Hey, you! Lean in closer because I have something to tell you, but please don’t burn your retinas. Between the Chevy Trailblazer, Honda HR-V, Kia Soul, and Nissan Kicks, can you guess which SUV I mentioned has a blend of value, performance, and cargo space, unlike the others? If you guessed the Trailblazer, then you’d be right. Many drivers are looking for a Chevy Trailblazer for sale because they want a high-quality vehicle that doesn’t break the bank while still providing a host of benefits. Whether we’re talking about performance, efficiency, cargo space, or price, the Trailblazer can outdo its competition in one or more ways. While you’re here, I’ll walk you through some of the most comparable SUVs to the Trailblazer, and I’ll tell you how the Trailblazer is the better buy against each one. With this in mind, let’s get started with the first comparison.
Honda HR-V
The Honda HR-V is an excellent vehicle without comparing it to anything. However, compared to the Chevy Trailblazer, the Honda HR-V simply isn’t the better buy. Starting with the most notable contention point: the 2023 Trailblazer starts at an MSRP of $22,100 while the Honda HR-V has a starting price of $23,800. A price difference of over one-thousand dollars may not sound too significant, but when you consider what you’re getting with the Trailblazer against the HR-V, it becomes hard to ignore the sheer value of Chevy’s SUV. For example, the Honda HR-V outputs 158 hp, slightly better than the 155 hp of the Trailblazer, but the Trailblazer’s 174 lb-ft of torque is 26% greater than the HR-V’s 138 lb-ft of torque. Additionally, the HR-V is only available with a Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT), and its 1% increase in cargo space – from 54.4 cu.ft. to 55.1 cu.ft., is not worth the extra money.
Nissan Rogue Sport
To be blunt: the Nissan Rogue Sport is not a great deal compared to the Chevy Trailblazer. The Nissan Rogue Sport starts at an MSRP of $24,960, which isn’t only more expensive than the Trailblazer but also the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross. What makes the Rogue Sport such a bad deal? Aside from the far higher starting price than the Trailblazer, the Rouge Sport only outputs 141 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque, which is a 9% and 15.5% decrease against the Trailblazer. Another reason why the Trailblazer is a better value than the Rogue Sport is that you can swap the CVT out on the Trailblazer for a 9-speed automatic transmission, whereas the Rogue Sport only allows for the CVT.
Nissan Kicks
While the Nissan Kicks has a couple of advantages over the Trailblazer – most notably the price – the Kicks is a lackluster SUV experience in virtually every regard against the Trailblazer. For example, the Kicks comes with a low 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, which, compared to the Trailblazer, is 21% and 34% less hp and torque output, respectively. The Kicks also doesn’t offer anything but the CVT, while the Trailblazer can include a 9-speed automatic transmission instead. Aside from performance, the Trailblazer has far more available cargo space against the Kicks – with 54.4 cu.ft. against the Kick’s 32.3 cu.ft. Although the Kicks starts at a lower price than the Trailblazer, the lower performance and smaller cargo space are tough to forget.
Kia Soul
Like the Nissan Kicks, the Kia Soul has a price advantage over the Trailblazer, but does that justify the differences? The Kia Soul holds up better than the Kicks against the Trailblazer, but it still has less engine power, and its transmission available is a CVT. I should note – CVT transmissions aren’t bad, especially in the age of turbocharged engines, as it helps to create an incredibly smooth acceleration experience. But many drivers are still keen on the old-school automatic transmissions that provide that punch you’d expect from a 9-speed automatic transmission. Aside from the transmission, the engine inside of the Kia Soul has 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, which is approximately 5% less horsepower and 24% less torque output than the Trailblazer.
Jeep Renegade
The Jeep Renegade holds up well over the Trailblazer with more remarkable performance, but there are a few caveats. Firstly, the Renegade starts at a far higher MSRP of $24,695 than the Trailblazer’s $22,100. While the Jeep Renegade arguably holds its value better than other vehicles I’ve mentioned, like the Honda HR-V and Nissan Rogue Sport, it doesn’t have as much cargo space as the Trailblazer. In the 2023 Jeep Wrangler, you’ll find a maximum of 50.8 cu.ft. of space, while the Trailblazer has 54.4 cu.ft.
Ford EcoSport
This one is interesting. The Ford EcoSport is an excellent vehicle with a starting price similar to the Trailblazer, and the Trailblazer isn’t all advantageous. However, the Trailblazer does have more advantages than disadvantages and ultimately takes the value crown over the EcoSport. Let me put this into perspective: the 2023 Ford EcoSport comes with a 2.0L I-4 engine paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission, while the Trailblazer’s available turbocharged 1.3L I-3 engine pairs with a 9-speed automatic transmission in AWD.
The EcoSport doesn’t allow for any other engine, so every 2023 EcoSport creates 166 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque. Comparatively, the turbocharged 1.3L I-3 engine inside Trailblazer creates a slightly lesser 155 hp, but an improved 174 lb-ft of torque. Surprisingly, even the Trailblazer’s base engine has a heftier 162 lb-ft of torque. Additionally, the EcoSport isn’t as spacious as the Trailblazer as it only allows for a maximum of 50 cu.ft. of space against the Trailblazer’s 54.4 cu.ft.
Toyota Corolla Cross
The Toyota Corolla Cross isn’t worth its price compared to the Chevy Trailblazer. The Corolla Cross starts at an MSRP of $23,060, which isn’t too much pricier than the Trailblazer. The Corolla Cross even has more horsepower with its 2.0L I-4 engine outputting 169 hp against the Trailblazer’s maximum output of 155 hp with its upgraded engine. However, that’s where the advantages end, as the Corolla Cross has 150 lb-ft of torque against the 174 lb-ft of torque found in the Trailblazer. Like most vehicles I’ve mentioned today, the Corolla Cross is only available with a CVT, while the Trailblazer is available with both a CVT and 9-speed automatic transmission. If cargo space is of the utmost importance to you, then the 2023 Trailblazer and 2023 Corolla Cross are leagues apart. Toyota’s offering caps out at a maximum of 26.5 cu.ft. of space against the Trailblazer’s 54.4 cu.ft. – a 105% increase.
Competition Breeds Innovation
One of the things you can take away from this today is that there is no shortage of competition against the Trailblazer, but this is never a bad thing. Innovation stemming from the competition isn’t restricted to the automotive industry, but the result is almost always the same: the customer always wins. What do I mean by this? Here’s an example: if one company has made a product for long enough to be considered the de facto choice amongst shoppers, but then another company creates a better and cheaper product, that forces one company to go back to the drawing board, and in turn, customers get products that are both better and cheaper. Case and point: many automotive manufacturers can learn a thing or two from the Trailblazer because many subcompact SUVs can come close, but few make themselves stand out as the better buy against the Trailblazer.
