Compare the2022 Kia SportageVS 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer

The Sportage (except LX/Nightfall) offers optional Parking Assist to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Sportage’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sportage and the Trailblazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Sportage is 2.4% to 3.8% less likely to roll over than the Trailblazer.

The Sportage comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Trailblazer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Trailblazer. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Trailblazer ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sportage’s reliability 45 points higher than the Trailblazer.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sportage first among compact suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Trailblazer isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 12th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 2 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Sportage has more powerful engines than the Trailblazer:

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Sportage 4 cyl. is faster than the Chevrolet Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder:

The Sportage has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Trailblazer (16.4 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Sportage’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Trailblazer:

The Sportage stops shorter than the Trailblazer:

For better traction, the Sportage has larger standard tires than the Trailblazer (225/60R17 vs. 215/65R16). The Sportage SX Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Trailblazer (245/45R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Sportage LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trailblazer L’s standard 65 series tires. The Sportage SX Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Trailblazer RS’ 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sportage LX has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Trailblazer L. The Sportage SX Turbo’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Trailblazer RS.

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Sportage has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Sportage has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sportage flat and controlled during cornering. The Trailblazer’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Sportage has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Trailblazer (105.1 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Trailblazer.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Trailblazer RS AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sportage SX Turbo AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Trailblazer RS AWD (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sportage’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Trailblazer’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

The Sportage has .6 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 5.5 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trailblazer.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sportage’s rear seats recline. The Trailblazer’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trailblazer with its rear seat up (30.7 vs. 25.3 cubic feet). The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trailblazer with its rear seat folded (60.1 vs. 54.4 cubic feet).

The Sportage’s cargo area is larger than the Trailblazer’s in almost every dimension:

The Sportage’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Trailblazer’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Sportage to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Sportage (except LX/Nightfall) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Sportage has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Trailblazer L/LS doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Sportage’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Sportage and the Trailblazer offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Sportage has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Sportage (except Nightfall/LX)’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Trailblazer’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

The Kia Sportage has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The Kia Sportage outsold the Chevrolet Trailblazer by 10% during the 2021 model year.