat in Chevy Equinox does not slide
Sure, there are those who buy an Equinox or Escape simply because they wanted something a bit more spacious and this just so happened to be sitting on the lot at the time. In these cases, the user is less likely to even notice such a difference, and would probably be satisfied with any vehicle that had four wheels, a raised seating position, and could move under its own power. On the other hand, there are those who spend frugally and live practically and make it a point to buy the best products. As such, anything that inhibits our ability to live efficiently is disregarded as inferior. From that perspective, it’s easy to see why one would opt for the 2020 Ford Escape over the current-generation Chevy Equinox.
2020 Ford Escape
Speaking of efficiency, another advantage of the 2020 Ford Escape over the Chevy Equinox is the fact that a hybrid model is available, and it is able to provide at least 30 all-electric miles of range. It’s worth noting that there is an Equinox diesel model while there isn’t an Escape diesel model, but one has to wonder in awe about GM’s decision not to offer the awesome hybrid system from the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid in the Equinox.
Chevy Chevrolet Equinox cargo area
So, now that we’ve gone over the two general perspectives on the matter, we ask: is the lack of a sliding rear seat in the third-gen Chevy Equinox an issue for you? Vote in our poll, and discuss (politely, please) in the comments section below.
Comments
This is yet another blunder by General Motors CEO Mary Barra, one has to wonder many errors will Barra be allowed to make before showing her the door because this decision will be a selling point that Ford will push to gobble up more competition.
This had nothing to do specifically with Mary Barra. She barely knows the Equinox exists. She has very little to do with product directly, especially specific details.
Correct. What Barra has to do with this is putting the right people in the right positions within the company to deliver the winning formula. Clearly this is not happening at GM at the moment… from the Silverado to the Camaro to other class trailing blunders.
Only blame I place on Barra is she let the Beancounters back. She better get control back or GM will get in serious trouble in the future.
Barra didn’t let the bean counters in… she IS the beancounter. Her and Amann both.
They are getting away with murder on the profit side of the equation by decontending vehicles and making them less competitive and less attractive. Future management will pay for their mistakes.
Yeah but the Escape is fugly, is that why there is no shot of it’s front end here?
Here, so everyone can take a quick look before posting!
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/04/new-2020-ford-escape-to-challenge-chevrolet-equinox/
Well as a past owner of a Terrain with a sliding seat I can say once we set it we never moved it again.
There is more than enough leg room in these models it is not like you need to move it.
It sounds cool to say it has a sliding seat but in the real world it amounts to a lot of nothing you ever use.
The money save on the slider should be used to make a true need better. Better door panels with less plastic?
So in other words, you used the feature to customize the back seat the way you wanted it. As a current owner of an Equinox that has the feature, I did the same. I put the seats where I wanted them and then pretty much never moved them, except barring those times where I need more cargo space. Few and far between yes, but necessary when I needed it.
Removal of the feature is dumb. A lot of things GM does is dumb. Let’s completely redesign the Silverado and dumb down the seats. The prior gen seats were more comfortable and even 12-way power in the higher trims. Let’s redesign the Camaro and remove the split-folding rear seat. Let’s redesign the Colorado and dumb down the front seats. The last gen Colorado had 8-way power, comfortable seats, the current gen got dumbed down to 4- way power, just upgraded to 6-way power for 2019, and even with the upgrade is not as good as the last gen model.
I’m getting quite tired of GM taking what’s good about their product and making it worse. Where’s the continuous improvement? Why throw out competitive advantage?
It appears all GM is doing these days is cutting features, trying to keep their status quo of cheap materials, and raising prices. That’s not a winning formula.
I did not customize. I moved it and found no additional cargo room was gained and the leg room was fine where ever it was. I could not tell you if it was back for forward.
The sliding seat added No real Cargo room.
Now as a Nox owner you should be aware the rear seat did not fold flat. Now there was the flaw in the system and that would have added more help than anything in the vehicle. The last gen was not packaged very well too. I realize now how bad the packaging was with our new Acadia.
The amount the seat moved was as useful as a Utter on a Bull.
My point is of all the short comings there are things much more in need of attention. But then again as you complain about what they take out you would complain if they charged more for it so who wins?
Content cost money and right now less and less people can afford a new car and it will only get worse.
Today it is all about cost and weight. Both have to stop growing and unless you have any other way of holding cost down and reducing weight. then please share it.
Scott sounds like he has no family or kids to transport back there, so he’s not the best barometer on the matter.
The sliding function delivers obvious benefits, which is why GM used it on the second gen Equinox and why Ford is using it now on the Escape. One doesn’t need to be a genius go see the benefits of the sliding rear seat.
The only reason GM got rid of it is because it’s trying to screw the consumer into buying an inferior product to make more money. Nothing more, nothing less. It may be working now, but I have a bad feeling that it will come back to bite them in the derrière.
Have a family and even hauled regularly a soap box derby car that was just over six feet long. Moving the seat added nothing to comfort or cargo ability.
This was not a Camaro rear seat to start with.
Got an Acadia now and guess what again no seat movement being used or done. Again unless you are hauling a linebacker that is 6’7″ there is plenty of leg room. Moving the seat adds so little cargo room it matters little.
Drop the drama and speak the truth.
We have it in the XT5, and as with most….its always as far back as it can go.
