2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel Priced From $31,435

A limited lineup for the diesel-powered 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has resulted in official pricing that ranges from a low of $31,435 (including delivery) for the Equinox LT to a high of $35,680 for an Equinox Premier AWD Diesel with no options.

Maxed out, according to CarsDirect, the Equinox Diesel becomes a $40,195 compact Chevrolet crossover once the Sun/Sound/Navigation and Confidence/Convenience packages are added to the Premier AWD.

But how much extra does the diesel-powered Equinox actually cost?

That’s more difficult to determine.

Because the diesel-powered Premier isn’t equipped like a Premier with the 2.0T, there’s not a perfectly direct comparison. The 2.0T Premier, for example, is more expensive than the 1.6-liter diesel because it includes dual exhaust, a higher tow rating of 3,500 pounds, and 19-inch wheels, a GM spokesperson told CarsDirect.

At the lower end of the spectrum, the Equinox LT Diesel requires a $1,345 premium over the 2.0T; which is already $2,395 more costly than the basic 1.5T.

Missing, of course, are diesel versions of the basic L and LS Chevrolet Equinox, prices of which begin at $24,525.

Although the EPA hasn’t yet posted fuel economy figures for the Equinox Diesel on its website, GM expects ratings of 32 miles per gallon city and 40 highway for front-wheel-drive versions; 31 mpg city and 37 mpg highway for the all-wheel drive Equinox Diesel.

Direct competitors will be limited to the marginally more costly GMC Terrain Diesel, an Equinox fraternal twin, and the yet-to-be priced Mazda CX-5. But it’s unlikely any of these vehicles will sell remotely as often as the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which is priced from $29,990. The RAV4 Hybrid AWD is rated at 34 mpg city and 30 highway, enough to save roughly $300 per year compared with regular all-wheel-drive RAV4s.

Toyota sold 45,070 RAV4 Hybrids in the U.S. during calendar year 2016. With GM expecting only 5 percent of its customers to select the diesel and Mazda only 10 percent, this new trio of diesel-powered compact crossovers, combined, isn’t likely to attract as many U.S. buyers as the RAV4.

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel produces a meagre 136 horsepower but a 240 lb-ft slug of torque at just 2,000 rpm.

[Image: General Motors]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.