Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback

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 Audi Q5 Sportback has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Blazer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Chevrolet Blazer has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Blazer and the Q5 Sportback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 Audi Q5 Sportback:

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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Audi Q5 Sportback:

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

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Blazer 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5 Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 Sportback ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 10 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Blazer has a standard 170-amp alternator (155-amp - Blazer V6 FWD). The Q5 Sportback’s standard 110-amp alternator and largest (optional) 150-amp alternator aren’t as powerful.

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 Blazer’s reliability 11 points higher than the Q5 Sportback.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Q5 Sportback isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 92 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 31st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

The Blazer’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 47 more horsepower (308 vs. 261) than the Q5 Sportback’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Q5 Sportback (19.4 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Sportback (21.7 vs. 18.5 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 Q5 Sportback 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 Audi Q5 Sportback (5). This means the Blazer produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q5 Sportback 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 a seven-speed automatic is available for the Q5 Sportback.

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q5 Sportback (265/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Blazer’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Q5 Sportback (112.7 inches vs. 111 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Q5 Sportback.

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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Blazer has 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5 Sportback.

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 24.7 cubic feet). The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 51.9 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Audi Q5 Sportback is limited to 4400 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Q5 Sportback can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Blazer uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Blazer has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a remote starting 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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Blazer has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 Sportback only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Blazer offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Blazer is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Blazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Blazer will cost $1175 to $3380 less than the Q5 Sportback over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the Q5 Sportback because typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the Q5 Sportback, including $240 less for a water pump, $293 less for a muffler, $370 less for a starter, $163 less for fuel injection, $88 less for a fuel pump and $254 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Blazer will be $13277 to $16158 less than for the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Blazer and the Audi Q5 Sportback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q5 Sportback isn’t in the top three.

The Chevrolet Blazer outsold the Audi Q5 by 2597 units during the 2021 model year.