The all-new 2025 Chevy Equinox marks the crossover’s latest fourth generation, bringing with it a striking new exterior design. The new look can be seen across the 2025 Equinox trim level lineup, presenting a tougher, more truck-like aesthetic. Now, we’re taking a closer look at the 2025 Chevy Equinox LT to see how it compares top the preceding 2024 Equinox LT.
2024 Equinox LT
2025 Equinox LT
Let’s start up front, where we find the 2025 Chevy Equinox presents a bold horizontal grille shape, while the headlights have been reshaped and now integrate slimmer upper LED lighting elements for a sharper look. By contrast, the 2024 Equinox retains a more traditional and understated front fascia with an angular grille and larger, more conventional headlights.
Moving to the side profile, the 2025 model shows off sculpted character lines and a slightly boxier silhouette, enhancing its rugged appeal. The wheel arches and trim details also have a more defined and rugged appearance. The 2024 model, while still stylish, has softer lines and a more rounded overall shape, giving it a less aggressive stance compared to the newer design.
2024 Equinox LT
2025 Equinox LT
At the rear, the 2025 Equinox introduces redesigned taillights with a new “L” shape, adding a nice visual detail to the tailgate area. The bumper and lower fascia also incorporate a more angular design, complementing the sharper front end. Meanwhile, the 2024 Equinox offers simpler, rectangular taillights and a more conservative rear bumper layout.
Finally, the wheels on the 2025 model have a new design with a mix of sharp and polished accents, while the 2024 wheels are simpler in design, aligning with the overall subdued styling of the preceding model year. For reference, the standard rollers on the 2025-model-year vehicle are the 17-inch Grazen Metallic machined-face aluminum wheels (RPO code RSC), while the standard wheels on the 2024-model-year vehicle are simply the 17-inch aluminum wheels (RPO code RZS).
2024 Equinox LT
2025 Equinox LT
Beyond these basic styling differences, the latest 2025 model year also offers a new black-painted roof option, while fog lamps (RPO code T3U) are an optional extra for the 2025 Equinox LT, but not the 2024 Equinox LT.
Diving into the finer details, the front end of the 2025 Equinox LT presents a Black and Gray mesh grille, while the 2024 Equinox LT presents a Chrome grille cross brace with Black mesh. Also notable is the gray bumper trim on the 2025 Equinox LT, versus Bright bumper trim on the preceding model year, as well as Black window trim (also known as daylight opening, DLO) for the 2025 model year and Bright lower trim for the 2024 model year.
2024 Equinox LT
2025 Equinox LT
Also of note is the Midnight Edition package, which is available on the LT trim for the 2025 model year. By comparison, the Midnight Edition and Sport Edition packages were only available on the base-level LS for the 2024 model year.
That all said, there are some similarities, with both models presenting body-colored sideview mirrors, roof rails, and LED headlamps.
Which exterior design do you prefer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Comments
Make available the option for the convenience package lll on the LT model it’s available on the base GMC Terrain elevation.
So just buy a Terrain Elevation. Not needed on the Nox. Wouldn’t prove very popular.
Better to stop requiring pricey packages to get more basic packages. Folks are being more price sensitive these days. Terrain requires the Premium Package just to get the power seat in the Convenience Package, which is beyond blatant gouging. And early production Noxes have an unnecessary expensive package mandatory too.
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Huge visual upgrade.
Huge upgrade inside and out, held back by its engine, slower and worse gas milage than the 24. make it make sense GM!
Part of the milage issue is EPA rating methods. Theve changed over the last few years. Everything non EV is rated lower, even when they’ve gotten improvements. Take a look at fuelly, which while isn’t an exact science, shows for multiple vehicles (Silverado/Colorado/Nox and Malibu) that’s efficiency is increasing to staying the same despite the worse gas today.
For me the NOX is 3 steps forward with only one step back
-style:win
-size:win
-price:win (vs the rav 4 which cost more than a base truck now)
-engine/no AWD:loose.
Hopefully sales are great the first year and it wins over consumers who can’t afford the RAV 4 to the point that Chevy decides to give it AWD/2.0 turbo engine to make it a less gaudy bronco sport competitor. I dont buy 1st year products anyways.
What do you mean by “-engine/no AWD:loose.”? The Equinox has AWD. Are you thinking about the Trax?
He’s referring to the base model LT. It does not come with AWD. Only FWD.
All three trims (LT, RS, Activ) are available with AWD.
The 2024 is an evolutionary design while the 2025 is a revolutionary design. Both designs have their followers as well as their pluses and minuses. I would purchase a 2025 without question if I needed a new Equinox but since our 2024 just turned a year old at Christmas and only has 9000 miles I will be keeping it for a couple years.
Hardly revolutionary.
The ’25 is an evolutionary upgrade, making it appeal to more men. It’s not bad looking, BUT it has so many drawbacks compared to the big hitters in this class that it will remain an also-ran. Fuel economy alone is enough to hold it back. And GM needs to fix the strange options packaging on it and on the Terrain. Mainly, option packages requiring pricier packages.
