Chevy Builds Car For Carrie & Co.

Chevrolet recently redesigned the Equinox to include some “female-friendly” tweaks. In today’s pink-it-and-shrink-it world, what, exactly, does this mean?

Interestingly, pink isn’t even offered as a color for this car, so at least they did one thing right. The 2010 model does not look any girlier than earlier models, but it does have a couple odd features, including a tilted accelerator pedal to make driving in heels safer and more comfortable. Alyssa Fetini for Time slipped on some questionable footwear and took it for a test drive. This is what she found:

As a Manolo lover who was scolded by the DMV for taking the driver’s-license exam in a pair of 3-inch (8 cm) wedges, I was eager to test out the Equinox. The accelerator was indeed comfortable and easy to use in my stilettos. However, I was surprised to find that the brake pedal had not been similarly repositioned. Pressing it in heels felt just as awkward as it does in any other car.

As someone who has only recently started wearing heels, I was unaware this was even a problem. If driving in heels is unsafe, it might make more sense that we kick off our shoes, rather than buy a new car to solve the problem. But Chevy didn’t stop there. The Equinox also has carved-out panels to protect diamond rings from getting dinged on the door and center console big enough to hold a handbag – two more problems I had no idea existed. And perhaps that’s the thing about this car. It almost seems as though Chevy went out of their way to locate minor lady problems. I’ve been driving for eight years, and I’ve never once thought my car needed to be more “women-friendly.” Despite all the stereotypes, I strongly doubt my X chromosomes play any part behind the wheel. But again, at least it’s not pink.