2027 Chevrolet Equinox Review | Chevy's #1 Selling SUV!

[music] What's up [music] you guys? Welcome back to another one. If you are new to the channel, I am Gold Pony. I do new car, truck, SUV reviews on YouTube. And today we are in the brand new 2027 Chevy Equinox, courtesy of Lawrence Chevrolet in Mechanicsburg, PA. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. So, we were this one today because I think it's a nice design. It starts at under $30,000. So, great starting price point. This is actually Chevy's number one selling SUV. So, that's definitely exciting. And there is one kind of major change for the 2027 model year as well. And it's not just the color that we have with us here today, although that is new as well. But also, if you are curious, the Equinox is going to be competing with the Toyota RAV 4, Honda CRV, Mazda CX-5, just to name a few. So ultimately in this video we will be testing out going over everything about this one from acceleration to braking, steering feel, ride quality, sound system, exhaust clip, all that fun stuff. So having said all that, what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. So as you can imagine, there are a few different trim levels for the 2027 Equinox. You got the LT starting at $29,000 even, which by the way is a $400 price bump for the 2027 model year. You got the RS starting at $33,900. And lastly, the Active starting at $33,900. By the way, that was all pricing for the front-wheel drive variant. If you wanted to add all-wheel drive, you can do that. Simply add $2,000 then to any of those prices. Also, by the way, we got the LT trim level with us here today. But regardless of the trim level that you go with, the power plant on the Equinox is going to be the same. Powering the Beast is a 1.5 L turbocharged 4-cylinder. This puts out 175 horsepower at 5600 RPM. 203 pound- feet of torque coming in at 2,000 RPM. That power being sent to the front wheels or all wheels through a new 8-speed automatic transmission, at least for the front-wheel drive. So, last year, the front-wheel drive variant came with the CVT. This year, the 8-speed automatic comes on the front-wheel drive and the all-wheel drive, whereas last year it was just the all-wheel drive that got the 8-speed automatic. So, that's how that's set up. That's kind of the new major change for 2027. 0 to 60 time. It's going to come in at approximately 8.6 seconds with MPG numbers coming in at 24 in the city, 29 on the highway, taking regular unled fuel. But there before we do any kind of fun acceleration test here in our Equinox, I do want to mention to you guys the drive mode. So, drive mode circular dial is going to be located kind of just to the left of the cup holders there. And drive modes are going to include normal, snow, and ice, off-road, and my mode, adjusting things like the shift points, the throttle response, and the traction control settings. So, now having got all of that out of the way, what do you guys say? Let's go ahead and find a straightaway. Let's put the acceleration here to the test and let's see how quickly we can get our new 2027 Chevy Equinox here up to speed. All right, got it in normal driving mode in three, two, one. delay, huh? It's okay. It's not the fastest thing in the world, but it definitely should be enough to merge you onto the highway. And again, because it's a turbocharged engine, but with a little bit of turbo lag at the very beginning, but that's to be expected. It's something that you do get used to. The only thing that's a little bit different for me, and it's not a bad thing, is the gas pedal feel. Usually I comment on the braking feel in these videos, but there is a slight difference with the gas pedal feel. It's super soft. Not that that's a bad thing. Like I said, it's just one of those things you got to get used to. It's kind of like driving an EV for the first time in a different way though, of course, because EVs got their own personality. But it's just a interesting gas pedal feel. That's all I'm going to say. But yeah, should be plenty to merge you onto the highway. So no issues there. But to go along with that acceleration, of course, braking is equally important. So up front you will find 12.6 6- in ventilated front discs. In the back, 12.4 in solid rear discs. As far as S60 stopping distance goes, it comes in at a respectable 125 ft. As far as braking feel goes in our short little test drive here today, I'll hit the brakes since there's no one behind us here. It's firm. Super firm. I absolutely love it. Now, they crushed it with the braking feel. It's just the gas field that's a little bit little bit wonky, but the braking feel is brilliant. So, super firm braking feel instantly brings you to a stop. So, that's what I'm talking about. Big fan of the braking in the Equinox, bike, then touching on suspension and handling. Up front, you're going to get a McFerson strut front suspension. In the back, fourlink rear suspension. As far as ride quality goes in our short little test drive here today, it's