I have the best selling of the “big hitters” as my new company car, . Interior of the last generation Equinox is way better than my brand new RAV4 Hybrid, never mind the new Equinox. Automatic high beams are awful in the 2024 RAV4, possibly worse than in my last company car a 2019 Camry hybrid. Toyota automatic high beams can’t handle hills at all, they are borderline dangerous/defective. Automatic high beams in my wife’s 2021 Equinox work flawlessly.
Based on my 2019 Camry and new 2024 RAV4 company car experiences, Toyota is living off of their reputation and has clearly fallen way behind on interiors/infotainment.
How was the price? Price of a Toyota vs a Chevy in smaller cars is almost with the change alone. I’m sad the Malibu is gone. I’ve rented so many of those for work and always preferred them to Camrys and Corollas. They just did everything perfect with no excess or complaint.
Price is whatever the Lease company negotiates. Company car is a lease through 3rd party. Only choice I get is 4 colors to choose from.
I’ll come in and parrot some of my fellow commenters here. It is a much better looking vehicle now, let down by the single engine choice. Just for s&g, I looked up power specs for the erstwhile 2.5L four that was used in the Malibu for several years. 197 hp/191 ft lbs torque. I feel like that engine should have been kept and refined over the years. Look at Toyota’s evergreen naturally aspirated 2.5… it just keeps chugging along, racking up millions of miles in a dead reliable fashion, pleasing customers by being powerful, efficient and unobtrusive.
A 2.0t should be optional on the Equinox/Terrain in upper trims. It needs to be repeated because it’s true.
For looks, I prefer the new Terrain to the new Equinox. I like its “normal” face a little more than Chevy’s one-angry-face-fits-all solution.
I fear that the all-new ’26 RAV4 will become hybrid-only. Which is something the GM twins don’t offer, but some of us don’t want the complication of a hybrid. Hybrid-only Camry sales haven’t fallen one bit though. But I’d never. But, yeah, the tiny turbo engines haven’t turned out to be any more economical. Probably spew fewer emissions and I bet that’s too big of a deal to the automakers.
The 1.5 Turbo is far better than the old 2.5 in every way. We have a 2012 with the 2.5 and a 2021 with the 1.5 turbo. The 1.5 turbo is quieter, gets better real world MPG and feels far quicker than the 2.5L. At idle and when you are at high RPM’s the old 2.5 is almost comically noisy. Overall drivability is far better with the 1.5 turbo due to the very fat torque curve at low RPM’s.
The engine in the RAV4 hybrid is louder and not a smooth as the 1.5 turbo.
If you have a 2012 Equinox with a 4 cylinder, you have a 2.4, not a 2.5.
NA engines struggle, period. You mention the 2.5 in the Rav4, we had one, it was not great. Constant down shifting at any slight headway, hill or slightly more throttle. It is one thing having a big cube V8 with an abundant flat torque curve in a truck. But small NA motors versus smaller turbo motors, no comparison. I rented a 1.5 Equinox a while back, and while yes, the Rav4 felt faster when flat out, that never happens, everywhere else the 1.5 was much better. It would hold gears on a hill, it could accelerate to gain a little speed without shifting down. The 1.5 is just a little lacking when foot to the floor which is what, .01% of the time that this owner class uses them? Otherwise, a small turbo is the way to go. Now I prefer hybrid, those are excellent, driven plenty and been very happy with them. The 2.0 isn’t needed for those extra 500 sales a year, especially at the added development costs it would just lower margins (let’s be honest, what people here make you think is a tiny minority in the actual buyer of these vehicles, they aren’t car guys shopping for Rav4’s, CRV’s and Equinox’s, most don’t even know a spec of what engine is in there). A hybrid is coming, that will be the 2.0 replacement and make the drivetrain fully competitive.
The new grille is too big and looks out of proportion and I prefer the 24 wheels. And of course the elimination of the optional 2.0 engine is a huge miss. But what do I know, I’m just a customer.
175 horses? come on man. It’s true people who buy these don’t care what’s under the hood so why would GM offer the 2.0?
I really like the ’25 sheetmetal. However, I don’t like the front end on the Activ. I would like to get the cleaner LT exterior with the tricked-out Activ interior. Wonder if they have a workaround code for that?
I agree with you on the Activ front end. If I were buying one, I’d get an LT and simply put all-terrain tires on it. Tires are basically the only functional difference between an LT and Activ anyway.
For me, the best solution is a Terrain Elevation without black package, with the good looking base 17 inch wheel and added all-terrain tires.
Hope to see more side-by-side comparisons between new models and outgoing models.
Call me old fashioned, but I like the styling of the ‘24 better. Plus, it gets better fuel economy without a CVT that the ‘25 has.
I have a 2022 Equinox RS. I prefer the 2024 version over the 2025 version because it looks more smoother than the 2025 which is trying to be like the new Traverse. Why does everything have to look the same. I enjoy model differentiation. They don’t all have to look the same. Not just a bigger or smaller version of everything else. Does need mor power
I’ve only owned one GM vehicle in my life with a four cylinder engine and I vow until my dying day to NEVER own another.
Like the looks except for the back fin up to the roof. Looks unfinished to me.
The new trend of a ‘gap’ in the C pillar just looks dumb and is enough for me not to consider buying one.