The overhauled 2025 Chevrolet Equinox has just debuted. The crossover gets the more rugged, upright design language we first saw on the new Traverse, bigger new screens on the inside, and a new Activ model with all-terrain tires.
It's tough to tell the new Traverse and Equinox models apart without scale. They have the same upright nose, thin accent lamps, and even the same pillars that give the look of a floating roof. The new model is 6.35 cm wider, which Chevrolet says improves its stance. It should also mean more elbow room, though Chevrolet didn't give us enough dimensions to confirm that. Overall cargo space is down despite the new roofline, with 1,798 L of space down from 1,809 L.
Step inside and you'll find a new 11.0-inch digital driver display. The centre screen is a new 11.3-inch unit joined with the digital dash but in its own separate bezel. The big middle screen uses Google built-in to deliver apps, Google Maps, music, and media services and appears to be the same unit found in other recent Chevrolets, including the Trax and Colorado.
Chevrolet has dropped the centre gear selector for an electronic one on the column. Moving the shifter frees up centre console space, though Chevrolet has opted to use the extra real estate for a drive mode selector instead of storage space or a side-by-side cupholder layout.
The only engine is a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder that seems to be carried over from the last Equinox. It will make 175 hp, the same as the 2023 model, so we expect the same 203 lb-ft of torque. Front-drive models get a continuously variable transmission (CVT) while AWD models have an eight-speed automatic.
Chevrolet is adding its Activ trim to the Equinox for the first time. The badge is the automaker's "rugged" trim meant for drivers wanting a touch more off-pavement capability. To that end, it includes all-terrain tires on 17-inch wheels. It also comes with a trim-specific front fascia and black badges. The Activ's cabin sees the biggest changes with a maple sugar colour layout, microfibre seating surfaces, and standard heated wheel and heated front seats.
The sporty RS trim gets a special grille of its own along with 19-inch black wheels. Inside, it comes with a flat-bottom steering wheel and RS headrest logos. RS and Activ models both get AWD as standard.
The safety suite includes automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert with front pedestrian and cyclist braking, as well as lane keeping assist and automatic high beams. Adaptive cruise control, lane change alerts, and rear cross-traffic braking are also standard on the 2025 Equinox.
Chevrolet says the order books for the 2025 Equinox will open in the middle of this year. More details, including pricing, will come closer to the start of production.