2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer

The volume LT FWD uses the E85-capable 1.2L LBP turbo three-cylinder at 137 hp; the 1.3L L3T (155 hp) is the step-up engine. 2025 is the mid-cycle refresh year (new interior and tech) but the powertrains carry over.

Peak torque of the volume trim's 1.2L turbo is 162 lb-ft — near the bottom of the SUV band, reflecting its tiny displacement.

The volume 1.2L FWD needs roughly ten seconds to reach 60 mph, beyond the slow end of the SUV band; even the 1.3L tests at 8.7–9.4 s, well off subcompact rivals.

Both engines are small turbo triples whose thrum is always audible and grows loud when worked — which is often, given 137 hp. No coarse vibration, but delivery feels strained rather than smooth.

FWD models use a CVT reviewers call slick and well matched to the low-torque engines, though it flares audibly under hard throttle; AWD models get a 9-speed automatic that shifts unobtrusively.

GM rates every 2025 Trailblazer at 1,000 lbs regardless of configuration — the floor of the SUV band, enough only for a small utility trailer.

AWD is optional across the range rather than top-trim-only, but it is never standard and requires the 1.3L engine (about $2,000 more). The system is a basic on-demand setup with no low range or torque vectoring.

The ACTIV trim adds off-road suspension tuning, a skid plate, sport-terrain tires and Terrain Select modes, with about 8 in of clearance on AWD — adequate for dirt roads and snow, but no low range or lockers for real trails.

Two engines, but both are small turbo three-cylinders separated by 18 hp, with no hybrid, PHEV or EV variant — a gap against electrified subcompact rivals like the Kona, Niro and Corolla Cross.

The volume LT FWD with the 1.2L turbo and CVT is EPA-rated 30 mpg combined — strong for a gas subcompact SUV.

The 1.2T/CVT pairing is city-friendly: 30 mpg city matches its combined figure and beats both 1.3L configurations.

31 mpg highway is only mid-pack for the class; the optional 1.3L FWD actually does better on the highway at 33 mpg.

A 13.2-gallon tank is small even for a subcompact, so good mileage still yields only about 400 miles per fill.

fueleconomy.gov's current-price estimate for the volume 1.2T FWD is $2,150 a year, near the cheap end for SUVs; the 1.3L FWD is marginally cheaper.

Both engines run on regular unleaded, and the standard 1.2L is E85 flex-fuel capable, giving an extra fuel option most rivals lack.

NHTSA rates the 2025 Trailblazer five stars overall, with five stars frontal and side and four stars for rollover resistance (17.9% rollover risk) — the top NCAP result for a first-generation (2021–) carry-over year.

Crashworthiness where tested is solid — Good in both driver- and passenger-side small overlap front — but the 2025 Trailblazer earns no Top Safety Pick, blocked by Poor vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and headlights that are Acceptable at best and Poor on the RS/ACTIV. The updated moderate-overlap and side tests that now gate the award are not reported as Good.

Chevy Safety Assist is standard on every trim (AEB, front pedestrian braking, forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, IntelliBeam), covering the core. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alert are package options on every trim and adaptive cruise is not offered at all on the base LS, so the volume trims ship without two of the five headline aids.

IIHS rates the standard AEB Poor in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test — it scrubbed only 18–19 mph in the 31 mph trial — and Marginal for pedestrian detection, with results degrading by lighting condition. It is the weakest element of the car's safety case.

Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are orderable across the range but standard on none, and they are alert-only with no braking or steering intervention — a notable gap on a car with thick rear pillars.

Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning is standard on every trim, but it is a nudge-off-the-line system only — no lane centering is offered at any trim or price.

Adaptive cruise is available only through the Adaptive Cruise and Sound Package on upper trims and cannot be ordered on the base LS; it lacks any highway-assist/centering layer, leaving most buyers with conventional cruise.

Super Cruise is not offered on the 2025 Trailblazer at any trim, and the car lacks even lane centering; there is no hands-free option.

The volume LS and LT headlights rate Acceptable (with some glare), while the RS and ACTIV units rate Poor for excessive glare — no Good-rated headlight exists on any trim. IntelliBeam auto high beams are standard.

Thick rear roof pillars and no third side window leave rear and over-the-shoulder visibility poor, a frequent reviewer complaint for this generation. Compensation is limited to the standard HD rear camera, with blind-spot monitoring and rear park assist optional.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable: complete lower-anchor sets in the two outboard rear seats plus a tether-only center position. A subcompact rear bench rules out three-across, and a rear-facing seat crowds the front passenger.

The 2025 Trailblazer is a two-row subcompact SUV seating five across LS, LT, ACTIV and RS; no third row or alternate seating configuration is offered.

39.98 in of front headroom without the roof opening is generous for a subcompact thanks to the boxy roofline; the available panoramic sunroof trims it by roughly 1.7 in.

