2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer vs 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

Few automotive nameplates have kept pace with changing market trends like the Chevrolet Trailblazer, which has taken on three very different forms over a relatively short time span.

The Trailblazer name first appeared in 1999 on an appearance package for the S-10 Blazer, a compact SUV derived from the Chevy S-10 pickup truck. Chevy then applied the Trailblazer nameplate to a midsize SUV sold during model years 2002 through 2009. While not based on a pickup truck, this Trailblazer had the hallmarks of an old-school SUV, including body-on-frame construction and available V8 power.

Today’s Chevy Trailblazer has nothing in common with those predecessors except a name. Introduced for the 2021 model year, this Trailblazer is a subcompact crossover with car-like unibody construction shared with the Buick Encore GX, and tiny, efficiency-focused engines. With the Chevy Trax on hiatus until the 2024 model year, the Trailblazer is Chevy’s entry-level SUV for 2023, competing with the likes of the Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos.

The only changes for 2023 are some new extra-cost paint colours, including Nitro Yellow Metallic, Fountain Blue, and Sterling Gray Metallic, along with an Iridescent Pearl Tricoat roof. Trim levels start with the base LS, and continue with the LT, Activ, and RS. We tested a Chevrolet Trailblazer Activ for this review.

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV trades on the established Equinox nameplate to help ease the transition to battery-electric power, but the Equinox EV is just that: an EV, from the ground up. Its dedicated architecture is wholly independent of the internal-combustion-engined (ICE) Equinox compact SUV. In Canada, it’s available in 2LT, 2RS, 3LT, and 3RS trims. Accounting for current availability puts base MSRP at $48,199 before fees for the 2LT, but that will fall when the 1LT trim level becomes available in 2025.

Verdict: The Equinox EV does exactly what its name promises, offering the benefits of electric power in a comfortable package, and at a price point that’s hard to beat.