Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2023 GMC Terrain

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear (child comfort guides) seat shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Blazer and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 GMC Terrain:

	Blazer	Terrain
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	190 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	104/435 lbs.	363/349 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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the GMC Terrain:

	Blazer	Terrain
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	93	109
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	157 lbs.	195 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	288
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	265	377
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	695 lbs.	730 lbs.

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 3.8% less likely to roll over than the Terrain.

Warranty

There are over 73 percent more Chevrolet dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

Reliability

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 17 points higher than the Terrain.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Terrain was rated third 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 GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 7th.

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 GMC 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, GMC is rated lower.

Engine

The Blazer’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (228 vs. 175) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Blazer’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 133 more horsepower (308 vs. 175) and 67 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Blazer’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Terrain:

	Blazer	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.64 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Blazer has larger standard tires than the Terrain (235/65R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (265/45R21 vs. 235/50R19).

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 Terrain’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Terrain SLE/AT4. The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Terrain.

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

Suspension and Handling

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Blazer’s wheelbase is 5.4 inches longer than on the Terrain (112.7 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 4.1 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

The Blazer RS 4x4 handles at .83 G’s, while the Terrain Denali 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 Terrain Denali AWD (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Blazer LT has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (7.5 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Blazer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Blazer has 4.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (107.8 vs. 103.2).

The Blazer has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Blazer has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Blazer has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Blazer. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain is limited to 1500 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 Terrain can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Blazer uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Terrain 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.

Ergonomics

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 Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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

The Blazer has a standard 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. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Blazer owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Blazer with a number “8” insurance rate while the Terrain is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the Terrain because it costs $73 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the Terrain, including $3 less for a water pump, $423 less for a muffler, $35 less for front brake pads, $68 less for a starter, $163 less for fuel injection and $231 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Blazer, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

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 Terrain isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Chevrolet Blazer outsold the GMC Terrain by 7% during the 2021 model year.

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