40.9 in of front legroom sits near the bottom of the SUV band — adequate for most drivers in a subcompact footprint, but short of compact crossovers.

38.4 in of second-row headroom is mid-band for all SUVs and roomy for a subcompact.

39.0 in of rear legroom is the Trailblazer's standout packaging figure — better than most subcompact rivals and on par with several compact SUVs.

No third row is available on any 2025 Trailblazer — it is strictly a five-seat, two-row SUV — so this item sits in the low band by definition.

25.3 cu ft behind the rear seat is class-leading among subcompacts (ahead of Kicks and HR-V) but lands at the floor of the SUV-wide band, which spans to full-size utilities.

54.4 cu ft max is good for a subcompact but just below the 55 cu ft SUV band floor, so it scores zero on the absolute scale.

Standard fold-flat front passenger seatback plus flat-folding rear seats create a long load floor for items up to about 8.5 ft, with an adjustable cargo floor; the refreshed 2025 cabin keeps ordinary door bins, console and cubbies. Clever for the class, but no standout storage innovation.

Front seats are acceptably supportive for most, though Consumer Reports finds the cushion soft and prone to sagging under the hip; adjustment is limited on lower trims. The roomy rear bench comfortably holds two adults.

Comfortable for a short-wheelbase subcompact, especially at highway speed; rough roads produce some jostling but never harshness. Composed most of the time rather than segment-leading.

Consumer Reports calls the cabin loud, with pronounced road rumble on coarse pavement and an audible three-cylinder under load; Edmunds is kinder, but the weight of evidence puts this below average.

Heated front seats come on the volume LT, and ACTIV and RS add a heated steering wheel; remote start is standard from LT and automatic climate control arrives with the Convenience Package. There are no ventilated seats, no rear climate controls, and the base LS is sparse — key features land on mid trims and up.

The 2025 LS FWD with the 137-hp turbo 1.2L three-cylinder carries a $23,100 base MSRP. GM raised the destination charge from $1,295 to $1,395 in April 2025, which puts the delivered price at $24,495, below the floor of the SUV band.

LT is the volume trim. It lists at $24,300 before destination, or $25,695 delivered after the April 2025 destination increase, which is below the $27,000 floor of the SUV band. Adding AWD costs roughly $1,600–$2,000 more.

This blends the two published estimates, which disagree widely. It lands mid-pack for the class. The turbo three-cylinders and the CVT or 9-speed automatic are not cheap to service, and GM covers only the first maintenance visit.

Projected residuals for the 2025 are weak. Heavy incentive and fleet volume on a mainstream subcompact keeps retention in the lower part of the SUV band. The published estimates range from 39% to 47%, and this uses a figure near the middle.

GM's bumper-to-bumper coverage is 3 years/36,000 miles, the industry minimum and the bottom of the band. Hyundai and Kia rivals offer 5 years/60,000 miles.

GM covers the powertrain for 5 years/60,000 miles, the floor of the band. That is half the 10-year/100,000-mile term Hyundai and Kia give their competing subcompact SUVs.

Chevrolet includes one scheduled maintenance visit in the first year/12,000 miles and 5 years/60,000 miles of roadside assistance. From the 2025 model year it also includes 8 years of OnStar Basics. That is short included maintenance with basic roadside, which puts it in the middle band.

$25,695 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (45% retained, or about $11,563) leaves about $14,132 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,900 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $20,032 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2025 Trailblazer about average in reliability, giving it a 68/100 predicted reliability score. That puts it third in the subcompact class, behind the Crosstrek and HR-V but ahead of the CX-30 and Corolla Cross. CR also put it on its 'Most Reliable New Cars and SUVs Under $30,000' list, and it earns 'Better' in every trouble area except fuel system/emissions, which is 'Worse'. J.D. Power's owner quality-and-reliability score is also good, so the sources are positive but not top-tier.

In the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Chevrolet scored 169 PP100, well better than the 202 PP100 industry average and just behind the leading mass-market brands. GM took six model-level awards. Chevrolet also placed fifth in the 2025 Initial Quality Study. Consumer Reports still ranks the brand around mid-pack, with its EVs and the redesigned Equinox holding it back, so the record is strong but not consistently top-5 across sources.

The 2025 Trailblazer has one NHTSA campaign: a rearview camera that may show a distorted or blank image. That recall covers 2024-2026 VSS-F models and is fixed with an inspection and camera replacement. This generation's more serious recalls, such as missing seat bolts, brake-boost sensor contamination and the fracturing jack, were confined to the 2021-2022 launch years. There is nothing systemic, but CR owner data still flags brake and infotainment trouble spots on recent years.

