The Chevy Trailblazer is a peppy subcompact SUV with all-wheel drive, excellent fuel economy, and some solid towing capabilities for its small footprint. It’s a terrific road trip and weekend adventure vehicle. One of the really special features of the 2024 Chevy Trailblazer is that its front passenger and second-row seats can fold flat. Having foldable second-row seats is common in an SUV, but having a first-row passenger seat that folds flat opens up a whole new world of possibilities. In the 2024 Trax, this foldable front seat opens up the option to transport items that are eight-and-a-half feet in length. That’s big news for a small SUV.
Many drivers worry that they might have limited cargo capacity with a subcompact SUV. Nobody wants to be the nag who asks to borrow their friend’s pickup truck whenever they need to move something large. Renting a cargo van can get pricey. But, with 8.5 linear feet of cargo space with the front seat down, the 2024 Trailblazer can actually carry items longer than a traditional “long” pickup bed (which is typically eight feet). So, you might just find that your pickup-driving buddy will ask to borrow your Trailblazer when they need to transport something long. Not everyone immediately recognizes how powerful it is to be able to transport items up to eight and a half feet. Once you really think about it, you’ll realize how often you’ll use this feature. Here are 12 things you can put in the Trailblazer with the front passenger seat folded flat:
#1 Christmas Tree
If your home celebrates the holidays by bringing a big pine tree into the living room, you’ll be able to transport one in your Trailblazer. You will want to thoroughly wrap it in a tarp so it doesn’t shed pine trees all over your vehicle. Still, some people prefer to transport their tree in their SUV instead of tying it to the top due to the high number of trees that go flying off of roof rails each year, causing accidents on the roads.
#2 Ladder
Need to transport a ladder to your kid’s school or the vacation house to work on a few projects? You can fit an eight-foot ladder inside the Trailblazer. If you do a bit of handy work for extra income but don’t want to commit to a pickup, the Trailblazer can transport the largest item most handymen and women need to bring to jobs.
#3 Surfboard
If your days are filled with catching waves in wet suits, you can bring your surfboard to the beach in a Trailblazer with the front seat down. Though you can put it on the roof racks, some surfers aren’t comfortable stashing their boards on the exterior. Put down the front and rear passenger seats, lay down some towels to catch the sand, and put your board inside your Trailblazer.
#4 Build-Your-Own Queen-Sized Bed
When it’s time to get a new bed, you might snag a flat-pack, build-your-own-frame that packs up in a neat box. You can haul it home in the Trailblazer. This should save you some serious cash since you don’t need to pay for shipping, and you can buy your new bed, take it home, put it together, and sleep in it all in the same day.
#5 L-Shaped Sofa
Have you found an L-shaped sofa that you love at a yard sale? Put down the seats of the Trailblazer, put the short part of the L in the trunk area, and you should be able to fit most L-shaped sofas inside the Trailblazer.
#6 Collapsible Table
When you’re responsible for bringing the tables and chairs to the PTA meeting or weekly bridge game, you can store an eight-foot-long table in the Trailblazer, so long as it has collapsible legs. This also comes in handy if you have to bring a table to gigs (like for magicians or face painters) or craft fairs.
#7 Carpet
So, you finally found that perfect area rug for the living room. You get it all rolled up and think you might need to call your friend with the truck. As long as it’s less than eight and a half feet in length, you’ll be able to get it in your Trailblazer. If you find a couple of area rugs, you can even stack them up in your SUV.
#8 Foosball Table
Foosball tables can turn a boring garage or den into an active gaming room. And most are slightly over four feet long. Snag one with collapsible legs, and you can easily stash it in your Trailblazer. If you have to remove the legs, they will easily fit next to the table.
#9 Fluorescent Tubes
When it’s time to pick up new fluorescent tube light bulbs for your office or garage, you might be surprised by just how long they are. Sedan drivers and SUV drivers who can’t put down their front passenger seats might be out of luck. But you can put down your front passenger seat in the Trailblazer and bring home those bulbs (and stop working out in the garage by candlelight).
#10 Kayak
The Trailblazer is popular with outdoor enthusiasts, which is another reason why having that foldable front passenger seat is so smart. Generally speaking, the things that enhance outdoor fun are physically long, like kayaks. Your Trailblazer can accommodate a white water rafting kayak, which is about four feet long, as well as a youth kayak, which is eight feet long. So, if you want to tackle rocky waters, or your kids or your parents want to tackle tame ones, you can transport the kayak for that.
#11 Refrigerator
So it’s moving day, and you’ve decided to get rid of everything except your refrigerator; those are too expensive to replace. Luckily, most refrigerators are just six feet tall, so you can set one that’s not too deep on its side and lay it down in the Trailblazer.
#12 You
At eight feet long, the maximum cargo area of the Trailblazer can accommodate a person lying down. If you want to enjoy a camping trip under the stars but prefer not to sleep on the ground, put down that passenger seat, stretch out, and snooze in your SUV. Alternatively, if you’re feeling sleepy on a long trip, pull over and catch a nap.
Don’t Let the Trailblazer’s Dimensions Fool You; It’s A Cargo All-Star
One of the most common concerns people have when buying a subcompact SUV is whether or not they’ll be able to lug the stuff they need in their vehicle. After all, part of the reason subcompact SUVs achieve such small footprints is their small rear profiles. But that can be deceptive. Thanks to its flat-folding front passenger seat, the Trailblazer produces an almost clown car effect—you won’t believe how much can fit in there. Enjoying a subcompact SUV’s fuel economy and easy-to-park dimensions shouldn’t have to mean sacrificing cargo capacity. In the Trailblazer, it doesn’t.
If you have to transport long, awkward items on a regular basis, you probably don’t want to rack up any more favors with your truck-owning friend. The Trailblazer fixes that. You’ll love the freedom you feel when you know that if you find a table you love at a yard sale, you can just take it home in the Trailblazer. You don’t need to hire a van or wait for your friend with the truck to show up.
