I was flown out to Minneapolis to the media drive for the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. I was excited to take a look at the new ACTIV trim that is now available for the Equinox model. Between the RS, ACTIV, and LS trims, they’ll each have their distinctive front ends. I have to say that the ACTIV was my favorite front end because of the large black chrome accent on the grille. It appeared to be slightly darker than the one found on my personal 2023 Trailblazer. With the ACTIV, you’ll get a smaller 17” wheel with some proper all-terrain General Grabber tires. The added sidewall helped absorb the surrounding potholes and cobblestone roads. When you go with RS trim, you’ll get the black colored roof and if you get an ACTIV, you’ll have the white roof. The LS trim will have the option of the body color, black, or white roof option which means you won’t need to shell out the additional money to get customizing options.

Getting into the ACTIV, you’ll be greeted with the Maple Sugar colored interior. I did question the material choice of sueded microfiber used in the seating surfaces. With it being the more “adventure” promoting trim, I was wondering if the clean ability is better over the Evotex offered standard on the RS and optional on the LS. Either way, they were comfortable to sit in and with the optional memory setting, it’ll be easy to share the Equinox and recall your seat sweet spot. The big 11” gauge cluster and 11.3” infotainment screen were extremely sharp, bright, and colorful. With it having the Google maps integration, the responsiveness was quick when we moved around in it.

Under the hood, the 175 horsepower 1.5L turbo engine remains untouched from the previous generation Equinox. It is paired with a CVT for FWD models and it produces 185 lb.-ft. of torque. You’ll get an 8-speed auto if you opt for the AWD model, the torque goes up to 203 lb.-ft. The suspension dampers were tuned based on the trim level you go with. The RS will provide a slightly stiffer feel to give it a sportier response, while the ACTIV will be softer to help absorb the unpaved roads you may travel. The LT’s dampers are tuned to be somewhere in the middle.

Overall, I enjoyed the looks, ride, and quality of the new 2025 Chevrolet Equinox.