The 2019 Holden Equinox is a good looking family SUV and thankfully still a great fun car to drive. Unfortunately, Holden hasn't fixed the inability to turn off the auto engine cut-out, which is disappointing as it is really disturbing for little passengers each time you stop at a junction or lights.
The Equinox has ISOFix attachments in the outer rear seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three seatbacks. I could fit two child seats in the back of the Holden Equinox and they were nice and easy to install.
Legroom is very good in the Equinox and a 182cm driver could sit in front of a rear-facing child seat.
Visibility is great in the Equinox, even with the two child seats installed, the windows are deep and wide, and both front and rear passengers get lots of light with a good view out from the higher seating position.
Storage in the front and back of the Equinox is good, all door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle, and there are two good size cup holders in the front and back. The glove box, central console storage box and map pockets are all practical in size and there is a wireless phone charging well in front of the gear lever along with USB, AUX and a 12V sockets.
Boot space is good in the Equinox, holding 12 shopping bags when empty. However, this is low compared to its competitors, the Nissan X-Trail that holds 14 shopping bags and the Mitsubishi LS Outlander and Subaru Forester which both hold 15 shopping bags.
All sizes of strollers and prams fitted in the boot with a good amount of shopping too.
The media system in the Holden Equinox is simple to navigate and it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well.
The Equinox is a beepy car; if you start the engine without your seatbelt on it beeps a very loud and shrill beep until you fasten it, which my daughter and I found really disturbing.
Thankfully the reversing sensors are vibrations in the driver's seat instead of a beeping alarm which is great for parents so as not to disturb little passengers or frazzled parents! I wish more alarms were vibrations instead. The camera image fills the whole screen which is good.
The interior of the Equinox is quite simple and nicely styled. It makes a very easy to use and enjoyable BabyDrive.
The Holden Equinox comes with six airbags as standard, dual frontal and side airbags in the front, and curtain airbags covering the front and second-row outer passengers.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Holden Equinox?
The Holden Equinox has good, practical family size boot and empty it will hold twelve shopping bags. This is less thank it's competitors though, the Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Forester both holding fifteen shopping bags and the Nissan X-Trail holding fourteen shopping bags.

The twin side-by-side stroller fits with four shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The tandem stroller fits with six shopping bags.

A single stroller fits with six shopping bags.

A compact stroller fits with eleven shopping bags.

A large dog will fit in the boot of the Equinox nicely too.

The boot floor of the Equinox is nice and flat and carpeted, perfect for and emergency nappy change! You can lift the floor panel up and there is a deep storage space underneath, perfect for anything you need to keep separate from the rest of the boot contents, or hidden out of site.

How good is storage inside the Holden Equinox?
The storage in both the front and back of the Holden Equinox is practical.
In the front, there are two cup holders in the central console, they will hold my re-usable Luxey Cup or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fit well in them too.

The central console storage box is a good size and the lid doubles as your armrest.

In front of the gear lever are a cordless phone charging well plus USB and 12V sockets.

There is a little net on the side of the central console too and the glove box is a good size and will hold an iPad and wallet with the manual.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling too.

The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and there are little storage wells in the handles.

We found the door handle wells really useful the week that we had the Equinox and put lots of things from our little girl’s hands or the keys etc in them when getting in and out of the car.
In the back, there are two cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the central seat. They are a good size and will hold a large refillable water bottle as well as a reusable or disposable coffee cup.

There is a small map pocket on the back of both front seats. They hold but not conceal an iPad.

The rear door pockets are similar to the front ones, they will hold ta large refillable water bottle and there are storage wells in the rear handles too.

BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Holden Equinox?
The Equinox has the ultimate BabyDrive friendly feature! Instead of crazy beeping parking sensors, the driver's seat vibrates to alert you to potential hazards. This is genius and I wish more cars had this option. Â This is the PERFECT way for family cars to be! If you could just flick a switch to turn all noise alerts to vibrations in your seats it would be FANTASTIC!
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
In complete contrast, the Equinox has a really annoyingly shrill and loud beep when you start the engine without your seatbelt on. Which is disturbing for both little and grown-up passengers!
The indicator noise in the Equinox didn't disturb my sleeping child. The sound is not adjustable.
The media system in the Equinox is very basic but it is easy to navigate and thankfully it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great and I found it easy to connect my phone to the Equinox.

The reversing camera image fills the whole screen and is a little pixellated and instead of a sensor beep you get a vibration in your seat.