The 2025 volume drivetrain is a small turbocharged three-cylinder, either the 1.2L LIH or the 1.3L L3T, with a CVT in front-drive form. AWD models get the 1.3L with a nine-speed automatic. Both engines have reports of turbo oil-seal leaks, intake-valve carbon buildup and start-stop faults, and the CVT has drawn shudder and hesitation complaints. CR's 'Worse' fuel system/emissions rating fits that pattern. The 1.3L has the lower complaint density of the two, but neither engine has a proven high-mileage record.

Reviewers repeatedly criticize the Trailblazer's hard plastic surfaces and say its materials fall below subcompact-SUV rivals, with the Mazda CX-30 as the benchmark for interior refinement. The 2024 refresh added a larger screen but left the materials mostly unchanged. Evotex faux leather on the ACTIV and RS trims helps, but the volume LT has cloth seats and a lot of hard plastic.

Chevrolet placed fifth in J.D. Power's 2025 Initial Quality Study, and by 2025 the Trailblazer's assembly had settled in its fifth year of production. CR owner data from recent model years does report squeaks, rattles, wind noise and weather-stripping leaks, but these are scattered complaints, not systemic misalignment.

Chevrolet has one of the densest dealer networks in the US, with roughly 2,800 franchised stores, so service is easy to reach almost anywhere, including rural areas. Its service satisfaction also beats the mass-market average in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index.

The Trailblazer shares its VSS-F platform, Ecotec turbo-three engines and transmissions with the Trax, Encore GX and Envista, so service parts are high-volume, widely stocked and inexpensive, and routine maintenance is cheap. The exceptions are turbocharger and CVT repairs, which are expensive, and the aftermarket for these small turbo threes is thinner than for a conventional four-cylinder.

The 2024 refresh replaced the prior 7/8-inch units with an 11-inch touchscreen standard from the base LS up — among the largest standard screens in the subcompact class, with no larger option — and it carries over unchanged for 2025.

Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus on the new 11-inch screen is clear and quick with a simple tile layout, and physical climate and volume controls remain. Easy to live with, though less deep and polished than the newest rival systems.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2025 trim from the base LS, confirmed by several independent sources, which is the best case this item measures. Raised from 86 and to HIGH confidence because the standard fitment is now corroborated rather than inferred.

No embedded navigation is offered; routing comes from phone projection or OnStar turn-by-turn, and native voice control is basic command-and-control. Most owners will bypass it for CarPlay/Android Auto.

The base system is a modest six-speaker setup; the upgrade is a seven-speaker Bose system bundled with adaptive cruise in the Adaptive Cruise and Sound Package — a real but small-format step up.

The 2024 refresh made an 8-inch digital Driver Information Center standard on every trim, carried over unchanged for 2025 — better availability than most subcompact rivals, but a modest display rather than a large, deeply configurable gauge panel.

OnStar-connected GM vehicles on this older Global-B-era architecture receive infotainment and select module software updates over the air, but not the feature-adding whole-vehicle OTA of GM's newer platforms.

The myChevrolet app covers remote start, lock/unlock, locate and vehicle-health status, with a factory remote starter from LT; remote commands require an OnStar plan after the trial and there is no phone-as-key.

Front USB-A/USB-C ports are standard, and the Convenience Package adds rear USB-A and USB-C charging ports, wireless phone charging and a 120-volt outlet — broad coverage, though it is optional rather than standard.

The volume LT has keyless open and push-button start plus a remote starter, but there is no hands-free liftgate and no phone-as-key anywhere in the range.

An HD Rear Vision Camera is standard; Rear Park Assist comes in the optional Driver Confidence Package and HD Surround Vision is limited to upper-trim packages. There is no automated parking.

No head-up display is offered on any 2025 Trailblazer trim or package.

39.0 in of rear legroom and 25.3 cu ft behind the second row make two car seats plus a stroller genuinely easy for a subcompact. The IIHS 'Acceptable' LATCH rating and a bench too narrow for three seats hold it back.

NHTSA five stars overall and Chevy Safety Assist on every trim give families a solid floor, but there is no IIHS award, the standard AEB rates Poor in the updated IIHS test, and blind-spot and adaptive cruise cost extra.

An adult-friendly rear seat and class-leading 25.3 cu ft of luggage space make medium trips pleasant, but rear amenities are thin (no rear climate, rear charging only in the Convenience Package) and the loud cabin tires everyone on long days.

Light steering, a compact footprint, and the new standard 11-in screen with wireless phone projection make daily driving simple. The 137-hp 1.2L turbo triple with CVT is the drag: slow to 60 mph and buzzy when merging.

About 30 MPG combined on regular fuel from the volume 1.2T FWD, plus inexpensive tires and consumables, makes this a cheap non-hybrid commuter. Hybrid rivals and the AWD version's high-20s MPG keep it out of the top band.

A roughly 174-in length and a 37.3-ft turning circle make it easy to thread through the city, with a standard HD rear camera. Chunky rear pillars and poor three-quarter visibility, with park sensors optional, cost a few points.

