Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Toyota Highlander doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.

Both the Blazer and the Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, around view monitors 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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

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 Blazer is .9% to 2.2% less likely to roll over than the Highlander.

The Blazer’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Highlander’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Highlander was rated third in its category.

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

The Blazer’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 13 more horsepower (308 vs. 295) and 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 263) than the Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

On the EPA test cycle the Blazer gets better mileage than the Highlander:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The Highlander doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Highlander (19.4 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Highlander (21.7 vs. 17.9 gallons).

The Blazer has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Blazer higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Toyota Highlander (5). This means the Blazer produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Highlander every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Blazer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Highlander.

The Blazer stops much shorter than the Highlander:

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Highlander (265/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer RS/Premier offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Highlander’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Toyota Highlander only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Highlander doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Blazer 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 Highlander doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the Highlander.

The Blazer RS 4x4 handles at .83 G’s, while the Highlander Platinum AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Blazer RS 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Highlander Platinum AWD (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Chevrolet Blazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the Toyota Highlander.

The Blazer is 3.1 inches shorter than the Highlander, making the Blazer easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Blazer uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Highlander doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Highlander doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume than the Highlander with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 16 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Blazer’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Highlander doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Highlander can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Blazer uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Highlander uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Blazer’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Highlander does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer LT/RS/Premier’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Highlander doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Consumer Reports rated the Blazer’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Highlander’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Blazer’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the Highlander because typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the Highlander, including $126 less for a starter, $148 less for fuel injection, $59 less for a fuel pump and $612 less for a timing belt/chain.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Blazer and the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.