2024 Chevrolet Equinox Review: Old, But Still Gold
The Chevy Equinox is proof that you don't need an exceptional product to appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Chevrolet sold nearly 213,000 of them in 2023, making it the second-best-selling Chevrolet in the USA after the Silverado truck. With a sub-$27k starting price, the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox is cheaper than rivals such as the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-50, and more in line with the Nissan Rogue and Jeep Compass. So it has value on its side, which plays a role in its popularity, as does its roomy cabin, and good ride and handling. The benefits end there, though, because 2024 is the Equinox's last model year - and the new version looks fantastic. The 2024 model is outdated, and with only 175 horsepower from the sole turbocharged four-cylinder engine choice, performance is weak. The 2024 range is essentially unchanged, so the Equinox fails to make much of an impression against more competent rivals. Is it worth buying?
New for 2024
The 2024 Equinox sails off into the sunset with hardly any changes on the eve of its redesign. The car stays the same as the 2023 model, with two new paint colors - Lakeshore Blue Metallic and Riptide Blue Metallic - added to this year's palette. The only other change is the addition of more features to the Driver Confidence II package, namely blind-spot alert with lane-change alert and rear cross-traffic alert. This package also contains rear parking sensors when applied to the LS. It becomes standard on the LT for the first time (the RS and Premier already had it), additionally gaining front parking sensors on the top three trims. For MY2024, the base price of a new Chevrolet Equinox LS and that of the flagship Premier stay the same, but the other two trims see price increases.
2024 Chevrolet Equinox Price: Which One to Buy
The MSRP of the Equinox LS is still the same $26,600 it was last year. The LT will cost you more this year thanks to its additional safety assists, at $29,495. The LT is followed by the RS at $30,950 and the Premier at $31,800. These prices apply to the trims' default configuration with front-wheel drive, but you can add all-wheel drive to any of them for $1,600. The destination fee adds $1,395.
In its last model year, the Equinox is no star performer in its class, with a poky engine and dated design. So we wouldn't opt for it over rivals with a new one only a year away. If we must, we will play the value card with the well-equipped LT, so we can take full advantage of the Equinox's low price. This year, the LT gains all the missing driver assists, and its heated front seats, power driver's seat, and dual-zone climate control add just the right number of convenience features over the LS to make that sub-$30k price tag seem like a very good deal.
LS | LT | Premier |
---|---|---|
Base Model | Best Buy | Most Features |
$ 26600 | $ 28150 | $ 31800 |
1.5L turbo I4 (175 hp/203 lb-ft), six-speed auto, FWD (AWD option) | Based on the LS, plus: | Based on the LT, plus: |
17-inch alloys, LED headlights | Power liftgate, LED DRLs | 18-inch alloys, hands-free power liftgate, foglights |
Cloth upholstery, single-zone climate control | Heated front seats, eight-way power driver’s seat | Leather upholstery, driver’s memory |
Seven-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, six-speaker audio | Dual-zone climate control | Heated steering wheel |
Chevy Safety Assist driver-assistance suite | Front & rear parking sensors | Eigh-inch touchscreen, wireless charging pad |
Lane-change, blind-zone, & rear cross-traffic alert | Auto-dimming rearview mirror |
Best Deals on 2024 Chevrolet Equinox
Interior and Features
The cabin is forgettable and is starting to look its age, but the controls are easy enough to use and the feature count is good from the LT and up.
Inside, the Equinox is inoffensive and unexciting. The dashboard still looks attractive, but it's clearly an old design now, with regular analog gauges and a rather small separate infotainment display, so it's not an all-digital glass cockpit like so many new cars have. The materials are of decent quality, if not plush by any stretch of the imagination, and well short of a class act like the CX-50, which really makes the Chevy look old. Interior space is still a strong point, even in the second row, fully on par with its rivals and better than many. Base trims get cloth on the seats and very few bells and whistles, but the Premier has leather and a lot more features. A traditional, fairly boxy profile means it's easy to get in through properly proportioned doors, and thanks to its crossover-typical ground clearance of nearly eight inches.
Space
The front cabin is spacious, but the real surprise is that the second row's accommodations are also unexpectedly generous, considering the car's age, thanks to a 107-inch wheelbase, which is longer than that of various other compacts. With nearly 40 inches of rear legroom and plenty of headroom to boot, it handily beats the Rogue and comes close to the class-leading CR-V.
Cargo
Unfortunately, there's a price to pay for the roomy cabin, so trunk space is the metric that suffers. It's not that the 29.9 cubic feet behind the Equinox's second row is bad, it's just that the class has moved on, and the latest CR-V beats that figure by nearly 10 cubes. Even the CX-50's 31.4 cu-ft is better, despite Mazdas traditionally having rather uncompetitive trunks in their respective classes. The Chevy's trunk volume does expand to a handy 63.9 cu-ft with the 60/40-split second row folded, though they don't fold completely flat. This is more than the Mazda (56.3 cu-ft), albeit less than the Rogue (74.1-72.9 cu-ft).
