General Motors is intent on making a big splash in the EV arena. While products like the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq certainly have star power, they won’t help much with getting everyday car buyers on board with the electric future. The new Chevrolet Equinox EV, on the other hand, might. Not only does it adopt a popular compact crossover form, Chevrolet’s claiming an incredibly low starting price of around $30,000.
Let’s start by looking at the front of the Equinox EV, where things seem all well and good. A slim available light bar and small headlights hidden in the front fascia trim give the Equinox EV a really nifty Geordi La Forge visor appearance, exactly the sort of familiar yet futuristic look I want in an EV. It’s a really sleek front end that shouldn’t alienate mainstream buyers. It also looks like it’s in the same family as the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV.
Moving along to the profile of the Equinox, the good design touches continue. Chevrolet has been very careful not to overstyle this crossover, with just a handful of sharp creases and a few well-placed contours adding plenty of depth to the vehicle’s shape without making it feel busy. Extra kudos go to the extremely restrained use of plastic cladding on 3LT models, the body-color wheel arches really help add an upscale appearance without making the Equinox look massive. While it would be nice if the charging port was located curbside to make better use of curbside charging options, locating the charging door on the driver’s fender should minimize time out in the snow plugging in and unplugging the Equinox EV.
Around the back, funky heckblende taillights are a nice touch, while locating the license plate low down on the bumper continues the Equinox’s sleek and refined appearance. In addition, the bottom of the tailgate looks to be nice and low which should really help with loading and unloading cargo. However, the rear styling does come with a downside. Minor straight-on rear-end parking bumps will damage the tailgate rather than just the bumper cover, which could lead to higher repair bills.
The Equinox EV will also be offered in sporty RS trim which features a bevy of appearance tweaks. While the massive fake grille, black wheels, and black wheel arches aren’t my style, they’ll undoubtedly appeal to EV shoppers who want a more aggressive look.
Complementing pleasing exterior styling, the interior of the Equinox EV looks properly nice too, with a nice mix of textures, plenty of physical controls for stuff like stereo volume and climate control, and a roomy-looking floating center console with tiered storage. Also, check out those ridiculously nice outboard dashboard air vents, they look like something you’d see on a posh Mercedes-Benz, properly lovely stuff. I’m also really digging the clean, dark look of the interior screens, it should be a huge boon for night driving compared to light UX designs. Keep in mind that the interior in the above picture is from a base-model 1LT Equinox EV, making it all the more impressive.
Chevrolet touts a price of “around $30,000” for the base model, which comes with a bunch of disclaimers. The MSRP could be slightly more than $30,000, and this estimate doesn’t include any freight charges. For now, let’s say the Equinox actually starts in the low-to-mid 30s. It’s also worth noting that the base 1LT trim doesn’t come with a ton of standard equipment. It offers 19-inch alloy wheels, an 11-inch infotainment screen and an 11-inch digital gauge cluster for those wishing for a clean UX, and that’s about it. Shoppers would need to pop for the 2LT trim to get heated seats and even the availability of adaptive cruise control. That attractive base price also doesn’t include 300 miles of range, instead offering an estimated 250 miles of range from the base battery pack. That really isn’t bad considering the Equinox EV’s base price tag, and 250 miles should be plenty for the average American.
Really, those are the only caveats to the new Equinox EV. Shoppers can still option the 300-mile long-range battery pack or all-wheel-drive with 280 miles of range on the base model, and equipment seems quite generous as you go up through the trim levels. Options such as a 360-degree camera system, a 17.7-inch infotainment screen, and Super Cruise hands-free Level 2 advanced driver assistance are sure to be extremely popular. Loaded 3LT and 3RS models even get cooled front seats and an available heads-up display, exactly the sort of feature set needed to compete with other loaded compact EV crossovers.
With price and performance out of the way, let’s talk about power. An estimated 210 horsepower and 242 lb.-ft. of torque on front-wheel-drive models sounds quite good, while all-wheel-drive models crank output up to a strong estimated 290 horsepower and 346 lb.-ft. of torque. Those are some really competitive numbers that should make for reasonably strong acceleration. In terms of stopping, the Equinox EV will offer true one-pedal driving for drivers looking to make the most of regenerative braking.
While Chevrolet hasn’t yet divulged Level 3 DC fast charging specs, it has released information on the sort of 240-volt Level 2 charging many homeowners will use. The Equinox will support 11.5 kW Level 2 charging, while the Equinox 3RS can be optioned to have speedy 19.2 kW Level 2 charging. Chevrolet estimates that the former can add up to 34 miles of range per hour of charging, while the latter should take things up to 51 miles of added range per hour of charging. While there’s no word yet on whether the Equinox EV will qualify for tax credits, Chevrolet’s opening up the Equinox EV to fleet customers, an important step in helping corporate fleets across America go green.
While the proof will certainly be in the pudding, the specifications of the new Equinox EV make it seem like another job well done by GM. So long as it rides well and handles confidently, it should be a great compact crossover full-stop. Expect models in 2RS trim level to trickle into dealerships in autumn of 2023, with other trims to come later on.
All photos courtesy of Chevrolet.
I’m liking this trend of contrasting body/top colors like this and the Toyota Crown.
The fact that I think it looks alright and that the base model seems well-enough equipped (for me, though I’d like it if an upgraded stereo and the 360-degree camera could be added to it as a standalone options, which they probably won’t since mfgrs always love to bundle stuff you want into packages that include a bunch of stuff you don’t) is sort of moot. I set aside cash for a first-year base hybrid Maverick to which I’d have added just a bed liner and tow package, and of course, I couldn’t get one anywhere near MSRP. I expect the same will be true of the Equinox EV with dealers not getting too many base models, and they’ll be charging well over MSRP for all of them.
I’ve been ready and willing to buy a new car for a couple of years now since paying off my mortgage, but there’s no new car that I want so dearly that I’m willing to let the dealer fleece me out of an extra $10,000. MSRP is plenty IMO.
Trying to figure why anyone would want this over a Bolt EUV? Perhaps it will have faster DC changing. How much bigger is it? They both look GM basic to me.