2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Is an Easy Commuter

• The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV is available with a single motor that drives the front wheels, or a dual-motor version that gives you all-wheel drive.
  

• The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV advertises 319 miles on a single charge for front-wheel-drive models, with 285 miles per charge on all-wheel-drive models.

• The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox is heading to dealerships now and will start at $43,295 for the 2LT, with the more affordable 1LT coming later this year.

With the Chevrolet Bolt out of production, it was only a matter of time before General Motors rolled out an entry-level version of its Ultium battery-electric platform.

Sure, we’ve seen the six-figure Hummer EV, and the slightly lower-priced Cadillac Lyriq, but an affordable, bowtie-wearing Ultium machine is only now hitting the streets in the form of an Equinox EV.

Powering all Equinox EVs is a front-drive module that makes 213 hp, though if you want to power all four wheels, Chevrolet throws a drive module at the rear to bring total output up to 288 hp. Feeding either of these machines is an 85-kWh battery pack.

For front-drive Equinox models, that translates to 319 miles per charge, with the all-wheel-drive models seeing a 34-mile penalty at 285 miles per charge.

In the real world, those spec sheet figures turn into a fine driving experience. The front-drive model is on the slower side of the spectrum, but it can get up to highway speeds without breaking a sweat. Chevy says the all-wheel-drive model will return a sub-six-second 0-60 mph time. Surprisingly, the all-wheel-drive Equinox EVs will produce a decent amount of torque steer when accelerating aggressively in sport mode. It won’t turn the car too sharply, but you will feel the steering wheel twisting to the torque on demand.

Super Cruise is available and works just as well in the Equinox EV as it does across the other Chevy products. Triggering the system on one of the geofenced roads is as easy as using adaptive cruise control. From there, the steering wheel’s lights and information on the digital driver display let you know if you’re allowed to use Super Cruise and if it’s currently active. While not a level three or four autonomous driving system, Super Cruise does help take the edge off a mindless highway commute.

Super Cruise or not, the steering is light, and numb, which is almost par for course with most hyper-boosted electric power steering systems. Braking is met with a soft pedal, but you’re encouraged to use one-pedal driving or take the regeneration in your own hands with the regen paddle on the steering wheel. The suspension handles midwestern roads without breaking too much of a sweat.

Inside, the cabin is spacious, with plenty of knee and hip room for five, though headroom for rear passengers isn’t super generous. The star of this Equinox EV is the 17.7-inch media screen that’s flanked by an 11.0-inch digital driver display.

Apple CarPlay is gone, but the GM native infotainment system tries to replace it with some of Google’s features. Frankly, CarPlay fans will miss the feature, as pairing your iPhone isn’t as seamless as it is with the Apple system. That said, the media system responds quickly to touch and has enough features to make do.

To put the Equinox EV’s footprint into some context, the EV stretches 190.5 inches over a 116.3-inch wheelbase, a bump from the current Equinox’s 183 inches of length and a 107.3-inch wheelbase. Width is a closer race, with the Equinox EV only spanning 76.94 inches wide with the mirrors folded, and the traditional Equinox boasting 76.6 inches of width.

Even though the shells are similarly wide, the Equinox EV offers 1.25 inches more front and 1.49 inches more track width than the 62.2-inch track found on the current Equinox. The Equinox EV does offer less ground clearance, with only 6.4 inches separating the shell and the road, but that might come from its lower total height: 64.8 inches compared to 65.4 inches

Overall, the Equinox EV is unassuming in its electrification endeavors. As the trend is going with BEVS, this is doing less of a job of punching you in the face with its powertrain, and more fleshing out a space that’s becoming full of cars and crossovers that function as your normal commuter, that you just happen to recharge instead of refuel.

Almost as important as that, the Equinox EV is much more affordable. While the base-spec Equinox EV 1LT is slated for a late 2024 launch with its $34,995 price tag, the current entry point isn’t too eye-watering. The most affordable Equinox EV you can buy right now is the Equinox LT2, which will set you back $43,295. Adding Super Cruise will tack on another $2,700, and it’s worth it if you can swing the extra cost. Adding a motor to the rear will bump the price, again, but this time by $3,300.

Do you think that these more affordable EVs will help push BEV adoption? Or are automakers barking up the wrong tree? Tell us your thoughts below.