actually been perfectly fine. Like, I've had no issues whatsoever with this thing absorbing mechanics for the road imperfections. So, yeah, absolutely no issues there. As far as steering feel goes. Now, I like the steering wheel grips. Let me just say that first. The grips, the 10 and2 grips, the whole steering wheel is super thick. So definitely makes me feel like I'm more in control for whatever reason. But as far as steering feel goes, I would say it's definitely weighted a little bit on the heavier side of things. Not too heavy. Um it it's not as loose as Toyotas typically are. So I kind of like the steering feel. It's definitely better than average, I would say. Now, as far as cabin noise goes, I do have the air conditioning on, but I'll be quiet here for a second. It's perfectly fine for me. Like I've had no issues whatsoever when it comes to cabin noise. And touching on rear visibility, looking out my rear view mirror there. definitely do not have any issues with that. I can see perfectly fine out the rearview mirror. And I like how those second row headrests are more spread out. So, uh there's no blind spots from the headrest in the second row there. As far as forward visibility goes, rain sensing windshield wipers do come on the active and RS trim level. So, that's touching on forward visibility a little bit, of course. So, whenever this thing detects any kind of mist or rainfall, it's going to automatically turn on the windshield wipers for you there. Kind of like automatic headlights, just one less thing you got to worry about. So, that's always nice. But that pretty much rounds out the performance segment of this review, you guys. Let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior now of our brand new 2027 Chevy Equinox in our brand new color. I'll get right into it now. All right, so here she is, you guys. The new 2027 Chevy Equinox finished in autumn harvest metallic, which by the way is the new color for the 2027 Equinox. It replaces cacti green, which has been discontinued from the 2026 model year. So, as always, let's go ahead and start with where this one is made. Taking a look at the VIN. First character is the number three, indicating that the new Equinox is built and assembled in Mexico, believe it or not. So, starting up front, active grill shutters will come standard, so it's going to open and close dependent upon the engine cooling that is needed in a given time. To the sides, LED headlights with LED daytime running lights coming standard for all trim levels. They come with the automatic feature. You also get automatic high beams. So, if you have your high beams on at night and it senses a vehicle coming in the opposite direction, it's going to automatically dim them back to low beams. Then, when that vehicle is gone, it's going to automatically bounce it back up to high beams for you there. So, super convenient there. You get the gold bow tie logo up front with the LT trim level. And then a black bow tie logo for the RS and the active. That is going to be optional obviously for the LT as well. But overall, like I said at the beginning of the video, this is a dang good-look front end. It looks like a baby Traverse. So definitely a very good-look SUV. But that pretty much rounds out the front end. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the side. Head up now. Since we are around to the side of this one, starting all the way to the top, you do have roof rails for the RS to active, and it's going to be optional on the LT that we have with us here today. Rear privacy glass does come standard. You get the floating roof line on the C-pillar in the back. That's that little black area that separates the roof from the rest of the body. Uh body color, power adjustable side mirrors for the LT and the Active. However, they are going to be finished in gloss black for that RS trim level. Then, they're going to be heated for the RS as well. Got the Equinox lettering found on the front doors in typical Chevy fashion there. Then, taking a look down at the wheel setup, 17-in machine finished aluminum alloys for that LT, 17-in dark Android machine finished aluminum alloys for the Active, and lastly, 19-in metallic machine finished alloys for the RS. But that pretty much rounds out the side profile. Let's now go ahead and swing around to the back. Right. So, now since we are around to the back of this one, starting all the way to the top, you do have a bodycoled shark fin antenna. Just below that rear spoiler with an integrated brake light. You got the rear window wiper affixed to the rear glass, of course. LED tail lights do come standard for all trim levels across the board. So, you got to appreciate that. And then just below it all, there is a single exhaust outlet. It is tucked away underneath there. So, having said that, I do believe you guys know what we have to do next here. As always, here is that exhaust clip. And so, now since we are around to the back of the Equinox here, when it comes to opening that rear tailgate, it's going to be an