Yahoo Autos 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer First Drive | And then there were two
Chevrolet already has a tiny crossover in the subcompact space called the Trax, and while it’s not exactly a looker, it has seen respectable sales over the years. As the crossover boom marches on, Chevy believes there’s room for another small crossover with a bowtie to be sold alongside the Trax. Enter the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer.
Unlike the last time a Trailblazer graced Chevrolet dealerships, this new version isn’t a truck-based SUV, and there will be no Corvette-engined SS model in its future. Instead, similar to the reimagined Blazer, Chevy has repurposed one of its older names and slapped it on a vehicle wholly different than the one it’s named after. In this instance, that’s totally fine. We hold no special love for the original Trailblazer, and reusing the name could help this little ute get out of the gate with a spring in its step thanks to a small bit of customer name recognition.
The new Trailblazer is positioned in size between the Trax and the Equinox. In base trim, at 173.5 inches it’s 5.9 inches longer than the former and 9.6 inches shorter than the latter. It doesn’t look much larger than a Trax, and an Equinox dwarfs it in person. Similar to how Mazda has the small CX-3 and slightly larger CX-30, Chevy now has the small Trax and the slightly less small Trailblazer. It rides on a platform shared with its new Buick contemporary: the Encore GX, not to be confused with the Trax-based Encore. The Trailblazer and Encore GX share plenty underneath the sheetmetal, but per usual, the Buick is positioned as the premium option for mature adults while the Trailblazer is meant to be the youthful, adventurer’s car with its sporty-looking RS trim and faux off-road Activ trim.
Most of the time in this segment, the powertrain story is clearcut and simple. That’s not the case with the 2021 Trailblazer, as Chevy offers customers two different three-cylinder turbocharged engine options. The base engine is a 1.2-liter, and it produces 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. Chevy’s upgrade is a 1.3-liter that makes 155 hp and 174 lb-ft. Both engines come standard with front-wheel drive, in which case you get a CVT. All-wheel drive is available, but only paired with the 1.3-liter and hooked to a traditional nine-speed automatic transmission. So on top of two engine choices, the Trailblazer also features two transmissions.
We’d assume that the 1.2-liter would be the more efficient option seeing that it has less power and is a fraction smaller, but that assumption would be wrong! With front-wheel drive, the 1.2-liter Trailblazer is rated at 28 mpg city, 31 highway, and 29 combined. Jump up to the more powerful 1.3-liter with front-wheel drive, and the numbers are 29/33/31. Add all-wheel drive and the nine-speed auto to the equation, and fuel economy drops to 26/30/28. More power and better fuel economy is a win-win, but Chevy makes folks pay for it — the cheapest Trailblazer is $19,995; the cheapest front-drive 1.3-liter is $25,955. The 1.3-liter’s eco advantage comes from its electric turbo wastegate, electric oil pump, electric brake booster and offset crank. Even so, the Trailblazer at its best gets slightly better fuel economy than the most efficient Trax, which is a big plus for the larger vehicle.
The Trailblazer’s exterior styling is also a massive improvement over the Trax’s lumpy-potato-on-stilts look — Chevy designers told us they were given a fairly long leash to go nuts compared to other design projects. It resembles the Blazer with its thin running lights tucked up by the hood and upright, bold grille. Its design changes drastically depending on the trim level, with the RS and Activ trims the standouts — the L, LS and LT trims all look the same save for different wheels.
Similar to other RS trims from Chevy, this one is a styling package. It looks cool, but the RS is not inherently sportier than any other trim. That’s not the case with the Activ trim, which gets retuned shocks for better ride comfort on dirt, gravel and rougher terrain. It also gets special 17-inch wheels with “sport terrain” tires meant to appear tougher but maintain a regular all-season tread design for on-road comfort. Finally, there’s a smidge more ground clearance in front thanks to a restyled bumper, and Chevy added a little underbody protection. Those few tangible, mechanical changes are more than we expect from anybody besides Jeep in this class.
