Starts at $23,100
FAST FACTS
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
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The base 1.2-liter Trailblazer is a classic "price leader" variant. The 1.2T engine actually gets marginally worse fuel economy than the 1.3T despite making less power, so you lose out both ways. Also, the 1.3T is a low-cost option that seems to get added to most Trailblazers that come standard with the 1.2T. So good luck finding a 1.2T, but also, don't try to find one; you don't want it.
Given that the 1.3T is a $395 option on the LS and LT trims, and standard on the rest of the lineup, it'd be silly not to get it. Output jumps up significantly, peak torque arrives 900 rpm sooner, and fuel economy improves a tick. You're still stuck with the CVT, though, unless you spring for all-wheel drive.
All-wheel drive takes a huge 4-mpg bite out of the Trailblazer's overall fuel economy. Why? It's not just the AWD system; it's also the nine-speed automatic transmission, which takes the place of the CVT that comes with front-wheel drive. In general, a conventional multi-speed transmission is preferable to a CVT, as the latter causes droning during acceleration and is unavoidably less precise. But in this case, we'd think twice about paying more to lose those four miles per gallon, unless AWD is absolutely a gotta-have-it feature.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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