Affordable and Tech-Packed but Could Drive Better

What a cute little thing the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Activ is. It’s small, it has a contrasting white roof, and Chevy even took the “e” off the end of its name. And with its beefy all-terrain tires and slightly taller ride height than a normal Equinox, the Activ looks like it’s cosplaying as an adorable off-roader.

The Activ trim gives off the impression of rugged capabilities with all-terrain tires and chunky five-spoke wheels. But it’s really just a fun-looking trim level for the regular Equinox. And judging from what this is like if you remove any sort of expectations of actual off-road ruggedness, the regular Equinox is not a bad car. 

Under that cutesy soft-roading exterior, in fact, lies the heart of an economy car, something that’s designed to shuttle people back and forth to work. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and Lord knows the market can use every honestly cheap, uncomplicated car we can get these days. The competition is stiff, but if you want an affordable, small crossover with a cool design, then the Equinox can actually make quite a bit of sense.

The Basics

The Chevy Equinox is the bowtie’s answer to perennial best-sellers such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. It’s been around for 20 years now but is all-new for 2025, entering its fourth generation. The Activ trim tested features the all-terrain tires, a slightly raised ride height, and a drive mode selector that has off-road and snow modes. Obviously, it isn’t rugged enough to serve as an alternative to something like a Ford Bronco or Toyota Land Cruiser, but it isn’t supposed to. 

Nevertheless, it does look pretty cool. The base Equinox is fine and inoffensive—like a middle-aged dad in Dockers and white New Balances. But the Activ swaps those for hiking boots, cargo khakis, and a flannel shirt. 

There aren’t many Activ-specific off-roady designs inside, though. The Activ’s cabin looks almost identical to the standard car’s and similar to most modern Chevys, for that matter. But that’s a good thing. Settle into its handsome tan and black two-tone seats, and you’ll find mostly nice materials for its price point, good ergonomics, and plenty of cubbies to store your granola bars and trail mix.

On the dash is the same infotainment screen that you’ll find in almost every new Chevy, and it works as excellently as it does everywhere else. The gauge screen is the same too, but that’s less great. It compacts too much information into too small of a graphic for my liking and it’s annoying to read. Other than that, customers will enjoy their time in the Equinox, looking for used kayaks on Facebook Marketplace while parked at Trader Joe’s.

Driving the Chevrolet Equinox

What’s that racket you hear under the tall hood? Surely, with all of that space up front, Chevy was kind enough to stuff a big engine in there, right? Wrong. Saying that the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powers the Equinox is being generous. It sort of just wheezes and groans along, getting the car up to speed at a reasonable but uninspiring pace. That said, I have a feeling most customers will find its power adequate, its noise manageable, and its fuel economy to be decent because that’s what’s become acceptable in the segment.

However, one part that doesn’t disappoint is the eight-speed automatic. A good transmission in a car like this should fade into the background, never announcing its presence, just getting the job done like a silent butler. And it does that here. Quick, smooth, smart shifts come from this eight-speed, and it’s never unwilling to downshift when you stomp the right pedal, maximizing the engine’s 175 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque.

As a driving experience, the Equinox Activ is comfy, with a tall ride height and squishy high-profile tires. American customers like sitting tall with a good view out, so they’ll like this. Sadly, that’s sort of where the driving-related positives end. 

The throttle pedal is obnoxiously light, to the point where accidentally being over-aggressive is common when the light turns green. The brake pedal is too soft, and the brakes themselves aren’t strong. I don’t expect razor-sharp steering in a crossover, but the Activ’s steering is among the vaguest I’ve felt in years. And that soft suspension makes it sway and tip like a wooden ship on the high seas during anything other than straight-line driving. 

And, look, there’s a place for bland, vague econoboxes. And most customers won’t care, so maybe I’m complaining into the void. But, even by vanilla crossover standards, there are better-driving options than the Equinox, like the Hyundai Tuscon and Honda CR-V. And if you want your crossover to truly handle a muddy road, either Subaru’s Outback or Forester will eat the Activ’s lunch.

The Highs and Lows

It’s a good-looking little thing, isn’t it? Few times has anyone ever said, “Damn, look at that Equinox.” But it’s true with the Activ. Its almost square, chonky boy-look makes it look happy and fun, like it wants to play. Chevy also deserves credit for offering it in green. And while the interior isn’t the most exciting to look at, its impressive tech makes it feel more expensive than it is. It’s also well-equipped and should be decent in snowy weather with those tires. For young buyers, the Equinox Activ can seem like a fun, stylish, and tech-forward commuter car. 

Aside from its poor drive, though, there are a few other annoying quibbles. Its seating position is odd. I’m an average-sized man, but getting comfortable in my preferred seating position felt impossible; I’d need to have the wingspan of Slender Man and Danny DeVito’s legs. The back seat is also flat, which makes car seats sit too upright. Even worse, though, the seat belts are placed too far toward the doors, making the seats narrow and hard for kids to buckle up. 

Chevrolet Equinox Features, Options, and Competition

An absolute base mode, front-wheel-drive Equinox comes in at $29,999. For that, you get good-looking 17-inch wheels, Chevy’s always-excellent 11.3-inch infotainment screen, and heated front seats. Not bad! All-wheel drive only bumps the asking price to $31,995. That’s an affordable, well-equipped crossover for the masses. However, jumping to the Activ costs $36,395. That’s still pretty cheap, but you can get a Subaru Outback Onyx Edition for a few hundred bucks less. 

Admittedly, the Activ has quite a few features that help make its case, like a heated steering wheel, active sound cancellation, and wireless charging. And if you splurge on the $1,085 Safety and Technology Package, you get a digital rearview mirror, a surround-view camera, and rear pedestrian alert. So, for not too much money, you can have a car with all the modern bells and whistles that you could possibly ask for. 

The aforementioned Subaru is far from the only crossover that the Equinox Activ competes with, though. The Toyota RAV4 Woodland, Hyundai Tuscon XRT, and Nissan Rogue Rock Creek all come in at around the same price, with around the same level of equipment. That’s tough competition for the Chevy, so it needed to be great to compete… and I’m not quite sure it is. 

Fuel Economy 

The Equinox Activ isn’t terrible on fuel. The EPA rates it at 24 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined, which is roughly what I saw. That’s basically the same as what the competing Hyundai gets, but it’s a bit worse than the Subaru, which returns a combined 28 mpg. The Toyota RAV4 Woodland gets a whopping 37 mpg combined, but it’s the only hybrid of the bunch. 

Value and Verdict

There’s no question that the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox gives you a lot for your money. It’s good-looking, feels well-built, has great tech, and comes well-equipped. It’s a great everyday commuter for the majority of crossover fans. Unless you absolutely must have all-terrain tires for whatever reason, I’d stay away from this Activ trim, which doesn’t elevate things enough to justify the price premium.  

Even compared to other soft-roaders like this, it doesn’t drive great, but if you want an affordable, feature-packed crossover and couldn’t care less about that sort of thing, the standard Equinox is a fine car, especially if you like the way it looks.

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