Compare the2023 Chevrolet TrailblazerVS 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

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 Trailblazer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer 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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the Trailblazer and the Eclipse Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Trailblazer is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Trailblazer its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 96 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

There are almost 9 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Trailblazer’s warranty.

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 Trailblazer’s reliability 55 points higher than the Eclipse Cross.

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 28th, 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 Mitsubishi 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, Mitsubishi is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 3 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

The Trailblazer’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (155 vs. 152) than the Eclipse Cross’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Chevrolet Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder is faster than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

On the EPA test cycle the Trailblazer gets better mileage than the Eclipse Cross:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Trailblazer’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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

For better stopping power the Trailblazer’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Eclipse Cross:

The Trailblazer stops shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

For better traction, the Trailblazer has larger tires than the Eclipse Cross (225/60R17 vs. 215/70R16).

The Trailblazer LS/LT/ACTIV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Trailblazer LS/LT/ACTIV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Eclipse Cross ES.

The Trailblazer 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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Trailblazer RS AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SEL pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Trailblazer RS AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Eclipse Cross SEL (28.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The Chevrolet Trailblazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The Trailblazer LS/LT is 5.5 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the Trailblazer easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

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

The Trailblazer has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more rear headroom and 2.3 inches more rear legroom than the Eclipse Cross.

The Trailblazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 23.4 cubic feet). The Trailblazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (54.4 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS’ power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Trailblazer AWD 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 Trailblazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Eclipse Cross can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Trailblazer’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Eclipse Cross has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Trailblazer and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Trailblazer is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Eclipse Cross prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Trailblazer’s front and rear power windows all lower 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 Eclipse Cross’ standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Trailblazer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mitsubishi Connect 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 Trailblazer has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Trailblazer’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Eclipse Cross’ headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Trailblazer has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Trailblazer ACTIV/RS offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS 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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Trailblazer is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Trailblazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Trailblazer will cost $665 to $2345 less than the Eclipse Cross over a five-year period.

The Trailblazer will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Trailblazer will retain 46.25% to 46.73% of its original price after five years, while the Eclipse Cross only retains 44.85% to 45.54%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Trailblazer will be $3269 to $4355 less than for the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Trailblazer, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isn't recommended.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by almost 11 to one during the 2021 model year.