The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox is getting a mid-generation looks, equipment and technology refresh in 2024. The model, the little brother of the Chevrolet Blazer and Traverse, is one of the best-selling in its class.
Compact sport utility vehicles are some of the most popular models on the market today. The group, filled by the likes of the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Kia Sportage and Ford Escape, among others, dominates driveways, school pickup/drop-off lines and grocery store parking lots across the nation.
As the Equinox has aged as Honda, Subaru, and Kia have introduced redesigned, new-generation versions of the CR-V, Forester and Sportage. The Escape and RAV4 are aging alongside the Equinox and have received upgrades throughout their lifecycles.
"The 2025 Equinox brings to one of our most important nameplates bodylines and proportions inspired by our brand's truck DNA, also adopted in the upcoming Traverse," said Scott Bell, vice president at Chevrolet in a press release. "It also builds on the core strengths that have earned Equinox tremendous customer loyalty over the past two decades, and made it the second-best seller in our lineup, after Silverado."
Refreshed looks on the new Equinox bring its styling in line with the Chevrolet Trax, Trailblazer and Traverse. The Equniox takes its exterior design inspiration from the Traverse, and wears strong proportions compared to the previous model year's design. It's also wider, has squared wheel openings, and is illuminated only by LEDs.
These looks and equipment changes are only applicable to gas models. The all-electric Equinox EV has already been revealed.
For the 2025 model year, Chevrolet will sell the Escape in three trim levels: LT, RS and ACTIV. The 2024 model came in four grades: LS, LT, RS and Premier. All versions of the 2024 Escape were available with all-wheel drive.
Chevrolet has designed the Equinox ACTIV to have more rugged looks than the rest of the Equinox family, including blacked out badging, fresh fascia with vertical grille inserts and gray metallic-finished accents and 17-inch machined-face aluminum wheels.
Its interior features a Maple Sugar and Black color theme, with seeded microfiber seating surfaces. "ACTIV" is embroidered on the driver and passenger seat head restraints. Heated and ventilated front seats and rear heated outboard seats make the options list, as does memory driver seat personalization and a two-tone paint job.
Equinox RS is designed to be sleeker, with 19-inch Carbon Flash machined aluminum wheels, black emblems and mirror covers, an available black roof, wide grille, and high-gloss finish on the fascia. It also has Torch Red and Santorini Blue stitching on the SUV's seats, debossed "RS" logos on the headrests and a flat-bottom steering wheel. Heated and ventilated front seats, and heated outboard rear seats are on the options list.
The Equinox models have been changed up to feature an 11-inch configurable driver information screen that is paired with an 11.3-inch infotainment screen that is angled slightly toward the driver. The infotainment system runs on Google built-in technology, like Honda's CR-V.
Other highlights of the refreshed interior include a standard heated steering wheel and heated front seats, new materials on trim pieces, a split-folding (60/40) second-row bench seat, hidden rear cargo storage, available wireless charging, and a new electronic shifting mechanism that opens up more space below the instrument panel.
For 2025, Equinox comes with a long list of standard safety and driver assistance technology including automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian and bicyclist detection and emergency braking assistance, following distance indicator, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning and automatic high beam headlights.
Teen Driver technology, which helps parents monitor the use of their vehicle while their teen is behind the wheel, is also standard.
Buyers can add side bicyclist detecting, a rear camera mirror, rear seat reminder, adaptive cruise control, lane change alert with blind zone alert, enhanced automatic emergency braking rear cross-traffic alert with braking, rear part assist and enhanced lane keeping assistance to their model.
The engine in the Equinox is unchanged. All versions come with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 175 horsepower for use. Front-wheel drive models get a continuously variable transmission while all-wheel drive Equinoxes have an eight-speed automatic (up from a six-speed in the 2024).
There is no hybrid or plug-in hybrid version of the Equinox. Toyota, Honda, Kia and Ford all offer some level of electrification in their competitor models.
Front-wheel drive Equinox RS and ACTIV models have Normal and Snow drive modes. Versions with all-wheel drive get Off-Road mode.
When equipped with all-wheel drive, the SUV is capable of towing 1,500 pounds.
Chevy says that they will release pricing information closer to the start of the vehicle's production. The 2024 Equinox is priced starting at $27,995 and goes up to $34,795 before destination and delivery fees.
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Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more
