People looking for a vehicle that can take them to mountain peaks, far-away campgrounds, or the grocery store have long turned to the Chevy Equinox. Now, a new era is dawning for this popular compact crossover SUV. The 2025 Equinox is coming to a Chevy dealer near you, and it officially kicks off the fourth generation of this vehicle that served North American adventurers for more than 20 years.
Although smaller than other Chevy crossover SUV offerings like the Blazer and Traverse, the Equinox has found a home among drivers who want to tackle highways and trails at an affordable price. Forbes once referred to the third-generation Equinox as the “sweet spot” when it comes to combining practical function, eye-catching style, and budget-friendliness. Chevy is now aiming to push their compact SUV to the next level. This buyer’s guide has everything potential owners need to know about what’s new for the 2025 Chevy Equinox.
New Trims for New Adventures
The first and most noticeable change to the Chevy Equinox is that the trim options have been revised. The LS trim that was the previous baseline has been dropped along with the high-end Premier. In their place, Chevy is introducing the Equinox ACTIV to join the LT and RS, which remain part of the lineup. Let’s compare the important differences between the three trims.
The 2025 Equinox LT: An Everyday Driver
Assuming the new role as the “entry-level” Equinox, the LT is designed for people who are mainly going to be doing city and light off-road driving. It has 17-inch aluminum wheels and the option for a two-tone roof in black or white. The standard interior comes with cloth seats in a choice of black or Artemis gray coloring. (You can upgrade to Evotec synthetic leather upholstery.) Each trim will have a distinct front grille and fascia to tell them apart visually. The LT sports a gold Chevy Bowtie emblem, a silver mustache bar, and a classic lower grille and valance.
The 2025 Equinox ACTIV: Made to Explore
The Equinox becomes the latest Chevy vehicle to get the ACTIV package for more serious off-road adventuring. Though it uses the same wheel size as the LT, they’re fitted with all-terrain tires, and the wheels have machined facing. The ACTIV also has an upgraded off-road suspension to increase ground clearance and responsiveness. Other features include black roof rack rails, an all-new drive mode selector, available ventilated front seats, and Evotex/microfiber suede upholstery with special maple sugar and black colors. The front grille has winged styling on the mustache bar and a black bowtie emblem. While you can still get the two-tone roof, it’s only available in the white option.
The 2025 Equinox RS: High Performance on the Pavement
This is the most aggressive Equinox in terms of performance and looks. It comes standard with large 19-inch machined wheels and has the option to upgrade to 20-inch wheels. You get the same roof rails and drive mode selector as the ACTIV, along with black exterior trim that includes the mirrors and all badging. Black Evotex upholstery has Torch Red and Santorini Blue stitching, while the steering wheel has a flat bottom for more legroom. The unique grille design includes bigger openings in front of the tires to improve cooling. For this trim, black is the only available two-tone roof color.
A Driving Shift
Let’s get into the across-the-board changes to the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. Although all three trims will use the same 175-horsepower 1.5L turbocharged engine as the previous generation, the old six-speed transmission is no more. Front-wheel drive (FWD) Equinox models now have a continuously variable (CVT) transmission that gives you infinite gear ratios. All-wheel drive (AWD) editions get upgraded to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Both are expected to offer significant improvements in shifting speed and smoothness. The setup includes GM’s Electronic Precision Shift manual button shifting, located on the steering column, giving the driver more space in front of the center console for their belongings. It is anticipated the new transmissions will improve fuel economy as well, though neither manufacturer nor EPA estimates have been released at this time. Considering the 2024 Equinox got an EPA-estimated 28 MPG in FWD and 26 MPG in AWD, any gains would make the vehicle’s efficiency even more impressive.
As for the drive mode selector we mentioned earlier, the options depend on whether you choose FWD or AWD. The 2025 Equinox FWD will have “Normal” mode for day-to-day driving and “Snow” mode for when roads get slick and slushy. AWD vehicles also have an “Off-Road” mode that tunes the handling characteristics for rougher terrain. Finally, GM has taken the “Wider is Better” approach to the Pontiac Grand Prix of a quarter-century past and applied it to the Equinox. The fourth-generation SUV is 2.3 inches wider than its predecessor. This helps plant it to the road at higher speeds, gives the driver more control, and makes the SUV look sportier.
Updated Looks Inside and Out
That last point ties into the overall new aesthetic of the Equinox. When announcing the vehicle, Chevy said it wanted the Equinox to be more athletic in terms of both performance and presence. You can see this with a single glance. The body styling is now closer to that of the Chevy Traverse and Chevy trucks, making the Equinox appear stronger and more modern. The most obvious examples of this are the wheel openings, which now have a square shape plus flared fenders. All vehicles have LED exterior lighting across the board to improve visibility.
The interior style has also been freshened up. All the upholstered areas and trim, from the seats to the doors, use coordinated texturing for a more contemporary feel. The front seats and steering wheel in all three trims are both heated for comfort in cold weather. A hidden storage area beneath the rear cargo floor increases capacity and protects valuables from prying eyes.
The Latest Technology for Fun and Safety
Like other recent Chevrolet vehicle updates, major emphasis has been placed on the technology and user experience. Every 2025 Chevy Equinox is equipped with an 11.3-inch infotainment touchscreen — versus the maximum 8-inch screen on the 2024 model — and an 11-inch digital driver info center. All standard Google services are built in, including wireless Android Auto, Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Assistant. They also provide Apple CarPlay for iPhone users. A six-speaker sound system and USB charging ports are included; you can add a wireless charger for more connectivity.
The Equinox now comes with more standard and optional safety features than ever. All models have Chevy Safety Assist, which consists of:
- Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking
- Forward Collision Alert
- Front Pedestrian Braking
- Following Distance Indicator
- Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
- IntelliBeam
Teen Driver tech is now standard as well. This lets parents use the myChevrolet app to turn on certain vehicle settings and see how their young drivers are doing. Other standard features included Side Bicyclist Alert, a rear vision camera, Adaptive Cruise Control, and rear cross-traffic alerts. Available features such as HD Surround Vision, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, and speed limit assistance give drivers even more tools.
The New, Improved Chevy Equinox
Over the past two years, Chevrolet has either given a modest refresh or a complete overhaul to every full-size and crossover SUV in their lineup. The 2025 Chevy Equinox falls into the “overhaul” category. Apart from the engine, nearly everything on the vehicle has been modified in some way, whether to make it more muscular, provide a more immersive experience, or both. The result is a compact crossover SUV that is a serious contender against rivals such as the Subaru Forester, Nissan Rogue, and Toyota RAV4. For drivers interested in a machine that can do its job during the week and play on the weekends, the 2025 Chevy Equinox should be on their radar.
