Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Chevrolet Blazer

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Blazer doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Blazer doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia AT4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Blazer doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Acadia has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Blazer’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Acadia has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Blazer.

Both the Acadia and the Blazer 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 and around view monitors.

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

	Acadia	Blazer
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	22%
Leg Forces (l/r)	129/383 lbs.	104/435 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	43%	43%
Neck Compression	99 lbs.	140 lbs.

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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Chevrolet Blazer:

	Acadia	Blazer
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	157 lbs.
Hip Force	243 lbs.	369 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	39 G’s

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

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator. The Blazer’s standard 170-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 1 place higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 82 more horsepower (310 vs. 228) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 258) than the Blazer’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Blazer
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Blazer doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Acadia’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Blazer are solid, not vented.

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Blazer’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Acadia’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56.5% to 43.5%) than the Blazer’s (60.1% to 39.9%). This gives the Acadia more stable handling and braking.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Blazer RS 4x4 (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Acadia offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Blazer can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 36 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Blazer (143.8 vs. 107.8).

The Acadia has .2 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Blazer.

Cargo Capacity

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the Blazer.

	Acadia	Blazer
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	30.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	64.2 cubic feet

Ergonomics

The Acadia (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Blazer doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Acadia’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Blazer’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Blazer because typical repairs cost less on the Acadia than the Blazer, including $1 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

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

The GMC Acadia outsold the Chevrolet Blazer by 3475 units during the 2021 model year.