THE 2023 CHEVROLET EQUINOX SUV combines

Power With Fuel Economy

new models now have four-cylinder engines, with comparable performance of the old V-8 engines from years past! This is evident with the 2023 Chevrolet Equinox SUV I recently drove. It’s meager, 1.5-liter turbo powerplant is reminiscent of the best of two worlds. That is to say, it achieves notable fuel economy and still delivers acceptable passing power for most motoring situations, as it produces 175-horsepower. As expected, the standard drive line chassis on Equinox is front-wheel-drive.

With all-wheel-drive, it showed 24-mpg city/30-mpg highway numbers. Driving responsibly, my fuel usage numbers proved to even be somewhat better overall.

The vehicle is positioned in a fairly crowded field. It’s on par with the Ford Escape, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage and the Honda CR-V. Manufactured and imported from GM’s operations located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, it is sold in four different trim levels for 2023. This includes the entry level LS, and from there, they offer the LT, RS, and the Premier top end model. Two unique appearance packages are also available, referred to as the Midnight and Sport versions. All build combinations come with virtually the same engine and are linked with GM’s six speed automatic transmission.

So, if we take a brief snapshot of the trim levels, the LS Base model includes keyless entry, push-button ignition, attractive LED headlights with automatic high beams, forward collision warning system with automatic driving lane keep assist, rear-seat occupant reminders, engaging 17-inch alloy wheels and tires plus heated outside door mirrors. A customer convenience option package is also available. The LT trim version has additional creature comforts plus added exterior chrome pieces and illuminated sun visors plus added convenience option packages to select from. As expected, the RS Model Equinox has plenty of notable extra features as standard. This includes a sportier appearance with its eye candy footprint. Moreover, additional safety content can be found as well. In part, this includes blind spot warning that certainly helps while backing up, in a crowded parking lot. Their Premier top-end version is loaded with lots of extras, plus you can still opt to add radar guided adaptive cruise control, power sunroof, surround-view safety camera system, automatic parking system (where the vehicle will steer into a parking spot automatically) and their user-friendly navigation system.

Overall, it has a modern silhouette and distinctive Chevy presence, seats five fairly comfortably, has confident four-wheel disc braking and decent road mannerism. Cargo space is adequate. And similar to other General Motors vehicles I’ve tested, road noise is engineered to be keep to a minimum. The base warranty is for threeyears/36,000 miles and the pricing starts out at $26,600 for the LS model. Their top end Premier Equinox MSRP is $34,795, shipping charges are extra. At road test, the window sticker reflected $39,355, including supplemental options and freight charges.

My proudest grade school moment was presenting my science fair project on KSD Channel 5 (now KSDK). I think my younger self would be suitably impressed, however, to learn I auditioned to become a litigant on “We the People with Judge Lauren Lake.” Allen Media Group founder Byron Allen, who had been part of the reality TV series “Real People,” revived the court show with Lake in mind. Gloria Allred was the original “We the People” star, but only one season made it on the air.

“We the People” falls into the category of “Dramatized Court Shows” where real people play the roles of plaintiff or defendant. Landing a role on this show for me was a fluke: I saw an online popup ad from the “Standing Room Only Audience & Casting Company” that encouraged regular people to audition. I filled out an online form with basic information (Name, Phone Number, Age, etc.) and received an invitation to speak to producers on a Zoom call.

Within one week, the producers scheduled me for a taping. My character was Andy Butler, an older man, grandfather and tutor. He was a tenant in the home owned by Rachel Pierce and her husband. Andy was a good renter until he downloaded a virus that infected all the computers in the house. He obviously was not computer literate and waited until the following morning to tell his landlords what happened. In the court case, Ms. Pierce was suing Andy for $540 because the malware cost her two days of work.

If you are planning an extended trip to the greater Los An- geles area, you may want to try out for a show. Before the Zoom call audition, I remembered some jobhunting advice and dressed “like I was going to Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house.”

When speaking to producers, it’s best to be yourself and let your personality shine through. I tried to be friendly, cordial and even cracked a few jokes while on the call. I didn’t get confirmation for the taping until a week later. On the phone, the producers offered wardrobe tips and asked me to bring a second set of clothing.

When it comes to filming TV shows, there’s a lot of sitting and waiting. After I left the makeup chair, the woman playing landlord Rachel sat next to me. When she and I went to our green room, we created backstories for our characters and did improvisations before we into the studio. We even worked our real-life families into the storyline. I mentioned my nieces, Abigail and Gracie, while standing before Judge Lake. The green rooms weren’t glamorous, but they helped refine our improv.

Overall, I spent five hours preparing for my 15 minutes of fame. A few weeks later, I received a check for five hours of work at $20 per hour minus taxes. If you ever wanted to be a star – or at least a courtroom star – and will be in Los Angeles for more than two weeks, give it a try. The producers are always looking for litigants and audience members for reaction shots. The Standing Room Only production company website can be reached at (https://www.standingroomonly.tv)