Buick makes some classy and high-quality cars, but like other luxury car companies, sometimes, Buick just isn’t worth it. This is especially true when it’s compared to the 2021 Chevy TrailBlazer, which is similar to the Buick Encore GX in many ways. Here’s a look at why the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer is just better than its Buick cousin.

The 2021 Chevy Trailblazer comes back from the dead

As Consumer Reports wrote, the Chevy Trailblazer has come back to North America after GM discontinued it in 2008. Just like in the first generation of the Trailblazer, GM built the latest Trailblazer with the same platform that GM is building its other SUVs on. 

One of the other SUVs that GM is building on this platform is the Buick Encore GX, which, according to Consumer Reports, is just a decent SUV. Since it’s a Buick, the Encore GX inherently costs more than the 2021 Trailblazer does. For standard versions, the Buick Encore GX starts at about $24,000, while the Chevy Trailblazer starts at about $19,000. This means that for customers on a budget, the Trailblazer is about $5,000 cheaper than the Encore GX is.

The pros and cons of the Buick Encore GX

Since the Encore GX is a luxury SUV, it does come with features that drivers would expect from a luxury SUV. For example, Consumer Reports said that the Encore GX’s interior “is nicely put together in terms of quality.” That said, it isn’t perfect, and even its interior has flaws. For instance, while Consumer Reports praised how Buick stitched some parts of the Encore GX’s interior, it also said that Buick used some cheap plastic in a few areas. 

That said, while the Encore GX comes with a small 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, Consumer Reports said that it was actually pretty sporty. But, once again, the Encore GX’s engine was not perfect, as Consumer Reports also complained about its noise level. However, for its size, CR concluded that the Encore GX did drive and handle pretty well. 

In terms of infotainment and safety systems, the Encore GX did come with quite a few smart features, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as well as a forward-collision warning system. That said, for a luxury SUV, Consumer Reports still found many flaws with the usability of the Encore GX’s features. 

These factors ultimately make the Encore GX a mixed bag of an SUV. It works well enough but compared to its peers, it falls short in many areas. As a result, Consumer Reports only gave the Encore GX a 63 out of 100. 

The pros and cons of the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer

On the other hand, the Encore GX’s cousin, the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer, provides a much better mix of features for its price point. The Trailblazer comes standard with an even smaller 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, though the more powerful 1.3-liter option is available too. As a result, the Trailblazer is powerful enough, and additionally, its engine noise issue isn’t as bad as the Encore GX’s. 

Furthermore, Consumer Reports said that the Trailblazer is somewhat unique in its segment since it doesn’t really have a rough ride. That said, in terms of its interior, it’s rather basic-looking and it can get pretty loud while on the road. Additionally, while the Trailblazer can be as powerful as the Encore GX is, it doesn’t handle as well as the Buick does. 

But, at the very least, Chevy offers a lot of standard smart safety features on the Trailblazer, including forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking. This isn’t common in the segment, and due to the Chevy Trailblazer’s cheap price, it makes it a far better SUV than its Buick cousin.