Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer

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

Safety

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Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Seltos S Turbo/EX/SX has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Seltos’ 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 Trailblazer doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Trailblazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems 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 Kia Seltos is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:

	Seltos	Trailblazer
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	153 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	409/383 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 Kia Seltos is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:

	Seltos	Trailblazer
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	170 lbs.	199 lbs.
Hip Force	428 lbs.	459 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	225	337
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	591 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 Seltos is 1% to 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Trailblazer.

Warranty

The Seltos comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Trailblazer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Trailblazer. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Trailblazer ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Seltos’ engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Trailblazer’s camshafts. If the Trailblazer’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 11 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (146 vs. 137) than the Trailblazer’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (175 vs. 155) and 21 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 174) than the Trailblazer’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Chevrolet Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos Nightfall/SX	Trailblazer
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.9 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	15.4 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	91.2 MPH	80.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better mileage than the Trailblazer:

			MPG
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
Trailblazer
	FWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/33 hwy
		1.2 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/30 hwy

Transmission

The Seltos offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is more internally efficient than a CVT but just as easy to drive. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Seltos Nightfall/SX’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Trailblazer:

	Seltos Nightfall/SX	Trailblazer
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.81 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.39 inches

The Seltos stops shorter than the Trailblazer:

	Seltos	Trailblazer
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Trailblazer (235/45R18 vs. 225/60R17).

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trailblazer LS/LT/ACTIV’s standard 60 series tires. The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Trailblazer’s optional 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Seltos AWD has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

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

The Seltos has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Trailblazer RS AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Trailblazer RS AWD (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Trailblazer’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

Passenger Space

The Seltos has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 7.1 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trailblazer.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Trailblazer’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trailblazer with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 25.3 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trailblazer with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 54.4 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Seltos easier. The Seltos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Trailblazer’s liftover is 30.8 inches.

The Seltos’ cargo area is larger than the Trailblazer’s in almost every dimension:

	Seltos	Trailblazer
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.7”/62.4”	32”/64.5”
Max Width	52.3”	54”
Min Width	41.6”	41”
Height	32.5”	28.2”

Ergonomics

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Seltos’ standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Trailblazer’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

Both the Seltos and the Trailblazer offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos S/EX/Nightfall/SX has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Seltos (except LX)’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Trailblazer’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

Economic Advantages

The Seltos will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Seltos will retain 49.25% to 49.41% of its original price after five years, while the Trailblazer only retains 46.25% to 46.73%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Chevrolet Trailblazer, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2021 issue and they ranked the Kia Seltos SX first. They ranked the Chevrolet Trailblazer RS AWD third.