{"id":32231,"date":"2024-02-15T22:59:33","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T02:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32231"},"modified":"2024-02-15T22:59:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T02:59:33","slug":"payne-practical-chevy-trailblazer-activ-goes-to-head-of-subcompact-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/payne-practical-chevy-trailblazer-activ-goes-to-head-of-subcompact-class","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Practical Chevy Trailblazer ACTIV goes to head of subcompact class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oakland County<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The Chevy Trailblazer fits like a glove.<\/p>\n

On a cold, snowy Michigan night, driving requires special concentration. You want a car that is intuitive to operate, and Trailblazer complies. On 15 Mile in traffic, I simply punched the adaptive cruise tumbler on the steering wheel toggle and set my speed to 40 mph.\u00a0The Chevy, unlike other makes, doesn\u2019t require that you first activate ACC, then set the speed \u2014 a cumbersome process that forces you to take your eyes off the road. ACC is always at the ready, you just need to set the speed.<\/p>\n

When the speed limit increased to 50 mph, I again felt for the raised tumbler \u2014 its surface dimpled so it\u2019s easily located by your thumb in the dark \u2014 and scrolled it up by 10 mph. Dandy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 2024 Chevy Trailblazer is priced just above the Chevy Trax in the brand’s SUV lineup.<\/em>Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

Time to listen to the weather report. Again, without taking my hands off the wheel, I felt for the volume buttons on the back of the steering wheel with my right fingers and turned the radio on. With my left fingers, I scrolled through my preset stations on the back of the other side of the wheel until I found 950 AM. Once the WWJ weather report was done, I toggled between other AM, FM and Sirius XM stations \u2014 music, news, comedy.<\/p>\n

At a long stoplight, I reached over into my computer bag to check my schedule for the day. In the pitch black, I reached behind the mirror and punched the ceiling light \u2014 the light and button incorporated into one big, easy-to-find button. The console flooded with light so I could read my notes.<\/p>\n

The icing on the cake? The Trailblazer is one of the few vehicles in autodom with a fold-flat front passenger seat. That means you can load long items (surfboards, lumber) through its cabin with first and second-row seats flattened \u2014 or just sit in the second row seats and use the front seat as an Ottoman for when you\u2019re on the road and need to get some work done. It\u2019s a hidden gem.<\/p>\n

No one does ergonomics better than General Motors.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/figure>\n
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In the dark, 2024 Chevy Trailblazer ACTIV drivers need not take their eye off the road thanks to intuitive steering wheel controls – even an overhead light that doubles as an easy-to-push button. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The perfect compact SUV recipe? Mix Chevy ergonomics, the performance of a Mazda CX-30 and minimalist Hyundai Kona design and you\u2019d have a tasty dish.<\/p>\n

But the Trailblazer makes a pretty good meal all by itself. When did Chevrolet get so good at compacts?<\/p>\n

This is a brand that went through compact cars like socks. In recent decades, the Cavalier, Cobalt and Cruze came and went as competitors to perennial segment best-sellers Corolla and Civic. But with its switch to an all-SUV lineup, Chevrolet seems to have settled on a compelling formula: start with the terrific, affordable $21K Chevy Trax (a 2023 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year finalist), then offer a more rugged, all-wheel-drive Trailblazer at $28K.<\/p>\n

So good is the Trax with its longer wheelbase that the base front-wheel-drive Trailblazer makes little sense from $24K-$27K (unless you prefer the styling and need that fold-down front passenger seat). But when Trax models top out at $27K, that\u2019s where the Trailblazer ACTIV becomes relevant with its AWD (not offered in Trax), bigger 1.3-liter, 155-horse engine, two-inch-higher seating position, underbody skid plate and all-terrain tires.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
The 2024 Chevy Trailblazer ACTIV interior is roomy, comfortable. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

My Trailblazer ACTIV tester has much more than an easy-to-use cockpit. The rear seat is palatial with 39 inches of legroom \u2014 a knee-breathing seven inches more than a Toyota Corolla Cross, and three inches more than my favorite CX-30.<\/p>\n

I like to carve corners in the Mazda, but the Trailblazer ACTIV plays to Chevy\u2019s strength, which is off-asphalt. To this end, the Trailblazer\u2019s all-terrains complement its AWD in Michigan\u2019s endless winters. You never know when the pavement runs out in Oakland County and you\u2019re suddenly on a potholed, muddy wagon trail.<\/p>\n