Chevy's best-selling SUV is about to get bigger, safer and tougher looking
The Equinox SUV — Chevrolet’s second-best-selling vehicle behind the Silverado pickup — will add interior space, safety features and some rugged styling touches when the new 2025 model goes on sale midyear.
The 2025 Equinox is based on a new architecture that makes it wider and taller. Inside, it's crowded with new features like a standard 11.3-inch touch screen, standard heated seats and steering wheel and more. The Equinox will also offer a new trim level — Activ — with a unique grille, fascias and all-terrain tires for an outdoorsy look.
Chevy introduced the details of the vehicle Tuesday but won’t announce prices till closer to the start of sales, and promises the 2025 Equinox will be competitive with other compact SUVs, like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and VW Tiguan.
Chevy won’t reveal the new architecture’s codename, but it will likely underpin new compact SUVs from other General Motors brands. It’s likely one of the last architectures GM will develop exclusively for internal combustion engines. GM is in the midst of a shift to electric vehicles.
Selected standard features
Adaptive cruise control
Heated front seats
Heated steering wheel
Power tailgate
11-inch configurable instrument cluster
11.3- inch touch screen
Apple CarPlay
Android Auto
Google built-in voice recognition
More room, tougher look
Slightly longer, 2.5 inches wider and 0.75 inch more ground clearance than the current model, the 2025 Equinox offers more cargo and passenger space, plus a tougher look intended to recall bigger Chevy SUVs like the Tahoe and upcoming 2024 Traverse.
Front-wheel-drive models get a continuously variable automatic transmission, while all-wheel drives get an eight-seed automatic. A six-speed automatic is the only transmission offered on the outgoing Equinox. Unlike some vehicles that default back to front-wheel drive every time the engine starts, a button can set the 2025 Equinox to start in AWD.
Power comes from a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder engine that produces 175 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. Engine size and output are unchanged from the current model.
Both front- and all-wheel drive will be available on all three trims levels.
Chevrolet has sold more than 3 million Equinoxes since the compact SUV debuted as a 2005 model. The 2024 Equinox went on sale in the 2018 model year.
Key design elements
Angular wheel wells
2.5-inch wider track
Three-quarter-inch higher ground clearance
Upright grilles
Boxy upper body and corners
Slim, high-mounted daylight running lamps
Projector headlights mounted lower in front
Tail lights that extend into tailgate for impression of width
Trim level reminiscent of off-roaders
The Equinox adds a new trim level, Activ, that Chevy reserves for models with styling reminiscent of off-roaders, but minimal mechanical features to provide that capability. The Equinox Activ will feature 17-inch all-terrain tires, unique grille and front fascia. The Activ’s drivetrain is identical to other trims. A white roof will be available for a two-tone finish.
The interior trim is also unique, with "Activ" stitched into the head rests and seats wrapped in durable looking attractive materials.
2025 Chevrolet Equinox trim levels
LT: 60% of sales
RS: 20%
Activ: 20%
The RS model comes with 19- or 20-inch wheels and is available with a black roof. The RS has a black interior with red accents.
The base LT model gets 17- or 19-inch tires. It’s also available with two-tone paint.
All Equinox interiors have a dial to select drive modes and physical buttons and dials to control some climate and audio functions. The shifter moves from the center console to a lever on the steering column, the same layout the 2025 Tahoe and Suburban large SUVs will use. The rear seat has a flat floor that should increase passenger comfort.
All Equinox models have slim daytime running lights mounted high in in the nose, with projector headlights below. The rear features a wide tailgate to accommodate big items. The tail lights wrap into the tailgate to visually emphasize width.
Standard safety and driver assist features
Automatic emergency braking
Intersection automatic braking
Adaptive cruise control
Blind spot alert
Rear cross traffic alert and automatic braking
Lane change alert
Lane keeping assist
Side bicyclist alert
Rear seat reminder
Rear park assist
Teen driver setting
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Chevy Equinox gets bigger, bolder and safer: All the features