auto sense power tailgate for the active, the RS, and optional then on the LT we have with us here today. So, that's pretty cool. There is a button on the key fob, of course. There's a rubberized button on the tailgate itself then as well. But what's opened up cargo capacity behind that second row comes in at 29.8 cubic feet if that was done enough space. Of course, the rear seats do fold down. It's going to bump that up to 63.5 cubic feet. Then you got some LED cargo lighting back there. There's chromeplated tie down anchors. You got a 12vt power outlet. But the coolest part about the cargo area at least is you get in flooror storage, which is fine. But then if you lift up underneath of that in flooror storage, you get the spare tire as well. You usually get one or the other. But you never get both. And you get both in the Equinox. So that's pretty cool. I love that. But then making our way up to the rear leg room. That comes in at 39.9 in. That's dang good. For reference, I'm even 6 ft tall. This is how much space I had in the second row there. Rear center armrest with cup holders coming standard to get rear ventilation back there. There's dual rear USB charging ports and heated rear seats are going to be optional on the active and RS trim levels if you wanted those. But then making our way up to the front seats, manually adjustable cloth seating for the LT trim level. Power driver seat with power lumbar for the active and RS trims. Suede seating for the active. Evote tech seating for the RS. Heated front seats do come standard for all trim levels across the board. You got to appreciate that. And then ventilated front seats are going to be optional. Overall, as far as seat comfort goes, was actually perfectly fine for me. Like I got no issues whatsoever when it comes to seat comfort in the Equinox. Then taking a look at the steering wheel. It is tilt and telescoping. It is a flat bottom for the RS trim level only. And like I said, you got some thick grips. And I definitely love the steering wheel just because of the grips alone. Typically, you got a lot smaller grips on the steering wheel, but that's not the case here in the Equinox. So, well done yet again, Chevy. Then, making our way to the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key here. You got your bow tie logo on the one side. Then when you flip it over, lock, unlock, the button to pop the tailgate, the X times two button, that is your remote start, which by the way comes standard on every single trim level across the board. So you got to appreciate that. But it is all keyless entry with a push button start. So all I'm going to do here is simply put my foot on the brake and press that engine start button located just to the left of the center air vents there. And so once started up, when it comes to the gauge cluster, it looks pretty good. It's an 11in digital gauge cluster. You got the buttons on the right hand side of the steering wheel to customize what is up there. and actually completely changes the look. So, they really did this very, very good. So, you can display a full map setup up there. So, kind of like Audi virtual cockpit style. Uh, so it's a full map setup. Google Maps, by the way, with a digital speedometer in the lefthand corner there. If you press it again, you got a completely different view. If you press it again, you got a simplistic view. If you press it again, you got more of a traditional gauge cluster, but kind of sporty at the same time. So, Chevy crushed it when it comes to the gauges. And that's the beauty of a digital gauge cluster is it really allows more customization. A lot of manufacturers don't allow this kind of customization because this is super customizable. So again, they did an amazing job. It gives you everything that you need like outside temperature, uh how many miles you have left until you hit empty, and pretty much everything else. But it's very nice. But now, let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. There is a dual pane power sunroof that is available, and we got a massive sunroof. Actually, I think we have that. That's pretty nice. Overhead sunglass holder does come standard. It has a little picture of sunglasses on there so you know it's only for your sunglasses. Dual zone climate control coming standard as well. There's a universal home remote which is available for the active and RS trim levels and the LT. You know why I know that? Because we have it here on the bottom portion of this frameless rearview mirror. So that's super fancy. Wireless phone charger also available for all trim levels. That's located just in front of the cup holders here. That's plenty nice as well. Just in front of that though, you got more rubberized storage. couple USB charging ports. Everything surrounding the cup holders is finished in a gloss black, which I personally prefer. And then just behind all of that, it's a super deep area of storage within that center armrest. Like that goes down for days there. So, that's pretty cool. I like the silver door