I've had this car from new. 1.3L with AWD and the 9 speed transmission. I can't complain about it. Going from an older generation Trax to the Trailblazer? For the same size car the trailblazer has been far less anemic than the Trax. It could stand to be a bit peppier, but it's not a bad car and I can actually enjoy driving it.
Cruising on flat ground on the highway? I regularly get 40-45 mpg out of this thing. And it's been that way since new. Climbing hills sees this thing do more around 33 mpg, which is way closer to what it's designed to do.
I did have a warranty repair on the car when new to replace the brake pedal assembly. Somehow it got way over torqued when put in the car, so it bent out of square and left the brake pedal capable of hanging on the end switch that triggered the brake lights. One swapped assembly later and all was good. But that was such an oddball thing I can't even be mad at that. I mean, a bent brake pedal assembly? That's nutty. It's also the only real problem outside of upkeep this thing has had.
Maintenance wise? I tend to do the oil changes at 5000 miles or less, if only from old habits that refuse to die. So far nothing to note in the oil, so the engine is holding up. The metering valve on the radiator did get replaced around 80000 miles as it stuck open in the sub zero cold last winter, and so far I've only had to do the rear brakes pads and rotors. The brakes are biased to the rear, at least on mine, so the front pads and rotors are still somehow good. I for the life of me can't wrap my head around that, but I can't complain.
My only complaint, if I could even call it that? A little bit more power wouldn't hurt this car. Even a 20 horsepower bump is noticeable in a similarly sized car, like a VW Taos with AWD. If anyone at GM pays attention to these, a little bit more power isn't going to hurt this thing. You don't need to turn it into a speed demon to just add a little bit more to the basic car.
...Or, totally spitballing here, just go for broke and figure out how to stuff the 2.5L Turbo out of the Traverse into the Trailblazer. Steal some of those hot hatchback customers from Toyota and VW.…
4.0
It ok
by Ra200 | on 9/5/2026 4:41:25 AM
In till yesterday I would say I love my car and the only problem is the blind spots. However yesterday my exhaust fell off. My warranty’s are saying this wear and tear but I think a car that 3 years old and has less then 60,000 miles (have never hit anything) exist falling off because the screw rust and breaking in half is tell me that Chevy is using cheap materials. Other then this I will say the car is wonderful…
5.0
Actually Better Than Subaru
by Actual OWNER | on 6/10/2026 2:14:57 AM
I owned a Trax and now a 2026 Trailblazer LT with lots of packages. I find this less expensive than the RS and Activ yet has the features! Rides great on bumpy country roads near my house! FWD Turbo 3 is surprisingly fast and metal chain ⛓️💥⛓️ cvt is better than the shifts ...smoother... I added a Kicker under seat subwoofer and new kicker speakers..now Trailblazer is perfect.…
4.3