Picture a Conway customer planning frequent trips down US-501, or cutting over on SC-22 toward Myrtle Beach. Somewhere in the conversation, an assumption slips out. It sounds like “I figured I’d need AWD,” or “I assumed a big V8 was safer for highway runs.” We get it. Both of those are usually wrong for this stretch of coast, though, and the right Chevy for a Grand Strand driver comes down to a completely different set of questions.
The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox is where a lot of these conversations start, and that’s a reasonable place to begin. Let’s walk through the four myths that most often steer Conway buyers toward the wrong configuration, and see what the actual specs say.
- Myth: You need AWD for the Conway-to-Myrtle-Beach run. Reality: US-501 and SC-22 are flat, paved, and coastal; FWD handles this corridor in nearly all conditions.
- Myth: A bigger engine always means a better beach-trip vehicle. Reality: Towing rating is the deciding spec, not displacement.
- Myth: The Equinox tows like the Traverse. Reality: 2026 Equinox AWD is rated up to 1,500 lb; 2026 Traverse is rated up to 5,000 lb when properly equipped.
- Myth: You need a full-size truck for regular Grand Strand driving. Reality: The Silverado 1500 earns its place only when your load demands it.
- The real question is always: how many seats, and how heavy is what you’re pulling?
Is AWD Actually Necessary for the Grand Strand Corridor?
For most Conway drivers making regular Myrtle Beach runs, the answer is no, because front-wheel drive covers US-501 and SC-22 in nearly every condition, and the only real exception (soft ground and boat ramps) comes up further down this page. US-501 from Conway to the beach, SC-22 (Veterans Highway) as an alternate route, and SC-544 through Socastee are flat, well-maintained, signaled roads. Coastal South Carolina winters are mild. Snow on the Grand Strand is rare. The terrain between Conway and the beach gives a front-wheel-drive vehicle nothing to struggle with under normal conditions.
Check the fuel numbers before you pay for traction hardware you won’t use. The EPA rates the front-wheel-drive 2026 Equinox at 26 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. The AWD version of that same model drops to 25 city and 29 highway. You’re paying for hardware that the coastal South Carolina corridor almost never asks you to use. None of that knocks AWD as a concept. It’s a straight read of your specific roads.
AWD does earn its keep in one corner of this market. If you’re pulling onto soft ground at a Waccamaw River boat ramp, or navigating a gravel campsite, the AWD Equinox’s proper 8-speed automatic (the FWD uses a CVT) and higher 1,500 lb tow rating make it a different vehicle for that task. For the back-and-forth highway run to the beach, though, front-wheel drive is the more practical fit.
| Myth | What’s Actually True | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You need AWD for Conway-to-Myrtle Beach | US-501 and SC-22 are flat, paved corridors; FWD handles coastal SC conditions in nearly all cases | Chevrolet; SCDOT |
| Bigger engine always means better beach-trip vehicle | The deciding number is tow rating, not displacement; the 2.7L TurboMax makes 430 lb-ft and tows up to 9,500 lb | Chevrolet |
| The 2026 Equinox tows like the 2026 Traverse | Equinox AWD is rated up to 1,500 lb; Traverse is rated up to 5,000 lb when properly equipped | Chevrolet |
| You need a full-size truck for the Grand Strand | The Traverse handles families, luggage, and a light trailer; the Silverado earns its place only when the load demands it | Chevrolet |
The Real Deciding Factors: Seats, Trailer Weight, and the Corridor You’re Running
The vehicle that fits comes down to two variables, seat count and trailer weight, and the answer swings hard depending on which way those numbers land, from four people and a cooler at one end to six people with beach chairs and a jon boat at the other. Get those two numbers straight, and the rest gets simple fast.
The 2026 Chevrolet Traverse runs a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque. Chevrolet rates it at up to 5,000 pounds of towing when properly equipped, which covers a small fishing boat, a pop-up camper, or a loaded utility trailer. The EPA puts FWD Traverse models at 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. So the tradeoff is real towing muscle for somewhat lower fuel economy than the Equinox on that US-501 commute. For a family that makes regular Grand Strand runs AND needs to pull real weight, that’s a fair exchange.
