The 2027 Chevrolet Equinox starts at $31,295 for the front-drive LT, and every trim now gets an eight-speed automatic in place of the continuously variable transmission that front-drive models used before. Autoblog reported the pricing and powertrain change on Oct. 9, citing GM Authority.
The $31,295 figure includes Chevrolet’s $1,995 destination charge. It is the lowest price on a six-trim lineup that tops out at $38,195.
The CVT-to-eight-speed swap on front-drive models
Autoblog’s account is blunt: the CVT is gone, and the eight-speed automatic that was once confined to higher-end versions is now standard across the range. All-wheel-drive Equinoxes already used the eight-speed, which means the real change lands on the front-drive trims. GM Authority’s June report on the 2027 configurator noted that front-drive models would use the same eight-speed as AWD versions, and that the swap lifts the front-drive tow rating from 800 to 1,500 pounds, matching the AWD figure.
The engine is unchanged: a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at 175 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque, figures that Chevrolet’s own Equinox page still carries.
Cars.com’s pricing breakdown puts a cost on the gearbox change at the pump: front-drive fuel economy slips from 27 to 26 mpg combined and from 26 to 25 mpg in the city, while AWD ratings stay where they were. Eight gears did not buy a better number for the front-drive crowd, though towing capacity roughly doubled.
The $31,295 price and the full trim ladder
Per Autoblog’s price list, all figures include the $1,995 destination fee: LT front-drive at $31,295, LT all-wheel drive at $33,295, ACTIV front-drive and RS front-drive both at $36,195, and ACTIV AWD and RS AWD both at $38,195. Autoblog says base prices rise $300 across the board. That squares with the June configurator numbers GM Authority published, which started the LT at $30,995 with destination.
The advertised starting price on Chevrolet’s site works the same way. Chevrolet.com lists the LT at $29,300 before destination, and adding the $1,995 freight charge arrives at the $31,295 that Autoblog reports. Automotive Addicts’ trim table carries the same arithmetic, showing the LT at $29,000 before destination and $30,995 with it in the earlier pricing round, which is why buyers comparing the Equinox with rivals quoted before freight need to check which basis each figure uses. That table also confirms every 2027 trim uses the eight-speed.
The ladder has regular steps. All-wheel drive adds $2,000 to every trim in Autoblog’s list, the same gap Cars.com describes, and moving from the LT to either the ACTIV or the RS on front-drive costs $4,900, from $31,295 to $36,195. ACTIV and RS carry identical prices at each drivetrain, so the choice between them is a matter of styling and equipment rather than money. The cheapest all-wheel-drive Equinox, the LT at $33,295, still sits below the $36,195 that front-drive ACTIV and RS buyers pay.
Gemini, new paint and the Equinox’s place in GM’s lineup
Beyond the transmission, the 2027 model moves to Google’s built-in infotainment system, with Gemini as the standard voice assistant. Cacti Green is dropped for a new earth-tone, Autumn Harvest Metallic, and an in-cabin camera with a Cabin Glance feature is available through the Safety & Technology package, according to Autoblog.
The gas Equinox carries weight for General Motors. Autoblog describes it as the company’s second-best-selling model behind the Silverado, accounting for roughly 10 to 13 percent of GM’s U.S. sales on annual volume above 200,000 units. Its sales are down about 15 percent so far in 2026 after a strong 2025, though it still ranked third on GM’s third-quarter top-sellers list. The all-electric Equinox EV, a separate vehicle, is down 92.4 percent year to date, Autoblog says.
The price path is worth laying out. GM Authority reported in December 2025 that GM had raised 2026 Equinox prices a second time, leaving the LT front-drive at $30,795 including destination. The 2027 configurator that GM Authority covered in June listed the same trim at $30,995, and Autoblog’s Oct. 9 list moves it to $31,295. That is $500 above the December 2025 figure on the model-year change alone, with the CVT gone along the way.
The December report also placed Equinox assembly at GM’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico, with a Fairfax Assembly, Kansas, build planned from mid-2027 for the next-generation model. For a 2027 LT front-drive buyer, the arithmetic is simple: $29,300 on Chevrolet’s own page, $31,295 delivered, and an eight-speed automatic instead of a CVT. The one-mpg dip Cars.com lists for front-drive models is the running-cost side of the swap.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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