The continuously variable transmission is much maligned for making more noise than actually helping propel a vehicle with a sense of progressive linearity, like with a manual or a step-gear automatic transmission. Automatics have gotten better and so have CVTs, compared to the crude examples in the earliest hybrid-electric vehicles 25 years ago, when CVTs became synonymous with efficiency rather than sporty performance. Audi ditched its Multitronic CVTs a decade ago, about the same time Jeep dropped the CVT from the Patriot and Compass.Chevrolet Now General Motors is rethinking its CVT strategy as the popular Chevrolet Equinox will ditch the CVT for the 2027 model year, as reported by Motor1. Going forward, front-wheel-drive Equinox crossovers will use the same Hydra-Matic 8T45 eight-speed automatic that drives all-wheel-drive versions. There's just one engine offered in the Equinox, the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.For 2026, that engine produces the same 175 horsepower whether paired with the CVT or the 8AT, but the automatic helps boost torque to 203 pound-feet, compared to the middling 184 lb-ft with the outgoing CVT. GMC's version of the Equinox is the Terrain, with the same current powertrain offerings. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed to CarBuzz that both the Equinox and Terrain will lose the CVT starting in 2027. Customer Feedback, Or Reducing Complexity? Chevrolet It isn't clear whether Chevrolet made this decision to discontinue the CVT purely to reduce assembly complexity and improve the business case for the Equinox, or whether customer feedback about sluggish CVT performance pushed GM in this direction. GM has had problematic CVTs in the past, but there have been no Equinox or Terrain recalls associated with the CVT since the all-new fourth-generation Equinox launched in late 2024.Oddly enough, the eight-speed automatic in both the Equinox and Terrain was flagged last month in a service bulletin to GM dealers. Reports from some customers claimed that the automatic occasionally stays stuck in first gear. Engineers are reportedly working on a remedy.Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet It's possible GM is trying to make the Equinox (and Terrain) more competitive with its two rivals dominating the midsize crossover segment. The Honda CR-V offers two powertrains: a 190-hp 1.5L turbocharged engine with 179 lb-ft of torque, plus a 2.0L hybrid with a combined 204 hp and 247 lb-ft.The fully redesigned Toyota RAV4, arriving soon in dealers, really pushes the Equinox and Terrain to the margins, arriving as a standard 2.5-liter hybrid with 226 horsepower with FWD and 236 horsepower with AWD. The torque calculation is less straight forward. The RAV4's four-cylinder engine generates 163 lb-ft, but the second motor-generator produces an additional 153 lb-ft.GM is allegedly making other moves on the CVT front by eliminating the 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine paired to a CVT in front-wheel-drive versions of the Chevy Trailblazer for the 2027 model year. The Trailblazer going forward should continue to offer the nine-speed automatic transmission paired to the larger 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder for both FWD and AWD applications. However, GM declined to comment to CarBuzz about any Trailblazer updates, saying the company "can't comment on future product speculation."