The Equinox tells a different story, running up to 29 mpg highway on the EPA estimate while seating five in comfort and swallowing beach gear without complaint. Its ceiling is real, since the AWD model tops out at 1,500 pounds of towing, enough for a jet ski on a lightweight trailer but not a full-size fishing boat.
The Silverado 1500 enters the picture only when the trailer demands it. Chevrolet lists the 2.7L TurboMax at 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, rated at up to 9,500 pounds of towing. Step up to the 5.3L V8 and that climbs to 11,300 pounds. These are work-and-recreation numbers, and they earn their place when you’re pulling a serious load. Not every beach run needs them. Always verify your specific truck’s actual rating on the door-jamb label before hooking up any trailer.
The Trailblazer deserves a mention for a different Conway buyer, the one making the Myrtle Beach run solo or with a single passenger, who wants something easy to maneuver in beach-town parking with highway comfort and real fuel efficiency. It isn’t a tow vehicle, and it’s upfront about that. That plain-spoken fit is a big part of what makes it right for a specific kind of driver.
Explore Your Financing Options
So What Should You Actually Do Before You Buy?
Before you sign anything, get straight on two questions, how many people you’re moving and how heavy the thing you’ll pull regularly is, because nearly every other decision about a Grand Strand Chevy falls out of those two numbers once you have them. Everything else follows.
If the answer is five seats and no trailer (or a very light one), the 2026 Equinox in FWD is the vehicle most Conway-to-beach drivers actually need. The EPA’s 29 mpg highway rating is real, the highway-commute experience is comfortable, and you’re not carrying AWD costs for conditions that seldom show up on the Grand Strand.
If you’ve got three rows of family, luggage, and a trailer that weighs anywhere close to 3,000 or 4,000 pounds, the 2026 Traverse is where to start. Its 5,000 lb tow capacity (when properly equipped) handles the typical Horry County recreational load, and seven or eight seats mean nobody gets left behind. Confirm the configuration first, though, and always check the door-jamb label on the specific vehicle.
If your work or your hobby puts serious, consistent weight behind the hitch, the Silverado 1500 earns it. With up to 13,300 pounds of towing capacity when properly equipped with the right engine and package, it’s a genuine work truck. Not every Conway driver needs that. The ones who do already know it.
Palmetto Chevrolet is on 4th Avenue in Conway. Come see us and we’ll compare the actual tow ratings side by side, walk you through the FWD versus AWD equipment differences, and find the trim that fits how you really use your vehicle on these roads, rather than how a generic recommendation assumes you do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Conway driver making regular Myrtle Beach trips really need AWD on their Chevy?
For most Conway-to-Myrtle-Beach driving, no. US-501, SC-22 (Veterans Highway), and SC-544 are flat, well-maintained, and coastal. Coastal South Carolina sees very little ice or snow. The EPA-rated 2026 Equinox in FWD delivers 26 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, while the AWD version returns 25 city and 29 highway. AWD makes sense if you’re regularly towing (the AWD Equinox raises the tow rating from 800 lb to 1,500 lb and gains an 8-speed automatic in place of the CVT) or crossing soft surfaces like unpaved boat ramps. For the paved Grand Strand corridor itself, FWD’s a well-matched, more fuel-efficient pick for most drivers.
Can the 2026 Chevy Equinox pull a boat or camper for a Myrtle Beach trip?
It depends entirely on the trailer’s weight. The 2026 Equinox with AWD is rated at up to 1,500 pounds of towing when properly equipped. A small personal watercraft on a lightweight trailer can fall within that range. A full-size fishing boat, a larger camper, or a loaded utility trailer usually won’t. For those loads, the 2026 Traverse is the better match, since Chevrolet rates it at up to 5,000 pounds when properly equipped. Always confirm the actual tow rating on your specific vehicle’s door-jamb label before connecting any trailer.
