2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV presented a familiar silhouette reminiscent of its internal combustion engine (ICE) counterpart, yet upon closer inspection, it revealed a more refined and modern aesthetic. The EV version showcased sharper lines, a thicker body-coloured C-pillar, and a sleeker grille. Its front fascia was dominated by body colour, typical of electric vehicles, and featured an LED light bar that extended across the front, enhancing its contemporary look. The rear design echoed this modernity with hexagonal shapes and another light bar. Standard 19-inch aluminum wheels on the 2LT trim added to its appeal, while higher trims boasted 21-inch versions. The Equinox EV's colour palette, including vibrant options like "Red Hot" and "Riptide Blue Metallic," allowed for a youthful and exuberant appearance, with two-tone paint jobs adding further customization. Inside, the Equinox EV offered a range of interior colours, with sporty options like Adrenaline Red available on higher trims, ensuring a lively yet sophisticated cabin experience.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, on the other hand, emphasized its sporty SUV identity within the Range Rover family. It stood tall with a shorter wheelbase and a chopped top, giving it an athletic stance. Large front air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders contributed to its sporty look, although from certain angles, it appeared somewhat narrow. The SV Edition Two, the highest-performance model, featured 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood, adding to its performance-oriented design. Despite its subtle exterior, the interior was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with illuminated "SV" inserts, and a minimalist dashboard interrupted only by a touchscreen and a few controls. The high console and door panels created a cockpit-like feel, enhancing its sporty mission, though it made the front seats feel slightly cramped. Material quality was up to luxury standards, although the use of reflective piano black plastic was a bit excessive.

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV offered a hands-free start feature, which, while not universally loved, was becoming more common in EVs. It provided a familiar driving experience with one-pedal driving available across all trims, managed through a regenerative braking setting or drive modes like Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice, and My Mode. The single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant delivered 213 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, while the all-wheel-drive version boasted a dual-motor powertrain with 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque. The Equinox EV could tow up to 680 kilograms when properly equipped. Its range was impressive, with Natural Resources Canada estimating 513 kilometres for FWD models and 494 km for AWD. The Equinox EV's 85-kilowatt-hour battery contributed to its competitive range, and it supported DC fast charging at up to 150 kW, regaining about 125 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base Dynamic SE model featured a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The plug-in hybrid variant, based on the same engine, delivered 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim increased output to 543 hp and 590 lb-ft. A BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, was available for Dynamic SE and Autobiography models. The SV Edition Two pushed the V8's output to 626 hp, making it the most powerful Range Rover model. It could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and reached a top speed of 290 km/h. The Range Rover Sport excelled in handling with its sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring, providing a luxurious ride and impressive agility. Off-road capabilities were maintained with the Terrain Response system, hill descent control, and ascent control, while the Autobiography trim offered a two-speed transfer case for low range.

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, in its base 1LT trim, lacked heated front seats, steering wheel, and outside mirrors, though these features were included in the 2LT trim, along with an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat and optional panoramic moonroof. The 3LT trim added power adjustments for the passenger seat, front-seat ventilation, and heated rear seats, showcasing premium features typically found in luxury brands. Dual-zone climate control was limited to 3LT and above, which was surprising given its availability in competitors. The Equinox EV provided ample front-seat comfort with 994 mm of headroom and 1,058 mm of legroom, surpassing some rivals. Cargo space was 748 litres with all seats in place and 1,620 litres with the second row folded, slightly below competitors, but roof rails were standard on all but the base trim.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, offered a spacious two-row, five-seater configuration. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, though the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 provided slightly more legroom. The sloping roof didn't significantly impact rear-seat headroom, with only the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE offering marginally more. The Range Rover Sport featured reclining rear seats and 20-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and memory. Cargo space was 835 litres behind the second row and 1,860 litres with the rear seats folded, slightly less than some competitors. The Sport's towing capacity was 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 3,000 kilograms, offering more towing capacity than several rivals.

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV featured a driver-oriented cockpit with a 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen, the largest in its segment, and an 11-inch driver-information screen. Google Built-In was standard, providing Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store, though it lacked standalone Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An eight-year OnStar Remote Access Plan subscription was included, essential for the MyChevrolet app, which offered navigation, route planning, and battery pre-conditioning.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport shared its screen setup with the larger Range Rover, featuring a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The minimalist design had functional limitations, as many controls required touchscreen interaction. Steering wheel controls offered limited alternatives, but the Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition Two featured "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers, providing a unique, albeit somewhat gimmicky, seat vibration experience.

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV came equipped with Chevy Safety Assist, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, forward collision alert, and more. Additional features included rear park assist, reverse automatic braking, blind-zone steering assist, and adaptive cruise control. GM's Teen Driver Technology allowed parents to set speed alerts and volume limits, providing an in-vehicle "report card" of driving behaviour. Super Cruise, a hands-free highway-driving assist system, was available from the 2LT trim, along with enhanced automatic parking assist on higher trims.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and more. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, though parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of writing.