The Chevy Trailblazer has been through a lot of changes over the years. Some helped the Trailblazer rise to the top, and some resulted in owners totally giving up on Chevy, such as the 2002 model which had major transmission problems. Chevy has made the decision to reboot the Trailblazer after discontinuing it in 2009, however, so they must be somewhat reliable, right?

MotorTrend seems to think so. The 2021 Chevy Trailblazer isn’t perfect, but it has some great features that new owners will love. Let’s take a look at what makes the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer worthy of consideration.

If you feel the need for speed, keep shopping

Many drivers on the road have a love for speed. They may not be NASCAR drivers, but they have the heart of one. If that describes you, then the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer isn’t for you. The 2020 Chevy Blazer RS might tickle your speed needs, but the Trailblazer will not.

MotorTrend described the Trailblazer’s lack of speed quite sufficiently when they said, “You don’t notice how slow the car actually is until you floor it getting on the freeway or try to make a pass at freeway speeds. Chevy estimates an 8.7-second 0-60 time, and it seems very optimistic. Our test facility is still closed due to the pandemic, but an unscientific stopwatch test registered more like 10 seconds. Even assuming human fallibility, 9.5 seconds feels like a realistic number. Not quick, but dead center of the competitive set.”

If you only travel occasionally around town, you’ll never notice or care. That doesn’t describe most drivers, however. A typical driver hits the freeway at some point in the week, even if it’s only to visit family in a nearby town.

That being said, anyone looking at an SUV probably doesn’t care about speed. People who do usually go for muscle cars. 

Why the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer is worthy of consideration

The 2021 Chevy Trailblazer might not have much get up and go, but there are a lot of other factors to consider. For example, it’s the only new SUV that you can buy for under $20,000. It gets more expensive as you add in features, naturally, but the add ons are worth it.

If you’re into off-roading, there are several features that will help protect the body of the Trailblazer. The Activ trim comes with “Sport Terrain” Hankook tires that are designed for all seasons. It also has a small lift to keep you from hitting low rocks, some underbody protection, and a damper tune. 

Tragically, in spite of these additions, the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer isn’t a great off-road vehicle. It might be decent enough for light trails, but if you want to go hard or go home, you might want to stay home. It’s either that or have a buddy with a tow truck on hold.

The interior is where things get interesting for potential buyers. The backseat is spacious and comfortable. It also folds flat, which means that you have more room for cargo. Add in an adjustable height cargo floor, and you’re good to go for that epic road trip you’ve been putting off. 

Other features include a blind-spot warning system, adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control, automatic emergency braking, automatic lane-keeping assistance, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and pedestrian sensing capability, LED headlights with automatic high beams, a power liftgate, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, USB-A and USB-C ports in the front and rear, and more. 

How does the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer stand up to the competition?  

Given how overcrowded the SUV division is, you may be wondering how the Chevy Trailblazer stands up to the competition like the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, or the Kia Soul. According to MotorTrend, the Chevy Trailblazer toppled most of the competition except for the Soul.

The biggest factor in the Soul’s favor was the cheaper price tag. It starts at $17,490 and tops out at $27,490. The Chevy Trailblazer starts at $19,542 and tops out at $32,995. For that price, the Soul offers everything the Trailblazer does, and multi-zone automatic climate control and built-in navigation. This is because Kia is trying to break into the luxury division with the Soul. 

The Trailblazer does have one thing that the Soul doesn’t offer, however, and it might be a deal-breaker for many potential owners. For anyone living in an area with unpredictable weather, the AWD drive offered by Chevy might be enough to sway potential owners toward the Trailblazer. Either way, both the Soul and the Trailblazer are more than worthy of notice.