2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer AWD Activ: A DriveWays Review…

The 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer sports an adventurous name, though it’s not likely to blaze any trails.

It’s a small, competent crossover sport utility vehicle, new for this model year and bearing the name of an earlier, larger Chevy SUV sold from 2001 to 2008, then replaced by the Chevrolet Traverse. But it’s no Jeep or Land Rover.

The original Trailblazer, built with a body on frame, and the 2021 model, a crossover built with a unit-body like a car, are way different. The original left the market powered by a 394-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 engine that delivered 400 lb-ft of torque.

That’s about 4.6 times the size of the tiny, 1.3-liter, three-cylinder turbo engine in the Trailblazer Activ tested for this review. It makes 155 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque along with surprising verve for such a diminutive motor.

Moreover, it’s not even the smallest engine available. Base Trailblazer models come with a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbo that delivers 137 hp. It powers front-drive versions with continuously variable automatic transmissions. The upgrade, as on the tested Activ Trailblazer, has all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The Trailblazer slots in the Chevy crossover lineup between the smaller Trax and the larger Equinox. There are five trim levels: L at $20,195, LS at $22,795, LT at $24,895, the Activ tested here at $26,695, and the RS, also at $26,695. All prices include the destination charge. The Activ strives to project a rugged persona, where the RS aspires to a sporty mien.

But rugged is as rugged does. The Activ comes across more like the increasing number of small crossovers crowding the nation’s highways and byways, including names like the Kia Seltos, Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona and Venue, Nissan Kicks, Mazda CX-30, and the Trailblazer’s fraternal cousin, the Buick Encore GX, which also uses the 1.3-liter three-cylinder turbo engine.

The Trailblazer’s strong suit is its attractive looks, inside and out. The tester wore a bronze dark copper metallic paint with a white roof and outside mirrors topped in white. Inside, red, black, and beige cloth and leatherette cover the seats, with a sort of denim cloth trim on the doors.

Front seats have decent bolstering to hold the torso in place. The outside seating positions offer plenty of head and knee room in the back, and even the usually disrespected center-rear seat has enough space for an average-size adult. However, the poor soul must sit on a lump with an intrusive back and a small floor hump.

Behind the back seat is a decent-sized, 25 cubic-foot cargo area with small extra space beneath the floor, home of the temporary spare wheel and tire. Rear seatbacks fold nearly flat 2/3 and 1/3 for additional cargo.

On the road, the surprise is the rapid throttle response off the line, which makes the Trailblazer feel faster than it is. Car and Driver magazine clocked an all-wheel-drive model with the 155-hp engine at 9.4 seconds, pretty pokey in this age, partly a testimony to its 3,325-pound weight. But the quick response makes it ideal for shooting through holes in urban and freeway traffic.

Handling is competent and inspires confidence on curving roads, even though there’s enough power available to get a hasty driver in trouble overdoing it. The handling tradeoff is a stiff ride.

Though the Activ model is supposed to project a rugged vehicle, the Trailblazer does not fall into the category of having any off-road chops. With the all-wheel drive, you could likely take it on a logging road or other modest terrain but nothing more challenging.

Interior noise is the main Trailblazer bugaboo. The tires and chassis transmit road irregularities directly into the cabin, abetting a smaller amount of engine noise. Long hours at the wheel could become fatiguing. More sound insulation would be welcome.

The Trailblazer Activ comes well equipped with such amenities as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist with lane departure warning, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, single-zone automatic climate control, high definition, and SXM satellite radio, premium Bose audio, Bluetooth streaming, wireless smartphone charging, an eight-inch color touch screen, auto-dimming inside mirror, heated outside power mirrors, and LED headlights.

All of that brought the Trailblazer Activ’s base price of $27,995 up to a relatively pricey, in this class, $30,730.

Specifications

Model: 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer AWD Activ four-door crossover sport utility vehicle.
Engine: 1.3-liter three-cylinder, turbocharged; 155 hp, 174 lb-ft torque.
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic with all-wheel drive.
Overall length: 14 feet 6 inches.
Height: 5 feet 6 inches.
EPA/SAE passenger/cargo volume: 98/25 cubic feet.
Weight: 3,325 pounds.
EPA city/highway/combined fuel consumption: 26/30/28 mpg.
Base price, including destination charge: $27,995.
Price as tested: $30,730.