economie

I drove Chevy’s new Equinox EV. It’s a much-needed addition to the electric crossover market.

May 30, 20240
A close-up of the mechanical door handle on the Equinox EV

Nora Naughton, Business Insider

The first things I noticed as I approached the Equinox EV were the door handles. When the vehicle is locked, the handles lay flush with the door. Unlocked, they pop out like a level to pull and open the door.

This is a direct nod to Tesla, which originated this door handle design. On a Tesla, cold weather does seem to cause trouble for these mechanical door handles. Chevy says it has addressed this with an ice-breaking algorithm built into the door handles, but I didn’t get to test that on a mostly sunny 75-degree day.

The styling on the Equinox EV turns a milquetoast mom car into a stylish prowler
Interior view of front cabin in a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV RS.

Jim Fets, General Motors

I’ve always found the sparse interior of the Model 3 and Model Y to feel a bit cavernous, so I was glad to see a lot of accenting and design cues built into the Equinox EV’s interior.

Some trims also have more fun color combinations for the leather seating to add a bit of personality inside the car.

Still, overall I found the interior of the electric car to be somewhat underwhelming. I’ve sat in a lot of Chevrolet interiors over the years, this one didn’t feel all that different or special.

Super Cruise elevates the experience in the Equinox EV
A close-up of the Chevrolet Equinox EV badge

Nora Naughton, Business Insider

Overall, I enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the Equinox EV. It delivers the zippy ride you expect from a battery-powered car, and Chevrolet’s engineers have tuned the car to hug corners and feel smooth and stable out on the road.

There aren’t a ton of extra frills or surprises, but the Equinox EV gave me just about everything I would want out of an electric crossover — the type of EV I’d be most likely to add to my own driveway.

But I can’t help but wonder how some of the troubles with the Ultium technology in the Blazer rollout will affect its chances up against Hyundai, Kia, and Tesla. Electric car customers today are less patient than the techy early adopters who pioneered the market.

Chevrolet is hoping to take advantage of this shift in customer preferences with its trusted reputation as a legacy brand, flooding the market with EVs while others are pulling back. But the Blazer’s messy launch, which included a stop-sale to repair software issues, might have an effect on how even the most loyal Chevrolet owner views the Equinox EV.