If you need more room, fold down the seats, but 90% of people will just move it all the way back.
This is just another example of GM putting cost cutting ahead of customer’s needs. We are constantly sliding our 2nd row fore and aft depending on what nonsense we’re hauling. The 2nd row fully slid up is the only way l can get both children’s bikes in when we go to the park.
If you look at the best sellers in this category it’s something they all have. IDK what is going on at GM but it seems like they are moving backwards.
Yet, the best seller in this segment is Equinox/Terrain platform. So your argument just flew out the window.
Unfortunately I did not double check all of the new features on the 2018 Equinox before purchasing it and was disappointed when I realized the rear seat did not slide. It was one of the features I wanted when I decided to purchase one. It has been 20 years since I purchased a GM product and have realized that there are other features that GM has on there vehicles that I dislike. Maybe because of some of the cost cutting measures, I don’t know but my other vehicle is a Chrysler and after a couple of years I will get rid of the Equinox.
If you missed it when buying then you must not really need it.
Just trying to remember the last time I had someone in the back seat.
THIS is a moot point! Our 2018 Equinox doesn’t have a sliding rear seat and doesn’t need one. I drive with my seat back to limits. Never had a back seat passenger say I should slide my driver’s seat forward when asked.
If it’s a moot point, then why did the last-gen model offer it… and why is ford offering it now? And why are other GM crossovers offering it?
Alex, the whole time I had my Terrain I often wondered why they did offer it.
The point is the seat moving 4 inches added little to the rear seat comfort . The recline was only about 2 inches on the back rest.
The moot point is it sounds like a great idea and a neat feature but once you have it you realize it is as useless as a utter on a bull.
It is like the paddle sifters on my Malibu. Sounded good when you buy it but in real life it is something you just flick while at a light waiting for it to change as you never use it. It is not the same thing as on a Porsche with a duel clutch system.
The truth is the CUV models have more than enough leg room and even with a sliding seat the added space is not much.
The truth is I would have given up the sliding seat in my Terrain just for a rear seat that would have folded flat. That sucker would not go flat and was a pain.
Most people upset here have never owned a CUV with a sliding seat let along one of the GM ones. They just base it off the feel good nature of it sounds better but in real life it adds nothing.
Thank you Scott!
And also, you know, sales are always the bottom line, and so one has to imagine that because they’ve been hearing all the harping on it’s high vehicle price, -they probably weighed the amount of sales they’d get with the sliders -versus a lower vehicle price, and opted for the lower price.
I have an old 07 Honda Saturn Vue, that I bought new, that came with reclining rear seats, -that I haven’t used once. Nice gimmick, and that’s about it.
Moot point and a stupid reason for us to consider a vehicle, since we rarely have rear seat passengers. But our daughter and grandchildren don’t need either front seat moved forward when riding with us.
When buying a smaller SUV/crossover, we needed one with the power and tow ratings to pull my enclosed motorcycle trailer to our winter home in Texas. The Equinox with the 2.0 Turbo engine, 9 speed transmission, and tow package was the ONLY vehicle in the class to offer such numbers.
After towing said trailer 2600 miles, which was done VERY easily, that is how I would say the sliding rear seat is a moot point and versatility and power are much more an issue.
GM has been doing this for many many years. Remember back in the 1970’s when they introduced the downsized A-body line in 1978 how the rear window didn’t roll down and instead you got that tiny useless flap?
How about the Tech IV 2.5 liter engines made all the way up to 1988 without balance shafts or the Vega 2.0 engine made without cylinder liners with an aluminum block in 1971. Even the Quad 4 engine went well into the 1990’s before they finally spent the money on balance shafts for it to make it competitive with everybody else’s DOHC 4 cylinder engines. One could go on and on with examples of GM’s blunders, poor management and decisions dictated by bean counters that are compromising their products to this day but you get the point. The current Equinox and Terrain are no different. With other makes putting in sliding rear seats here is GM omitting the feature that they touted on these vehicles when they were introduced years ago giving them a competitive advantage over the competition.
Blazer.
Forget Escape. Blazer now has the sliding rear seat.
This reminds me of the cup holder wars in the past. Certain features are added just so companies can brag about the number of features. A sliding back seat is not really all that useful. We have survived decades without them.
IMHO opinion the fact that the rear seat backs have a small recline option is much more useful and comfortable in the long haul-pun intended.
We use the slider on our current Equinox fairly often for peeps and cargo.. We are considering a new Nox or an Escape and I’m sure the winner will be decided on many other issues. What I’d really like to know is who is going to add a stop/start defeat switch? Now that is a tie-breaker.
I certainly notice the lack of rear legroom in my 2019 Terrain versus my previous generation Terrain!
the bean cutters strike again . rhats not only with Chevy bit all GM divisions THANKS MARY another job well done (((NOT)))
I’ve had 2 Equinoxes, both with sliding back seats and have constantly used them. It’s great when you don’t want something to tip or fall over. You move thel seat forward to wedge it between front & rear seats. I’m going to look for my 3rd one now to purchase. I just hope it has the same amount of leg and head room as previous models did in the rear. I am upset that they’ve removed the 12 volt port from the rear of the console & replaced it with USB ports. Will no longer be able to plug in DVD player to keep my toddler grandson occupied on trips.