Chevrolet Equinox | Nissan Rogue | Mazda CX-50 | |
---|---|---|---|
Seating | 5 Seater | 5 Seater | 5 Seater |
Headroom | 40 in. front 38.5 in. rear | 39.2-41.1 in. front 39.2-43.3 in. rear | 38.6-39.1 in. front 37.5-38.6 in. rear |
Legroom | 40.9 in. front 39.9 in. rear | 41.5 in. front 38.5 in. rear | 41.7 in. front 39.8 in. rear |
Trunk Space | 29.9 - 63.9 ft³ | 36.5 - 74.1 ft³ (FWD) 36.3 - 72.9 ft³ (AWD) | 31.4 - 56.3 ft³ |
Materials and Colors
In the LS, your lot is cloth upholstery and a cabin in Medium Ash Gray, while you make do with a urethane steering wheel. The LT is the same, except for offering two interior colors - a Jet Black interior option is added - and a premium leatherette-trimmed steering wheel. The sporty RS's cabin is Jet Black with red stitching on the seats, center console, steering wheel, and doors. Perforated leather is optional, but only as part of the RS Leather and the Safety and Infotainment packages for a total outlay of $2,780. The Premier is the only trim that comes with standard leather upholstery. Its cabin can be had in Jet Black, but a Jet Black/Maple Sugar option is available too.
Features and Infotainment
The LS is a bit bare, with manually adjustable and unheated seats, cloth upholstery, a manual liftgate, and single-zone climate control. Other features include keyless entry, push-button start, a manually tilting/telescoping urethane steering wheel, and a 3.5-inch monochrome driver-information display. The quality of life improves substantially in higher trims with the addition of features such as a power driver's seat, heated front seats, leather upholstery, a leatherette-trimmed steering wheel, a color 4.2-inch driver-information display, dual-zone climate control, and more, but a sunroof and ventilated front seats cost extra, even on the Premier.
The infotainment system in the bottom three trims uses a seven-inch touchscreen and comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth audio streaming for up to two devices, voice commands, and a six-speaker audio system. For the LS, that's it, but the LT and RS can be upgraded to the system that's standard on the Premier - a cloud-connected system with an eight-inch touchscreen, two more USB ports, and in-vehicle apps. Optional on the RS and Premier is a seven-speaker Bose audio system, while the top three trims all get access to optional navigation.
LS | LT | Premier | |
---|---|---|---|
Keyless entry w/ push-button start | S | S | S |
Leather upholstery | N/A | N/A | S |
Dual-zone climate control | N/A | S | S |
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, & six-speaker audio | S | S | S |
Seven-speaker Bose audio system | N/A | O | O |
Performance
The road manners of the Equinox is a highlight, with excellent ride and handling dynamics and very good comfort levels.
Every Chevrolet Equinox's engine is the same turbocharged 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder with just 175 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque, connected to an old-fashioned six-speed automatic transmission, so performance is a weak point. All-wheel drive is an extra-cost drivetrain option on all trims, but it's not of the automatic variety; instead, the driver has to manually select AWD when it's required. Incidentally, the Chevrolet Equinox's 0-60 sprint is quicker in FWD mode, where the initial burst of wheelspin launches the Equinox more cleanly and without bogging down, getting it to the benchmark in around 8.3-8.9 seconds, depending on the conditions. In AWD, it's around 0.4 seconds slower. Either way, almost all of its rivals will show it a clean pair of heels. Even in AWD, off-road antics are off the table due to the limited suspension travel, lack of low range, and the relatively low ground clearance. Chevy does not provide a figure for the Equinox's top speed. It's rated for trailering, but the towing capacity of just 1,500 pounds is at the lower end of the class - similar to the Rogue, but a lot less than various of its rivals, which can tow as much as 2,000 lbs more.
The powertrain is the Equinox's biggest disappointment, with lethargic acceleration. The old-school six-speed auto has wide gaps between ratios, which stunts performance, and it's often reluctant to shift down, preferring to quickly shuffle to the higher gears to save fuel - and stay there. This is a real shame because the rest of the driving experience belies the car's age. The suspension is judged just right, giving an absorbent ride, yet controlling body roll very well, while keeping shocks and vibration out of the cabin, even on the 19-inch wheels. The handling is responsive, the steering offers more feel than we're used to from modern crossovers, and the brakes are progressive and powerful. Yet it fails to come together as a cohesive whole due to the weedy engine and old six-speed auto.
Fuel Efficiency
Gas mileage is disappointing, considering you already pay penalties in terms of performance. There are just no upsides to the Equinox's powertrain. The mpg figures for the Chevrolet Equinox in FWD format are 26/31/28 mpg for the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles, a country mile behind the turbocharged 1.5-liter Rogue's 33-mpg combined figure. With AWD, efficiency drops to 24/30/26 mpg. Even the 2.5-liter AWD Mazda CX-50 beats that combined figure by one mile per gallon.
