For the past two years, Chevrolet’s been in midst of a revolution — at least when it comes to its SUV lineup. The automaker’s completely redesigned its sport-utility lineup to make it more cohesive. And now that they all look like they belong to the same company, it’s time to see how some of them drive — starting with the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Activ AWD.
The Chevy Equinox is completely redesigned for the 2025 model year.
The compact Equinox is Chevy’s top-selling vehicle that isn’t a full-size pickup. While the transformation is now complete from the design side, it time to see if the Equinox is transformed as a daily driver.
New exterior
Completely redesigned for 2025, the Equinox follows the pattern of others in the lineup like the Blazer, Trailblazer and Trax: big blacked out grille with slit-like LED lights that make it look aggressive and sleek, even though its really a box on wheels.
Our tester was the all-new Activ model, which is designed to handle to some light to moderate off-roading. The Activ models are easy to spot — aside from misspelling Active — they actually look the part with knobby all-terrain tires and other styling cues to give it an off-road look.
Plus they come with a white roof, like the Trailblazer, and another color of your choice. Our driver came in Reef Blue Metallic, which garnered plenty of positive attention including two separate people stopping to ask me about it.
The Activ package comes with a white room and a second color for the body.
Driving performance
Is it an off-roader? Not really. Is it a two-tracker? Absolutely. The look, especially the tires, inspires confidence. Courtesy of Michigan’s temperamental weather this time of year, I got a couple of changes to put it through unpleasant weather-related driving conditions and the all-wheel drive handled the snow and ice with ease.
Dealing with the snowy and slick roads of upper mid-Michigan gave the 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder a chance to shine — and it did. To be fair, it puts out just 175 horsepower, but it does it well. At no point during my time in the Equinox Activ did I feel “power” deprived.
There was a time when Equinox = anemic. In fact, I’ve had some real world experience with the slower-than-its-shadow version of this SUV. My daughter drives a 2012 Equinox and other than the badge, these are not the same vehicles. The new model is leaps and bounds more responsive.
The Equinox is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder putting out 175 horsepower.
Again, you’re not going to win any races and don’t rushing off to Moab, but if you want to head out into the mild wilds near you, the Equinox with all-wheel drive will handle it just fine — and provide excellent fuel economy — 26 mpg combined — while doing it.
A premium cabin
In the past, the cabin was a big batch of blah. The redesign of the interior is as impressive as the exterior. Our model came with a maple sugar and black interior complete with heated and ventilated seats. It’s a comfortable place to be and road noise is kept to a minimum. Everything is within easy sight and reach.
Part of the reconfiguring of the cockpit included moving the gear selector to the steering column allowing for much more storage space in the center console. Chevy’s designers slapped the wireless phone charger into the space, making it so simple to use. Drop it in and it begins charging. No lining it up correctly or watching it stop charging if moves a millimeter left or right.
Our model came with a maple sugar and black interior complete with heated and ventilated seats.
Aside from the space — and the amazing panoramic power moonroof making it very airy — the 11.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is big enough to be helpful, but not so large as to be overwhelming. Chevy’s native system is fine, but nothing to write home about. Fortunately, it offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making everything so simple.
While the entertainment options are on a screen, all of the climate controls and such are good old fashioned knobs and buttons, including the mode selector that sits right under your fingertips just ahead of the armrest.
What did I think
The Equinox was a pleasant surprise. To be fair, my expectations were not high and the Equinox exceed all of them — except price. I thought it would be easy on my bank account and it is. It starts at $28,600. Move up to the Activ trim with all of its technology and it jumps to $35,000.
Add the panoramic sunroof, safety and technology package, a few more options and you get a final price of $39,875. I don’t know if you can get a fully loaded compact SUV for less than $40K these days.
Color me impressed.
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