2027 Chevy Equinox Finally Drops Its CVT for an 8-Speed — Here's What the Switch Costs You in MPG and Dollars

Every 2027 Equinox trim, front- or all-wheel drive, now uses the same 8-speed automatic instead of a CVT on FWD models. Chevrolet confirms it costs about 1 mpg combined, and prices rise $1,000 to $1,500 depending on trim.

The 2027 Chevrolet Equinox is now arriving at dealers with the one change owners of the outgoing model have been asking for since the current generation launched: the continuously variable transmission is gone from front-wheel-drive models, replaced by a conventional 8-speed automatic. Every 2027 Equinox, front- or all-wheel drive, now uses the same 8-speed, ending the CVT-only setup FWD buyers were stuck with. The engine is unchanged, a turbocharged 1.5-liter four making 175 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque.

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The ChevyEquinox glow-up is real (Chevrolet)YouTube ↗

CVTs have never been popular with everyday drivers, and the Equinox's was no exception. As Yahoo Autos put it when word of the swap first surfaced, "CVTs have been widely criticized by drivers for their driving feel, lack of engagement, and sometimes questionable durability" — the rubber-band sensation under acceleration and a reputation, deserved or not, for wearing out sooner than a geared transmission. A conventional automatic with real, countable gears is simply what most American buyers expect in this segment, and Chevrolet's two closest rivals, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, have never sold a CVT-only crossover here.

The catch is fuel economy, and Chevrolet isn't hiding it. According to Cars.com, the brand says city mileage drops from 26 mpg to 25 mpg, and combined economy falls from 27 to 26 mpg, with official EPA figures still pending certification. A CVT's whole job is holding an engine at its most efficient RPM at all times, something a stepped 8-speed can't quite match, so the 1-mpg combined loss is the real, measurable price of the smoother, more familiar shift feel. For a driver covering 12,000 miles a year, 1 mpg combined works out to roughly 18 gallons extra annually at today's fuel economy class average — not a large sum, but worth knowing before you assume the new transmission is a free upgrade.

Pricing moves up alongside the transmission. Cars.com lists the 2027 lineup, destination included, as $30,995 for the base LT with front-wheel drive and $32,995 with all-wheel drive, $35,895 for the RS or Activ trims with front-wheel drive and $37,895 with all-wheel drive. That's a $1,000 to $1,500 increase over the equivalent 2026 trim, depending on configuration, on top of all-wheel drive's standing $2,000 premium on every trim. Autoevolution, reporting on the car's dealer arrival, frames the increase as modest in isolation, but it compounds a run of yearly increases on a model Chevrolet has sold as the value play in the segment.

The other visible update is a new exterior color: Autumn Harvest Metallic, a burnt-orange metallic, replaces Cacti Green in the palette. Cars.com also notes "a few small interior and packaging tweaks for certain trims," though neither outlet lists specifics beyond the color swap — this isn't a redesign, just a running change to the generation that debuted for the 2025 model year. The sheet metal, interior layout and infotainment system all carry over unchanged.

Where this leaves shoppers: the Equinox has spent the last two model years as one of the cheapest ways into a compact crossover with real back-seat room, and the CVT was the one thing road tests consistently flagged as a letdown relative to the CR-V and RAV4. Trading a mile per gallon for a transmission that shifts like a normal automatic is a reasonable deal for most daily drivers, and it removes the single most common complaint from Equinox reviews of the past two years. Buyers cross-shopping a 2026 Equinox already on a dealer lot should ask specifically which transmission is under the hood — with the changeover happening at the model-year line, some 2026-badged CVT cars may still be in inventory alongside the new 2027s.

Original coverage: Chevrolet drops the CVT from the 2027 Equinox