The fuel tank capacity of the FWD Equinox is 14.9 gallons, giving it a range of around 417 miles on the combined cycle. The AWD trims have a slightly bigger 15.6-gallon tank, so they get close to that figure, with 406 miles.
1.5L Turbo Inline-4 Gas 6-Speed Automatic FWD | 1.5L Turbo Inline-4 Gas 6-Speed Automatic AWD | |
---|---|---|
Power | 175 hp | 175 hp |
Top speed | Est. 125 mph | Est. 125 mpg |
MPG | 26/31/28 mpg | 24/30/26 mpg |
0-60 | Est. 8.3 sec. | Est. 8.3-8.9 sec. |
Towing Capacity | 1,500 lbs | 1,500 lbs |
Safety
The Equinox is starting to fall behind on crash scores, but it offers a very comprehensive driver-assistance suite from the LT level and up.
In the NHTSA's 2024 safety review, the Chevrolet Equinox fared quite well, with a five-star overall rating. However, the IIHS's more varied tests uncover a few shortcomings of the old design, blighting the Equinox's otherwise mostly Good scores with a Poor and Marginal rating for the updated moderate front overlap and side tests, respectively. The headlights were also rated Poor.
The Chevy Safety Assist suite of driver-assistance features is standard on every Equinox and includes front-collision alert, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency and pedestrian braking, lane-departure alert, lane-keep assist, a following-distance indicator, and automatic high beams. The missing driver assists make an appearance on the LT in the form of the Driver Confidence II package, namely lane-change alert, side blind-zone alert, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors front and rear. This package is optional on the LS, excluding the front parking sensors. The Driver Confidence III package contains adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, and an automatic parking assistant. It's an option only, and just on the Premier trim, and only in conjunction with the Driver Convenience II package.
LS | LT | Premier | |
---|---|---|---|
Front-collision alert w/ emergency & pedestrian braking | S | S | S |
Lane-departure alert w/ lane-keep assist | S | S | S |
Lane-change, blind-spot & cross-traffic alert | O | S | S |
Auto parking w/ surround-view camera | N/A | N/A | O |
Adaptive cruise control | N/A | N/A | O |
US NHTSA Crash Test Result
Overall Rating | Frontal Barrier Crash Rating | Side Crash Rating | Rollover Rating |
---|---|---|---|
5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Reliability
JD Power rates the reliability of the Chevrolet Equinox very highly, with an overall JD Power score of 85 out of 100 and a superb score of 90 for Quality & Reliability. So, as expected, recalls aren't numerous, with only one so far listed for the 2024 Equinox, which was recalled for fracturing door strikers. The 2023 Equinox was recalled three times - for non-functional child-seat anchors, a loose bolt in the driver's seat frame, and for a passenger airbag that may deploy even with a child seat fitted.
The limited warranty of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox covers the car for three years/36,000 miles, while the powertrain warranty runs for a longer period of five years/60,000 miles. Chevrolet also includes the first maintenance visit for free.
Warranty
Basic | Drivetrain | Rust-Through | Corrosion | Roadside Assistance | Drivetrain Note | Roadside Assistance Note | Maintenance Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 Years / 36,000 Miles | 5 Years / 60,000 Miles | 6 Years / 100,000 Miles | 3 Years / 36,000 Miles | 5 Years / 60,000 Miles | Certain commercial, government, and qualified fleet vehicles: 5 years/100,000 miles | Certain commercial, government, and qualified fleet vehicles: 5 years/100,000 miles | First Visit: 12 Months/12,000 Miles |
Design
Nothing makes the Equinox stand out in the parking lot, but it still looks passingly modern in a familiar way, thanks to the number of them on our roads. The LS and LT get 17-inch alloys, the Premier runs on 18's, and the RS gets the black-out exterior treatment for all its trim and model-specific 19-inch wheels. Only the top two trims come with standard roof rails. A variety of larger wheel sizes can be ordered up to a maximum of 19 inches in size. The LS has black mirrors and a manual liftgate and the other trims color-coded mirrors and a power liftgate - hands-free on the Premier, which also gets foglights and mirrors with integrated turn signals. A power panoramic sunroof is an option on all trims. LED headlights are standard, but the LS misses out on LED DRLs, while only the RS and Premier get LED taillights.
Verdict: Is The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox A Good SUV?
The Chevrolet Equinox still delivers if you want a roomy compact crossover SUV with great road manners and excellent reliability at a bargain price. Beyond these pros, there are too many cons for us to consider the 2024 model. It is now simply too old, inefficient, and underpowered, and with a brand-new 2025 model waiting in the wings, there is little left to recommend the old Equinox. You'd be better off with something more modern, such as a CR-V or CX-50. If you do opt for the Chevy, make sure you get a good deal to capitalize on its run-out status and go for the LT trim.