A 1,000-lb tow rating across the range and 137–155 hp from three-cylinder engines give no real work headroom. The fold-flat front passenger seat, which allows long loads, is the lone work asset.

Predicted reliability is respectable for everyday use, but small-displacement turbo triples with a CVT have no fleet or hard-duty track record, and owners report turbo and timing-chain complaints on the 1.3L.

It is better provisioned than most subcompacts: an adjustable cargo floor, fold-flat front passenger seat, roof rails from LT, an available Trailering Package, and a 120V outlet via the Convenience Package. There are no tie-down tracks or washable surfaces, so it remains a light-duty runabout.

Roughly 390 miles of range from the 13.2-gal tank and a comfortable highway ride make medium tours pleasant. Cabin noise, three-cylinder drone when passing, optional adaptive cruise, and no lane centering limit endurance.

The ACTIV trim is a credible gravel-road car, with off-road suspension tuning, a skid plate, sport-terrain tires, about 8 in of clearance with AWD, roof rails, and an available 120V outlet. The 1,000-lb tow cap and lack of low range keep it a soft-roader.

25.3 / 54.4 cu ft leads the subcompact class, and the fold-flat front passenger seat creates a load channel for items up to about 8.5 ft that few rivals match. With an adjustable floor, roof rails and an available hitch, only the modest roof and tow ratings keep it under 80.

Secure and predictable but not nimble: reviewers note body lean and dull responses in corners, though it stays controlled in avoidance maneuvers. The 2025 refresh did not change the chassis.

Light, reasonably accurate electric steering with little feedback — precise enough, but numb.

Stopping power is not faulted in avoidance testing, but the pedal is touchy and hard to modulate smoothly. No instrumented 60–0 figure was found for the 2025 model year.

The volume 137-hp 1.2L turbo triple with CVT is adequate around town but strained on the highway, at roughly 9.4–10 s to 60 mph. The 155-hp 1.3L with the 9-speed automatic (ACTIV/RS, AWD) is noticeably better but not the representative configuration.

Both engines are three-cylinders with a constant audible thrum that grows loud under load, which adds to an already loud cabin — intrusive rather than merely audible.

CarBuzz and KBB list a 37.3 ft turning diameter for 2025; some dealer spec pages quote 36.8 ft. Either figure is tighter than the SUV band midpoint.

An upright, tall-roofed seating position gives a good forward view and easy entry, and the refreshed dash places the 11-in screen and physical HVAC controls within easy reach. A soft front cushion and poor rear three-quarter visibility from thick rear pillars hold it in the middle band.

A 10-second 0–60, droning three-cylinder, numb steering, body lean and grabby brakes make it an appliance. The RS changes appearance only, not the chassis or powertrain.

Every 2025 trim, including the base LS, gets the 11-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, the 8-inch digital cluster and Chevy Safety Assist (AEB, lane keep, forward collision alert, auto high beams). Rivals often keep that tech for mid trims. Beyond that the LS is sparse, which keeps the score out of the top band.

Fair-to-good value. A delivered price of about $24,500–$31,000 buys well-equipped tech before the tariff-era price increases that hit the 2026. The trade-off is the 137-hp 1.2L turbo three and CVT at the volume end: Edmunds measured 0-60 mph in 9.4 seconds, well behind rivals.

Choice is wide for a subcompact: four trims (LS, LT, ACTIV, RS), two turbo engines, and FWD or AWD. There are distinct off-road (ACTIV) and sport-look (RS) variants, plus sunroof and two-tone roof options. The only gap is that no hybrid or electrified version is offered.

It is a genuine volume player: about 75,000 US deliveries in calendar 2025, which places it in the top five of the subcompact crossover segment, and Q1 2025 was up 21%. It loses points for the slight full-year decline and for being outsold in its own showroom by the cheaper Trax.

Chevrolet is a neutral mainstream badge with no aspirational pull and no real drag. The cost of that image shows up in resale, which trails Honda, Toyota and Subaru rivals in the segment.

Deals on the 2025 were meaningful and consistent: low-interest financing ran most months of 2025, and as model-year closeout stock it later drew 0% APR for 36 months or $1,500 cash. Buyers could count on a real discount without the car being priced desperately.

Mid-cycle. The generation launched for 2021, and the 2024 facelift brought a new fascia, LED lighting, the 11-inch screen and the digital cluster. 2025 is the second year after that refresh and a largely carryover year. Replacement is not imminent, but the underlying hardware is no longer current.

Well reviewed but rarely the top pick. Edmunds calls it a standout for overall competence and rates it around 7.7/10. U.S. News criticizes sluggish handling and body roll and ranks it mid-pack among subcompact SUVs. It has no 10Best, NACTOY or comparison-test wins.