The little Suzuki-based sports utility vehicle offers buyers a Chevy option to other cute-utes like the Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Toyota RAV4, Mazda Tribute, Mitsubishi Outlander and Land Rover Freelander. Still available for between ,00 and ,000, the 97.6-inch wheelbase, 162-inch long compact has a 165-hp V-6 and all-wheel-drive. The next step up is the Blazer, also still around after all these years with a 190-hp V-6, 100.5-inch wheelbase and 176.8-inch length.

But as both begin their last ride, Chevrolet has come up with a more refined small SUV with home-grown heritage not offered by the re-badged Suzuki, and something to fill the hole under the 113-inch wheelbase, 191.8-inch TrailBlazer that effectively filled the old Blazer's niche.

Using General Motors' Theta platform, which underpins the 106.6-inch wheelbase, 181.3-long Saturn VUE, Chevy added almost 6 inches of wheelbase and crafted a distinctive Chevy body to make the compact -- yes, it's still called that -- Equinox. Even Chevy admits the "built-in advantage of the Equinox is that it's not all that small."

Look at our 2004 Equinox LT, and you would be hard-pressed to see any VUE in it. The Chevy is longer and wider, with a very aggressive corporate truck face with stacked headlights separated by an arcing chrome spear. The big multi-element lights mold into the angular hood and fenders, over an edgy front bumper with inset fog lights and a black CR-V-like accent. The flared fenders cover Bridgestone P235/60R17-inch radials on good-looking five-spoke alloy wheels. Our LT model's monochromatic appearance gave us body-color door rub strips, door handles and integrated roof rails, while a black door sill angled out like a vestigial running board to slim down the appearance. Two character lines run down the flanks between the flared fenders to add surface tension, while the squared-off roofline of the Saturn VUE gets rounded in the rear, the stacked taillights' chrome bases covered with clear lenses.

Overall, a handsome, more aggressive looking smaller SUV with some serious design heritage from bigger Chevy trucks, especially the TrailBlazer. We liked the look a lot.

Inside, black-over-cashmere hard plastic was accented with satin nickel plastic on the dashboard, gauges, door handles and center console, making for a pleasant place to live and only faintly reminiscent of the VUE's interior, and smoother in design and execution.

The gauge package gets a small cowl framing a central 130-mph speedometer and 8,000-tach flanked by gas and temperature gauges. The four-spoke steering wheel is tilt-adjustable, with backlit stereo and cruise controls on the upper spokes. The center dash stack bulges out of the fascia, topped with two air vents, the embossed "Equinox" name and a flush-mounted (optional) AM-FM-CD/MP3 stereo with big green digital display. It sounded great. Under that, a rubberized trio of a/c knobs easy to reach, and a smoother (than VUE) semi-center console that shows that some thinking went into its design.

There are integrated storage pockets on both sides of the shifter console, and a recessed rubberized area around the shifter to store sunglasses and cellular telephones, although I found stuff would fly out of the latter if you accelerated hard form a stop light. The power-window switches are easy to use under that, while a single cup holder and a really useful storage bin with room for a purse or PDA on the floor with a 12-volt power outlet. The center armrest is hinged at the rear so it can lift up for access to slots for CDs at the rear of the storage console. And while there is a cup holder down there, two more slide out from the forward base of the arm rest.

The driver's seat gets manual rake and six-way power-adjustable seat bottom, and its a low step-in to that seat. But leather-trimmed or not, it was flat and not too supportive. The door grabs get a swatch of nickel plastic for style, as do the industrial latch-looking handles, with small map pockets underneath. the glove box is OK.

The rear doors open wide to a roomy bench with more than enough room for two adults and a child in between. But again, more thinking back here. The Multi-Flex rear seat slides 8 inches fore and aft for comfort, or all the way forward to provide maximum cargo space in back. The 60/40 split/folding rear seatback can be reclined or dropped flat for long cargo. In fact, just like the Pontiac Vibe, the front passenger seat back can be dropped for extra-long stuff, its seatback covered in hard plastic. Lift up the high rear hatch over the rubber step bumper, and some of the Saturn VUE's innovative cargo area design is in action. The floor panel can be pulled out and used as a shelf for two-tier loading, or raised to snick in between the fender covers to become a privacy cover. It's carpet on one side and plastic on the other, depending on the load. It also has a flip-out leg so it can be clicked into the back of the cargo area and lock over the bumper for tailgate parties. Tie-down hooks are also there. We were able to fit two large rolling suitcases and a soft bag in back when we picked up friends at the airport. But the squared-off fender covers inside seemed to take up more space than needed to accommodate the latching points for the shelf.

While the Saturn VUE started with a base 138-hp four-cylinder/optional 181-h.p. V-6, and more recently received a 3.5-liter, 250-hp Honda-sourced V-6, the Equinox stays with a home-grown 3.4-liter V-6. It sips regular gas to the tune of between 20-25-mph, connected to a smooth-shifting electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission. It isn't an autobahn burner -- we found an average zero-to-60-mph performance of 9.5 seconds, and you could feel the weight of the vehicle dulling any sparkling getaway. There is enough torque to squeak the front tires before the all-wheel-drive shifts power to the rear wheels.

MacPherson strut front suspension and an independent four-link with coil spring rear suspension make the suspension comfortable, easily fending off bumps with a bit of float. Tossed into a turn, the Equinox leaned a bit as its all-wheel-drive dug in and helped carve the way with only a bit of understeer. The all-wheel-drive tackled sand and dirt paths well, the suspension easily absorbing ruts, the structure solid. The Equinox's electric power steering system offers a tight turning radius and almost no center slop, but its variable steering ratio felt too over-boosted and without feel during slower speeds. The Equinox has vented front disk brakes and rear drum brakes with solid pedal feel. They held up well during repeated hard stops from 60 mph, thanks to standard ABS (optional on the Equinox LS FWD).

Our Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD had a base price of ,335, with standard V-6, remote keyless entry, daytime running lights, power mirrors, rear wiper/washer, fog lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, a/c, power windows and door locks, six-speaker AM-FM-CD stereo and cruise control. Our tester added the 1SD option package with leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dim inside mirror with compass and thermometer and 6-way power drivers seat. Another added the OnStar, with for the cashmere leather seating surfaces, (doesn't include the annual subscription fee) for the XM Satellite Radio, for the 17-inch alloy wheels, another for the premium seven-speaker sound system and for the AM-FM-CD/MP3 player. Added all up, the manufacturer's suggested retail price was ,875.

Built in Ingersoll, Ontario, the Equinox is a comfortable, very roomy, very practical and handsome addition to the Chevy SUV fleet, which really doesn't need the classic Tracker and Blazer anymore. In many ways, this is what the VUE should have been from the start, with a smoother look and better fit and finish. But the suspension is a bit soft for an SUV, and a slightly more powerful domestic V-6 should be added to the option list at some point for people who need or want a bit more.