It had been more than five years since I’d driven the Chevrolet Equinox, the marque’s first attempt at a crossover SUV. At the time, it was being marketed as “An American Revolution.”

Those were strong words for a vehicle that fell down in the handling department and had an interior that seemed to have cornered the market on dismal gray plastics. And let’s not talk about seat comfort.

What a difference half a decade makes. The redrawn 2010 Equinox is like a vehicle from a different company.

The styling is muscular and purposeful without being too aggressive. Its angular lines have a conservatively handsome flair. The vehicle is visually interesting, be it the multidimensional hood or the wraparound rear glass.

But designers did more than make it look good. The Equinox is filled with thoughtful touches:

• The Equinox’s rocker panels are integrated into the doors, narrowing the area over which a passenger must step. That helps alleviate the chance of your pants getting dirty.

• The rear seat slides forward and back nearly 8 inches, allowing for more passenger or cargo space.

• Out back, the power tailgate can be programmed to open to a specified height.

• There’s loads of storage space. Check out that center console; it’s perfect for stowing a laptop or small, if narrow, purse.

The interior of the test vehicle was decorated in tones of black, silver and titanium, lending it an athletic feel. The center console was particularly expressive.

As expected, the audio and climate controls were mounted up high and easy to understand and operate. Their functions are grouped together and color-coded: Climate controls are silver; audio/navigation controls are black. The Equinox is Bluetooth enabled, with a USB port for your iPod and a rear-seat entertainment system. XM satellite radio and OnStar also are offered.

The Equinox comes in three trim levels: LS, LT and LTZ.

Beyond design, it’s what’s under the hood that shows how far GM has come.

Both Equinox engines employ double-overhead cams with four valves per cylinder and variable-valve timing and direct injection. Don’t know what any of that is? Here’s the bottom line: Those features ensure more power while maximizing fuel economy.

A 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine is standard on all trim levels and produces 185 horsepower. The test vehicle had a 3-liter V-6 producing 263 horsepower, which isn’t available on the base LS. Both mills are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions and fed through the front or all four wheels.

Acceleration was generally good but not as strong as you might expect. Fuel economy was better than expected given my mix of driving.

The Equinox’s car-based platform seemed agile for a five-passenger compact family hauler meant to do battle with such stalwarts as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape. It felt secure at speed, with a civilized ride. Steering was quick and crisp for a GM SUV.

The cabin was exceptionally quiet, the seats were comfortable, and legroom was generous. In fact, I had a hard time finding anything I didn’t like.

Then the rattle started.

It was one of those incredibly annoying, high-pitched plastic-on-plastic rattles buried deep within the instrument panel that will make your brain implode given time. Obviously, two components were fighting. Even the radio couldn’t drown it out. Argh!

Given the strides in quality GM has attained with this vehicle, I was surprised. I would suspect that was an aberration and not a sign of things to come. Maybe.

Despite that, I found the Equinox to be a new Chevy crossover SUV that, like its name implies, has an equilibrium that’s comforting.