The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Perkier styling this year
- Great interior tech
- Decent safety features and scores
- Comfy interior
Dislikes
- Base engine is so, so slow…
- … and the optional one isn’t much peppier
- Shouldn’t mpg be better?
- Can get pricey
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer is an expressive city runabout with the refinement—but not power—to comfortably handle road trips.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer? What does it compare to?
The 2024 Trailblazer is a city-size crossover SUV with sprightly styling. Shop it against the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Kona.
Is the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer a good SUV?
It’s light on power and not that fuel-efficient, but the 2024 Trailblazer counters those demerits with flashy styling and a high-tech infotainment system. It’s a 5.8 out of 10 on the TCC scale (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
Sharpened exterior styling gives way to a new dash that houses an 11.0-inch touchscreen and an 8.0-inch instrument cluster display.
The Trailblazer’s new front end features gunslit-like headlights surrounding a busy grille. Unchanged is its helmet-like profile courtesy blacked-out windshield and center roof pillars and a huge C-pillar. The cabin features a neatly integrated infotainment display upgrade with wireless smartphone mirroring on all trims.
Underhood, the standard 1.2-liter turbo-3 musters 137 hp and comes paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), a 1.3-liter turbo-3 rated at 155 hp teams with the same gearbox in front-drive form, or with a 9-speed automatic transmission when power goes to all four wheels. Front- and all-wheel-drive versions are available.
Spend up for the bigger engine, not only for its better gearbox but for its extra power.
Fuel-economy ratings have yet to be released, but we doubt they will depart far from last year’s so-so top 30 mpg combined rating.
While not particularly sporty, the Trailblazer is quiet and refined once it gets up to highway speeds.
Standard safety tech meets our expectations, including automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors. Adaptive cruise control is optional. Previous versions received good safety scores, which should carry over into 2024.
How much does the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer cost?
The new styling and extra tech come with a price bump to about $24,500. A mid-level LT with all-wheel drive makes the most sense. Figure about $28,000 to start, and a bit over $30,000 with optional features such as a wireless device charging pad and adaptive cruise control.
Where is the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer made?
In South Korea.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Styling
The 2024 Chevy Trailblazer’s recent nip and tuck keeps it fresh outside, but bigger changes come inside.
Is the Chevrolet Trailblazer a good-looking car?
It’s expressive outside, but downright refined inside. Our 6 out of 10 score comes courtesy of its cleanly styled dash.
The Trailblazer’s sci-fi exterior restyle gives it a busier look than last year’s model, with a complex grille up front and razor-thin headlights. There’s a lot going on. It’s better from the side, where a floating roofline that can be painted in a contrasting hue has been carried over. Wheel sizes stretch as big as 19 inches on the sporty-looking RS trim level.
It’s better inside. The new 11.0-inch touchscreen sprouts from the dash, where it cants slightly toward the driver. Behind the steering wheel sits a new 8.0-inch instrument cluster display. It’s a fresh, modern look that puts the smallest SUV in line with other recent redesigns in the bowtie brand’s lineup.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Performance
The Trailblazer’s bite-size engines provide limited acceleration.
Whatever trails this small SUV chooses to blaze had better not be hilly. It’s not quick. We dial a point back from average for middling acceleration. The 2024 Chevy Trailblazer scores a 4 on the TCC scale
Is the Chevrolet Trailblazer 4WD?
All-wheel drive is optional, but we consider it almost mandatory since it nets a far superior 9-speed automatic transmission rather than the standard, slurry CVT.
Even in slightly higher-riding Activ form, the Trailblazer is not an off-roader.
How fast is the Chevrolet Trailblazer?
It is no speed demon. The 137-hp 1.2-liter turbo-3 that comes standard with front-wheel drive lacks anything in reserve. Better by far is the 155-hp 1.3-liter turbo-3 that’s optional, though the Trailblazer is still among the least powerful small SUVs. There’s no high-zoot option here.
On the bright side, the Trailblazer has a supple ride and good steering heft. Its moves never come across as sporty, but it feels confident on a winding road and settles into a comfortable pace at highway speeds.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Comfort & Quality
Chevrolet carved out decent space inside the 2024 Trailblazer.
It’s small outside, but fairly spacious inside, so the 2024 Chevy Trailblazer scores a 6 thanks to its 25 cubic-foot cargo hold, which expands to 54.4 cubes with the rear seatbacks down.
The front seats have decent support and a wide range of fabric and leather upholstery options. Rear-seat riders have an impressive 39.4 inches of legroom at their disposal, though there’s not enough width here for three to sit abreast unless they’re kids.
Interior materials are good for the Trailblazer’s price point.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Safety
The 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer is a safe choice once again this year.
How safe is the Chevrolet Trailblazer?
The 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer comes with good safety gear and we expect its crash scores to carry over from last year.
For now, it’s an 8 out of 10 thanks to a five-star rating from the NHTSA, good outward vision, and good crash-avoidance tech.
All models come with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors. Adaptive cruise control is available.
For 2023 the TrailBlazer earned the IIHS's Top Safety Pick+ award, but with its redesigned headlights it's due for a retest.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Features
The 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer’s tech story impresses.
A big touchscreen with plenty of features helps elevate the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer to a 7 for features.
A 3-year/36,000-mile warranty comes standard, but that’s the bare minimum we expect these days.
With the new 11.0-inch touchscreen with its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, the base price has risen to about $24,500. We’ve used this system in other Chevy models and have come away impressed, especially with its available Google Maps integration.
Which Chevrolet Trailblazer should I buy?
In the past, the Trailblazer LT trim has been our go-to for its available adaptive cruise control and wireless charging pad.
How much is a fully loaded Chevrolet Trailblazer?
Activ and RS versions—one quasi-rugged, one quasi-sporty—start just north of $30,000 last year, and can be nudged to $33,000 or so with options.
2024 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Fuel Economy
The 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer isn’t as thrifty as its low power output would suggest.
Is the Chevrolet Trailblazer good on gas?
In the grand scheme of things, it’s fairly miserly. But with so little power on tap, we expect more.
Caveat: our 4 out of 10 rating here applies to the 2023 model. With no major mechanical tweaks for 2023, though, it’s unlikely to change by more than 1 or 2 mpg.
Last year’s greenest version was the optional 1.3-liter with front-wheel drive, which the EPA pegged at 29 mpg city, 33 highway, 31 combined. The smaller engine works harder, so it scores just 30 mpg.
All-wheel-drive versions rate a mediocre 26 mpg city, 30 highway, 28 combined.