2 New Chevy SUVs Are Among Consumer Reports’ Most Reliable American Cars
While there are a lot of foreign automakers with impressive reputations for reliability, American automakers usually fall short. This doesn’t mean that all American makes are bad, especially Chevrolet. In fact, the Silverado 1500 is consistently one of Consumer Reports (CR) favorite pickup trucks in terms of overall performance.
Even so, reliability is one area where Chevy tends to falter. However, according to the latest CR surveys, two of Chevy’s newest SUVs break that trend. Here’s why you might want to consider buying Chevy’s most reliable SUVs: the Blazer and Trailblazer.
Both of these Chevy SUVs have good reliability ratings
Automakers like Toyota and Mazda were ranked highly by Consumer Reports for reliability. Lincoln is currently the most reliable American brand thanks to the quality of the Corsair and Nautilus SUVs. The luxury brand Cadillac also made the list, along with Ford.
While Chevy was near the bottom of this list, both the Trailblazer and Blazer SUVs earned above-average reliability scores. The Traverse, Equinox, and Corvette weren’t far behind. The Chevy 1500 and 2500HD models are probably still unreliable, but the latter is predicted to receive a great owner satisfaction score.
Between the Blazer and Trailblazer, RepairPal says that the bigger SUV is the most dependable one. The Chevy Blazer only has an 11% chance of needing an expensive repair. Combining the costs of unexpected repairs and regular maintenance, it takes an annual average of $521 to maintain the Blazer.
RepairPal estimates that the Chevy Trailblazer maintenance and repair costs are more expensive, totaling around $784 each year. There’s a 15% chance that it will require an expensive repair.
Is the 2023 Chevy Trailblazer still worth your money?
The Chevy Trailblazer might have slightly higher ownership costs, but it’s one of the cheapest vehicles in Chevy’s lineup. Chevy says that this model starts at around $22,100 and comes standard with a 137-hp turbo-three engine. A slightly bigger turbo-three with 155 hp on tap can be added to the base trim for $2,000.
Both can be optioned with either a CVT or a nine-speed automatic transmission. AWD is available, but it can only be paired with the upgraded turbo-three engine. The bigger engine also gets the best gas mileage, up to 29/33 mpg city/highway with FWD.
Inside, the Chevy Trailblazer is big enough to hold five people while giving them plenty of room to stretch. The interior design is admittedly bland with lots of solid plastic pieces and manual adjustability for the seats. Still, the Trailblazer is packed with a lot of standard features for an SUV that costs less than $25,000.
You can pair your Android, Apple, or Amazon Alexa device to the infotainment system. Each model also comes with essential safety features like lane-keeping assist and forward-collision warning.
What’s so notable about the 2023 Chevy Blazer?
According to Chevy, the midsize Blazer is a reliable SUV powered by a 228-hp turbo-four that comes paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The optional V6 can generate 308 hp and allows the Blazer to tow up to 4,500 lbs.
Unlike some of its peers, the Chevy Blazer only has two rows of seating. It also has less cargo space than some segment rivals, a little more than 64 cu-ft. Of course, that’s still more storage space compared to the Chevy Trailblazer’s trunk area (measuring 54.4 cu-ft).
Both vehicles are also equipped with the same user-friendly infotainment technology and most of the same safety features. However, the Blazer offers exclusive upgrades like heated rear seats and real leather upholstery. Regardless of which one you buy, both are reliable enough to keep maintenance costs low.
