2025 Chevy Equinox Remake Solid If Not Sexy

MINNEAPOLIS – The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox has been upgraded in ways that matter most to customers who have had 20 years to communicate with Chevy about what they want and expect in an internal-combustion-engine CUV. Normally, we would scold any automaker for coming out with a redo of a bedrock model in their lineup without so much as a hybrid option.

But General Motors has entered into a curious but smart-looking strategy of selling a dedicated and uniquely styled Equinox EV, as well as an all-new and seemingly excellent ICE Equinox.

The Equinox is Chevy’s second-best selling model after the Silverado pickup. The outgoing model has an appliance feel to it. This new ICE Equinox has a more truckish-utility appearance and looks like a logical sibling of the updated Traverse, Trax and Trailblazer.

If the new Equinox, which we drove around the suburbs here seems a tad bigger, it is. The track is 2.5 in. (64-mm) wider, which is noticeable in the side-to-side roominess of the front cabin and in the cargo area.

There are three trims in the 2025 Equinox: LT, RS and Activ, each distinguishable by a unique but related front fascia, some graphics differences, a few features and wheel sizes. The Activ, with a few more off-road features, stands out with its black badging and no- extra-cost two-tone paint scheme. A distinctive C-pillar shark fin "adds the appearance of motion to Equinox even when it is sitting still," the designers say, creating a clear resemblance to the all-new Traverse.

Caution, though, when considering whether to take this latest model off the highway. Chevy’s off-road evaluation course on this trip amounted to a gravel road, not the Rubicon Trail. This is another CUV that is meant to carry soccer players and their gear and make the driver feel secure, with all-wheel drive available to get through a bad snowstorm.

Chevy has an updated, very competent and attractive interior and user interface with the connected car bits. And cost optimization is a good thing when you get the basic template right. Thus, the Equinox's cabin is consistent with the Equinox and Blazer EV, as we expect with the next few Chevy redesigns that we’ll see — an 11-in. (28-cm) digital instrument cluster and an 11.3-in. (28.7-cm) central infotainment screen. There are physical climate controls, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Equinox EV does not have those two popular options, as GM is following a strategy of forcing use of native infotainment to make it easier for the company to sell you stuff and sell your data from its software-defined EV vehicles, and to close cybersecurity holes that come from opening the system to a personal phone.

We don’t care for the placement of the gear selector on the steering-wheel column, but that is a very subjective thing. There is a knob in the center console to change driving modes — Normal, Snow and Off-Road – on the RS and Activ trims.

Cabin materials aren’t luxurious, but they don’t need to be at these price points. We are glad to see  more soft-touch surfaces than the outgoing model. Craftsmanship and workmanship seem as good as it gets. One complaint: enough with the piano-black plastic that shows every fingerprint and picks up dust. Designers have placed it in unfortunate areas like the center console and climate-control spaces. Almost anything else from the design materials bin would be better.

The Equinox offers more standard safety and active driving features than the old model. The standard Chevy Safety Assist package has automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, front pedestrian and bicyclist braking (a very good thing considering the proliferation of bike lanes) and lane keeping assist. Standardizing these features across the lineup adds up to a significant value.

It has become a standard strategy to tweak and carry over ICE engines as automakers plow money into EVs and given the quality of today’s engines, it is a smart and reasonable move. The turbocharged 1.5L 4-cyl. from the outgoing model develops 175 hp, with FWD models producing 185 lb.-ft. (251 Nm) of torque, AWD models 203 lb.-ft. (275 Nm). We found this powertrain entirely sufficient and better than adequate, especially given how this CUV is going to be used. We also found nothing to complain about regarding wind noise.

Front-wheel-drive Equinox models mate that engine to a continuously variable transmission, while all-wheel-drive versions get a new 8-speed automatic to replace the retired 6-speed.

Front-drive trims are rated at 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km) combined and only slightly different at 26 mpg (9.0 L/100 km) combined for the AWD version. Worth noting is that GM is working on a plug-in hybrid version of the Equinox. Our observed fuel economy was 25 mpg in combined city and highway driving.

Driving around the suburbs of the Twin Cities here showed the two-row Equinox to be a smooth, sufficient ride suitable for any family with two kids, or perhaps the empty-nester who wants room and utility to fetch a bunch of stuff from the big-box DIY store or a good find at the weekend flea market. GM has gotten very good at eliminating reasons not to buy.

The 2025 Equinox hits dealerships this fall, priced from $29,995 for the FWD LT. The AWD Activ starts at $36,395. Given that the average transaction price today is around $48,000, and the Equinox is a well above average CUV, it represents great value and should be weighed against rivals like Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. The Equinox, though, feels roomier than most of its rivals.

The Equinox, though, has more features and safety tech than most rivals. When the HEV or PHEV shows up and offers even better fuel economy, it will be that much more formidable a model. In the meantime, though, check out the Equinox EV for the ultimate fuel economy and just as many great features and design cues.