Compare the2023 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Chevrolet Blazer

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Chevrolet Blazer doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Blazer doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Blazer’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CR-V has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Blazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

The CR-V 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 CR-V has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Blazer.

The CR-V’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 Blazer doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CR-V and the Blazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 rear parking sensors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Blazer has not been fully tested, yet.

The CR-V’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Blazer’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Blazer.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 15 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Blazer:

			MPG
CR-V
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
Blazer
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

The CR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Blazer doesn’t offer a CVT.

The CR-V stops shorter than the Blazer:

	CR-V	Blazer
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	130 feet	Consumer Reports

The CR-V’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Blazer’s standard 65 series tires.

The CR-V’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57.6% to 42.4%) than the Blazer’s (60.1% to 39.9%). This gives the CR-V more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the CR-V’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Blazer’s (37.3 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The Honda CR-V may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 700 pounds less than the Chevrolet Blazer.

The CR-V is 7 inches shorter than the Blazer, making the CR-V easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The CR-V has .3 inches more front legroom and .8 inches more rear legroom than the Blazer.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Blazer with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Blazer with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 64.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Blazer’s liftover is 30.3 inches.

The CR-V’s standard front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Blazer’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The CR-V EX-L’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

The CR-V has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Blazer doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The CR-V’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.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda CR-V and the Chevrolet Blazer, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Blazer has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Chevrolet Blazer by almost four to one during 2022.