 | Positives: Handsome exterior, excellent infotainment system, bigger inside than you'd expect. |
 | Negatives: Dog slow, plasticky interior, not very fuel efficient for a three-cylinder. |
 | Bottom Line: The Trailblazer isn't nearly as much fun to drive or as much of a value as its Trax sibling, but it looks good and keeps a family of five quite comfortable. |
Driving Experience
When it comes to the driving experience, the Trailblazer is what we'd call "competent transportation" because it doesn't thrill in the least, but it's easy to operate as a daily driver. The disappointing power output isn't aided much by the slow-shifting 9-speed automatic transmission.
Ride Quality: The ride quality is good, and the Trailblazer handles undulations and gaps decently. It's not as well-dampened as the Hyundai Tucson, but it manages rough surfaces without drama.
Acceleration: It gets off the line decently, but passing at highway speeds feels like a long-term planning exercise.
Braking: The brakes didn't exhibit grabbiness or mushiness, and they felt competent and progressive in normal conditions.
Steering: The steering is light, but it's on-center and fairly precise. There's not much feedback to speak of.
Handling: The RS is made more for city driving, and it manages corners with decent balance. You do feel the body roll.
Technology
Even on the base Trailblazer model, you now get the big 11" color HD infotainment screen as standard equipment for 2024. This is a huge upgrade from last year's standard 7" screen and even the optional 8" screen. There is a nice companion 7" digital instrument cluster, too.
Infotainment System: It's nice to see GM put a screen of this size into an affordable crossover across the entire trim line. It dresses up the cabin and provides great legibility with its simple menu, crisp readout, and good responsiveness. We also like that Chevy didn't relegate climate controls to the touchscreen.
Controls: They look and feel plasticky, but the mere fact that there are traditional buttons and knobs is great. Keeping a traditional shift knob might seem old school, but we love it.
Styling
The chunky and sporty look of the Trailblazer belies its urban leanings. It's basically a smaller version, cheaper version of the Blazer. The execution is not only attractive but quite unique in the segment. The interior suffers from budget styling elements, and there are better ones from the competition, namely the newly redesigned Hyundai Kona and the Mazda CX-30, both of which use better materials and more modern styling.
Front: The RS trim's black grille and dark chrome bar look great, as do the thin DRLs and the big, round headlights. The lower portion of the front fascia is pleasantly simple.
Rear: Chevy gave the Blazer a tail section with plenty of character. We really like the taillight signature and the creases in the tailgate. The sporty twin pipes look great, too.
Profile: The Trailblazer looks great from the side view. The sporty wheels and low-profile tires fill the wells nicely, and the sloping body crease, the short overhangs, and the dark floating roof add to the sporty look.
Cabin: The black and red colorway in the RS is nicely sporty, but the cheap-looking/feeling center stack and console scream budget. We would've hoped for a nicer interior than the one found in the Trax, but it's not that much better, frankly.
Comfort
We were surprised by how roomy the Trailblazer is. For a compact crossover, it's got a huge back row. It's a very practical automobile for a family of four, and it's even good for long road trips based on the amount of room inside.
Front Seats: Overall, the seats are quite comfortable with the right amount of cushioning. We would prefer more bolstering, but this underpowered crossover probably doesn't need it.
Rear Seats: There's a lot of room back here. A tad more than 39 inches of legroom is impressive, and every position is comfortable. The middle position has a fairly flat cushion and seatback with minimal bulge.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): Sound deadening could be a little bit better, but at least wind noise at high speeds is low.
Visibility: All around visibility is good with the exception of the thick D-pillar for rear side viewing.
Climate: The climate system works well, and so do the heated front seats. The system was responsive, and airflow was very good.
Safety
The Trailblazer is a very safe crossover and earns high ratings from both testing entities. It comes with a great set of standard safety features, as well as good optional equipment.
IIHS Rating: The Trailblazer earned good marks despite the fact that it wasn't fully tested. It scored "good" in limited crash testing. It earned "acceptable" in LATCH ease of use.
NHTSA Rating: The Trailblazer scored 5/5 stars from the federal government.
Standard Tech: Our tester came with Chevy Safety Assist that includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Intellibeam Automatic High Beams, Lane Keeping Assist /w Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, Forward Collision Alert; HD Rear Vision Camera, tire pressure monitor, tire fill alert, and Teen Driver that tracks driving habits, limits speed and audio, and provides notifications to parents.
Optional Tech: Our tester came with the Driver Confidence Package for $395. It comes with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Park Assist, and Lane Change Alert w/ Side Blind Zone Alert.
Storage/Cargo
Cargo space is about mid-pack for the segment. It's good enough for a family of four for a weekend trip. The interior small item storage space is quite good with nicely placed compartments that are easily accessible.
Storage Space: The center console has a nice phone slot in the middle of the twin cupholders, a large open binnacle in front of the decently sized armrest compartment, and that wireless charging deck in front of the shifter.
Cargo Room: The Trailblazer has 25.3 cubic feet behind row two and 54.4 cubes with the seats folded flat. The load floor is nicely flat from front to back, and there are even small pockets behind the wheel wells for additional small item storage. It's about the same size as the Subaru Crosstrek in back but smaller than the Kia Seltos.
Fuel Economy
When a vehicle is this slow and down a cylinder compared to competitors, but it fails in the area of fuel efficiency, it's a disappointment. We drove in Sport mode 100% of the time just to extract minimal performance from the Trailblazer, which no doubt prevented us from maxing out the efficiency.
Observed: 18.4 mpg.
Distance Driven: 147 miles.
Audio
Our test vehicle came with the Cruise & Sound Package for less than a grand, and it includes the Bose Premium 7-Speaker System. It's got good clarity and bass, and it's a value because it comes with adaptive cruise control and two sets of floor mats.
Final Thoughts
The Trailblazer presents a solid value in the affordable compact crossover segment. While it's not much fun to drive, it is very comfortable, impressively roomy, stylish, and safe. The RS doesn't add any driving verve, only bigger wheels and sporty trim. The result is a handsome vehicle that's great for small families and right-sized for urban environments. Available all-wheel drive is a bonus. It's just unfortunate that it doesn't drive nearly as well as its cheaper, FWD-only sibling, the Trax.