When researching for the very best compact SUV your money can buy, you’re going to hear a lot of different answers as to which one is truly the best. Let’s be honest, the automotive industry is always getting bigger, and because of this, your choices are not merely limited to one manufacturer. With a giant industry comes plenty of competition, but the important thing is that the consumer always benefits. Compact SUVs have held a prominent place in the market for quite some time now, and competition is at an all-time high with manufacturers producing high-quality SUVs the world over. Two manufacturers who have gained reputations as household names that make up a considerable portion of the vehicles you’ll see on the road today are Chevy and Jeep. Amongst each lineup, both manufacturers boast high-quality compact SUVs that many drivers will compare to one another to find their perfect SUV. This is exactly what we did with an in-depth look at the 2020 Chevy Blazer vs 2020 Jeep Cherokee.
The 2020 Chevy Blazer and the 2020 Jeep Cherokee are built for the same customer, and both of them boast features that you’d want a compact SUV to include. However, as these two vehicles aren’t made by the same manufacturer, the Blazer and Cherokee differentiate from one another in a multitude of ways.
The 2020 Blazer comes in six different trim levels while the 2020 Cherokee comes in nine. The six trims for the Blazer start with L, which has an MSRP of $28,800 and is followed by 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, RS, and lastly, Premier. On the other side, the Cherokee’s trim offerings start with Latitude and an MSRP of $26,085. The following trims for the Cherokee are Latitude Plus, Altitude, Latitude Lux, Limited, Upland, North Edition, Trailhawk, and High Altitude at the top of the list. Clearly, this variation in trims is not identical, nor are the prices. However, when we start to look a little deeper into the specs and features of these two compact SUVs, the Blazer’s higher-price tag can be justified.
What’s Powering These SUVs?
Both the 2020 Blazer and the 2020 Cherokee come standard with a 4-cyl engine. The Blazer’s engine is a 2.5L, and the Cherokee has a 2.4L. This ultimately translates to the Cherokee’s base engine providing less horsepower and torque output than the one found in the Blazer. The 2.4L 4-Cyl in the Cherokee produces 180 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Compared to the 2.5L 4-Cyl found in the Blazer, which gets 193 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque also paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, the Blazer slightly has the edge.
However, even when taking the pricier engines into each lineup, we continue to see this trend. One exception to the base engine in the Cherokee is its fuel-efficiency capabilities compared to the base engine found in the Blazer. When both vehicles are fitted with front-wheel drive (FWD) the Cherokee gets EPA-estimated ratings of 23 MPG city and 31 highway while the Blazer gets 21 MPG city and 28 highway. These numbers aren’t that far off from each other either, but this gives you a choice if you’d prefer trading off performance for fuel efficiency, and we prefer the former.
It doesn’t end there as both vehicles offer two additional engines that can be fitted into each vehicle. Both the Blazer and Cherokee offer a turbocharged 2.0L 4-Cyl with the Cherokee producing 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The Blazer’s turbocharged engine does fall behind with 230 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, but when it comes to the top-end V6 engines, the Blazer takes the lead.
The V6 engines seen in both vehicles are designed to give your Blazer or Cherokee the utmost performance. This means that if you’re looking for the best of the best, you’re going to want to choose one or another. Bringing the V6 engines up to the plate, the Blazer can be fitted with a 3.6L, and the Cherokee gets a 3.2L. Both engines come paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission, much like the previous engines, so gear shifting remains smooth. Performance metrics are where the differences come into the picture as the Blazer gets 308 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque while the Cherokee produces 271 hp and 239 lb-ft of torque. Not only is this lower than the Blazer’s V6, but it’s merely 1 hp more than the aforementioned turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl while producing far less torque.
It’s worth noting, however, that both vehicles can tow a maximum capacity of 4,500 lbs when fitted to do so.
Which SUV Has The Best Interior
One of the main reasons as to why a shopper may consider an SUV is because they’d like extra cargo space. SUVs are commonly held in high regard for their versatility when it comes to everyday travel and even those longer road trips.
Firstly, both the Blazer and Cherokee each allow for a maximum seating capacity of five passengers. This gives both vehicles an even playing field, and we can easily identify which manufacturer made the best out of the space they were given. Cargo space is essential for anyone who needs to transport any larger objects such as luggage. When the rear-row is folded for the Cherokee, it nets 54.7 cu.ft., whereas the Blazer offers up to 64.2 cu.ft. This means the Blazer offers nearly 10 cu.ft more space, which can make all the difference when it comes to cargo. With the rear-row sitting upright, the Cherokee has 25.8 cu.ft. of space while the Blazer has 30.5 cu.ft. Ultimately, the Blazer offers the most space, which also translates to more passenger legroom.
Both vehicles offer a comfortable interior and are well designed. An infotainment center comes standard on both vehicles, which many shoppers will be pleased with. The Blazer comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen, and the Cherokee comes standard with a 7-inch screen. Although the Cherokee can be upgraded to include an 8.4-inch screen, the extra .4-inches of screen real estate is not worth the extra cost. Both vehicles come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration allowing a seamless connection between your smartphone and infotainment center, granting you a wide range of functions. The Blazer comes standard with four USB ports, which are plenty for charging and syncing multiple devices, and the Cherokee comes standard with one port. Additionally, both vehicles support Bluetooth integration through each infotainment system, but only the Blazer comes standard with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. The hotspot for the Cherokee remains an available upgrade for an extra cost.
Consensus
While both compact SUVs have strengths and weaknesses, the overall picture shows that the 2020 Chevy Blazer is the one you should purchase. With the Blazer, you can guarantee greater performance whether you’re investing in the base level or for the more powerful V6. Although the Blazer’s turbocharged engine doesn’t reinvent the wheel, just about everything else about the Blazer excels. With a more robust interior feature set, along with the aforementioned performance metrics and more overall cargo space, the Blazer is an easy choice for any aspiring shopper.
If you’re looking to learn more about the 2020 Chevy Blazer and take it for a test drive, you should visit your local Chevy dealership to get started. Once you’ve experienced the Blazer first-hand, there’s no looking back.
