Chevrolet Problems

The C8 Corvette (current model) is a fabulous piece of kit. It gives more or less supercar performance and handling for less than half the price of many established supercars, which makes it one of the all-time great motoring bargains.

As far as reliability goes, that will depend on the car’s history and whether it’s been maintained correctly. I’d also be a bit leery of car that has seen its share of track use (something the Corvette is otherwise very good at thanks to its performance envelope).

The 6.2-litre engine is a very well known quantity and is generally regarded as bulletproof. The only real question mark lies over the dual-clutch transmission, and some owners overseas have reported electronic and oil leak problems with the Corvette’s transmission. It’s worth mentioning, though, that our conditions don’t always match those of other countries, but the small number of Australian-delivered C8 Corvettes makes it hard to know how widespread these problems are.

Would I own one? In a heartbeat.

You raise an interesting point, Phil. A lot of people don’t understand that as you approach the towing limit of some vehicles, you also get very close to the legal Gross Combination Mass (GCM) which means you have virtually no payload left.

As for the torque of the 6.2-litre V8 engine, while it may not have quite the low-speed punch of a modern turbo-diesel, with 624Nm of torque, the engine is no lightweight, either. Frankly, it should do the job about as well as anything else out there. I’m not aware of a factory retune for the Silverado, but the engine is shared with plenty of GM and Holden product and there’s a whole industry in hotting those up. Surely somebody can offer you the tune-up you’re looking for. By the way, success on a boat ramp tends to be more about grip than torque.

If there are any common problems and complaints about Chevrolet's reliability or faults, they'll likely show up on our Chevrolet problems page. You can also calculate a car's projected resale value via our price and specs page.

The Chevrolet (and Holden) Equinox should be a reliable car when driven sympathetically and serviced regularly. For the money there are probably better vehicles for the money in the SUV category in terms of fit and finish, and on-road performance.

Ultimately any purchasing choice will come down to personal preference and budget as to what is a better car for you.

The third-generation Equinox is 4652mm (183.1in).

The Chevrolet Equinox - also known as the Holden Equinox in Australasia - is built on General Motors' D2XX compact front-wheel-drive and crossover SUV platform. This means the Equinox is primarily a front-wheel-drive model though a part-time all-wheel-drive model is available.

There are no 4WD Equinox models with low-range or lockable hubs.

The second-generation Chevrolet Equinox is built in Ontario, Canada, and was built in Spring Hill Tennessee until 2015.

The Holden Trailblazer is 4887mm long, while the Chevrolet Trailblazer is 4877mm long.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer has a ground clearance of 231mm, while the Holden Trailblazer has 213mm of ground clearance.