The auto engine cut-out in the Equinox has no button to turn it off! CRAZY! I was hoping Holden would have improved this from the previous model I tested! I find it really disturbs little passengers when the vibration of the car stops or changes. This was always a topic of discussion at mum's group when my daughter was a baby; how much all the mums with their new family cars dreaded stopping at lights because of it.
There are controls to lock and unlock the doors and windows from the driver's door control panel and you can lock the doors from the front passenger door too.

The road and engine noise are very good in the Holden Equinox.
The airconditioning in the Equinox has the loudest blowing fan. It has a delay when you change the speed of the fan and you either have it on full blast where it is so loud you can’t hear anything else, or as you turn it down you think it is not reacting, because the fan is still blowing so loudly, and then suddenly it's off altogether and you're roasting!
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Holden Equinox?
The Equinox is a five-seater, with ISOFix in the two outer rear seats. They are not within plastic guides but are nice and easy to attach to.

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three seatbacks, they are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

I could only fit two child seats in the back of the Equinox.

They fit really nicely and we found there was enough legroom for a 182cm passenger to sit in front of a rear-facing child seat.

Posting bub into their seat from outside the car was easy and the ceiling inside the Equinox is nice and high so posting bub into their seat from inside the car was fine too.
Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
With only one child seat installed, there is plenty of room to feed bub in the back.

The seats in the front and back of the Equinox are woven fabric upholstered. Which would be harder to wipe clean that leather, but I did like the way it is upholstered it is simple but has some style, thought and consideration gone into it.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
The front seats in the Equinox are really comfortable. The headrests aren't adjustable although I found I could wear a ponytail.

I could also wear a ponytail in the driver's seat, which was great and in the back, the headrests do a twist motion when you press a button in them which meant I could also wear a ponytail with the back ones too!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get it just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Controls for the cruise control are on the left-hand side of the steering wheel and are simple to use. However, I didn't find the cruise control very accurate.

There are four air conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two in the centre and one at either end.

There are also airconditioning vents in the back of the central console box which is great for keeping rear passengers cool.
The air-conditioning controls are easy to use; they are centrally located on the dashboard. In the back, there are two air vents in the back of the central console box, which are good because you can reach them from the driver's seat.

Visibility is good in the Equinox; the windows are nice and large, allowing a good view out of the sides and rear and lets lots of light in. The rear side windows do slope up slightly towards the back, which would reduce visibility for rear-facing passengers. But for children who are forward-facing, the view out is very good, especially with the higher seating position of this SUV.
The windows are tinted but the sun still comes in quite strongly; I didn't add shades to the windows but you may need to with a tiny infant in the back.
There are lit vanity mirrors on both sides in the front and press on ceiling lights.

The rear lights are above the doors in the back which is good for when you are putting bub in and out of their seat but you can’t reach them from the front while driving.
I often will reach back to turn on the interior light if I am driving at night time, I find my little girl gets less distressed traveling at night that way. It helps if I can reach the interior light from the drivers seat so I can turn it on and off whilst driving. I often find my daughter will need it on as we start our journey in the dark but once she falls asleep I can turn it off. It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
I found the Equinox an enjoyable car to drive. It is powerful, the interior is simple and intuitive and it provides quite a smooth ride for little passengers.
The Equinox was great for driving around town as well as on motorways and it is surprisingly easy to park.
There are handles above both back doors, which are well positioned for hanging children’s toys from.

The Equinox is a good looking car on the exterior and the interior is nice and modernised too.

There are carpet floor mats throughout the Equinox. In the rear, there is one long mat that goes all the way across as there is no lump in the central floor.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
The Holden Equinox scored five-star ANCAP safety rating, in 2017. Which means it has not been tested for child occupant protection.
Scoring 34.21 out of 37 points overall. It scored 14.21 out of 16 for the frontal offset test, 15/16 for side impact test and 2/2 in the pole test.
The Holden Equinox comes with six airbags as standard, dual frontal and side chest airbags in the front, and curtain airbags covering the front and second-row passengers.
As standard the Equinox comes with anti-lock breaks (ABS), automatic headlights, electronic brake force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), daytime running lights (DRL), hill launch assist and reversing collision avoidance.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound.
I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
Hi, I have the Equinox and was wondering if 3 seats could potentially be squeezed in? I currently have a 6 and 4 year old so could possibly move the 6 year old into a narrow booster soon