handle. That looks nice as well. More gloss black finishes on the doors. Nice little finish found just above the passenger side glove box. Everything is texturized as well. So, I think that's pretty nice. So, overall, they did a pretty darn good job on the interior quality. If I'm being honest, I don't mind that either. But now, let me get to the infotainment screen because this is a little bit of getting used to. I won't say it's confusing. I will say it's a little bit of getting used to. So, this is an 11.3 in infotainment screen. You get Bluetooth and audio streaming, wireless, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay. So, you got to appreciate that. But these icons on the left hand side, they're from nothing. They're not anything that you're familiar with on Google. They're not anything you're familiar with with your Apple phone. This is something just completely different. So, it's a little bit confusing. It takes a little bit of time and getting used to, but you will get used to it. The other thing is there's no actual buttons or switches for your headlights. That's all done through the infotainment screen. And that took me a hot minute to find, too, because I'm trying to put them on to make a cool outside shot, nice cool thumbnail shot of this thing, and it took me a little second to find. I remember having that issue last year, so it took me less time than last year. But, nonetheless, it's still pretty nice. I don't mind the infotainment screen. And as far as the sound system goes, you get six speakers for all trim levels across the board. So, let's go ahead and turn on the radio now. And uh let's see what we got playing today. And let's test out the clarity of this one. [music] >> Actually, it wasn't that bad for a six speaker sound system. If I'm being honest, some of them suck. Uh this one's decent for six speakers at least. I mean, it would be nice if they had maybe a little higher grid sound system. Uh maybe even as an option, but I don't know, for six speakers, that's not that bad. I don't mind that. But last thing I wanted to mention to you guys on the infotainment screen is when you do put the Equinox in reverse, you will find a super highdefinition rear view camera. Like you usually don't get this kind of high high definitioninition and rear view camera. So they did that beautifully, letting you know who or what is behind you, which is always going to lead us into safety. And so to start, front side curtain airbags do come standard. In the back you got latch aka lower anchors and tethers for children for the rear car seats. Rear child door locks, tire pressure monitoring system, but also coming standard a good bit of advanced safety, including forward collision alert, rear parking sensors. Love that. Rear cross traffic braking. There's front pedestrian and bicyclist braking. Teen driver mode, which prevents your teen driver from turning off the safety features if they were to do that. It automatically logs it in the system so you know about it. There's blind zone steering assist, lane keep assist, and lane departure warning then as well. So, overall, when it comes to my final thoughts, brilliant design. I think this is a heck of a good-look SUV. Starting price point is great. It's very rare that you find SUVs of this size at under $30,000 these days. So, I like that. Brilliant tech, including the infotainment screen and the gauges, specifically the gauges. That's what I really liked. Uh infotainment screen took me a second to get used to, but I like that it's a large screen. It's super responsive. The gauges are better. I love that. As far as room for improvement goes, I'll give you two things there. There's uh no hybrid powertrain, unlike the RAV 4 and the CRV. They both give you hybrid options. the CX-50 and CX-5, I believe, too. Uh, at least the CX-50 I know, does because I just reviewed that one not too long ago. But the other thing is, uh, I just question the reliability because this is a turbocharged four-cylinder. Maybe it'll be fine. Heck, if I know, um, check Consumer Reports if you wanted to see good quality reliability ratings, but typically naturally aspirated engines are going to be more reliable than their turbocharged counterparts. So, maybe a four-cylinder hybrid would be wonderful in here. Not a turbocharged hybrid, but just a regular four-cylinder hybrid like the Toyota RAV 4 uses. Heck, even use their engine. Kind of like Mazda did. They literally took the RAV 4 engine and pllopped it in their CX-50 hybrid. Heck, if you guys did that Chevy, this thing would crush it. I'm just saying because the looks are crushing it. Anyways, let me know what you guys think of the Equinox in the comments section below. That's about it for this one, you guys. Thank you so much for watching. Feel free to follow me on social media. Be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're into new car reviews. cuz that is what I've been doing for 12 years now. Do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video. [music] >> [music]