Chevrolet brings back the Trailblazer as a 4x4 compact crossover

It starts at under $20,000 and is designed to compete with the Subaru Crosstrek and Jeep Renegade.

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Car and Driver

The Trailblazer name is back, but this time around it's being applied to a car-based small crossover rather than a truck-based mid-size SUV. Chevy is playing up the new model's value equation by touting a starting price of under $20,000, which will make it a bit cheaper than the subcompact Chevy Trax despite the fact that it's slightly larger in size.

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This isn’t quite as annoying to me as the idea of a 4 door Mustang crossover/wagon, but it’s pretty bad. It’s smaller than the 4Runner or Grand Cherokee, which was where the popular truck-based Trailblazer was aimed until it stopped production in 2009.

Similar to the new Escape-based Ford Bronco coming out in 2020, the new Trailblazer will have a turbocharged 3 cylinder engine with a 9 speed automatic. The 155hp powertrains are expected to achieve an EPA average of 31mpg and 5-6 mpg more than that on the highway.

No manual transmission will be offered. Chevrolet couldn’t fit their small block V8 engine under the hood of this thing if they tried.

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The Trailblazer RS makes do with a different grille pattern and black bow-tie emblem, while the Trailblazer Activ [off road package] has a larger grille opening, different 17-inch wheels, and Hankook Sport Terrain tires, along with different tuning for the dampers.

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First the Pathfinder, then the Explorer and Blazer....and now this. All of the mid sized SUVs from 20 years ago are now crossovers.

I don’t think the new Trailblazer is a bad looking vehicle for young buyers and college kids in the snow-belt, but I was hoping for an SUV version of the Colorado pickup. This looks more like a Tracker than a Trailblazer.