Compare the2025 Dodge HornetVS 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer

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

Safety

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The Hornet has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Hornet offers optional Rear Park-Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Hornet. But it costs extra on the Trailblazer.

The Hornet offers an optional 360° Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Trailblazer only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Hornet has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Trailblazer’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Hornet has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Trailblazer.

The Hornet’s optional 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 Hornet and the Trailblazer 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, 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 and rearview cameras.

The Dodge Hornet weighs 426 to 1111 pounds more than the Chevrolet Trailblazer. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Hornet’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Trailblazer’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Engine

The Hornet GT’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 131 more horsepower (268 vs. 137) and 133 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 162) than the Trailblazer’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Hornet GT’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 113 more horsepower (268 vs. 155) and 121 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 174) than the Trailblazer’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder. The Hornet R/T’s standard 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 133 more horsepower (288 vs. 155) and 209 lbs.-ft. more torque (383 vs. 174) than the Trailblazer’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

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

	Hornet GT	Hornet R/T	Trailblazer
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	5.6 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	14.2 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.8 MPH	96.1 MPH	80.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet running on electricity gets better mileage than the Trailblazer:

			MPGe
Hornet
	AWD	R/T Electric Motors	77 city/77 hwy
Trailblazer
			MPG
	FWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/33 hwy
		1.2 turbo 3-cyl.	30 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet R/T running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder 9-speed Auto AWD (29 city/29 hwy vs. 26 city/29 hwy).

The Hornet R/T can travel with zero emissions for 32 miles. The Trailblazer can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Hornet R/T’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Hornet 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 Trailblazer doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Hornet has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Trailblazer. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Hornet GT	Hornet R/T	Trailblazer
Front Rotors	12.1 inches	13.5 inches	11.81 inches
Rear Rotors	10.9 inches	12.1 inches	10.39 inches

The Hornet stops shorter than the Trailblazer:

	Hornet	Trailblazer
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	166 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Hornet’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trailblazer RS’ 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Hornet offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Trailblazer’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Dodge Hornet 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 rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

The Hornet offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Trailblazer’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Hornet is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Trailblazer.

The Hornet R/T handles at .84 G’s, while the Trailblazer RS AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Hornet R/T executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Trailblazer RS AWD (26.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Hornet R/T’s turning circle is .4 feet tighter than the Trailblazer RS’ (37.9 feet vs. 38.3 feet).

Passenger Space

The Hornet has .8 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Trailblazer.

Cargo Capacity

The Hornet has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trailblazer with its rear seat up (27 vs. 25.3 cubic feet). The Hornet has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trailblazer with its rear seat folded (54.7 vs. 54.4 cubic feet).

Towing

The Hornet’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Trailblazer’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Hornet uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Trailblazer 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

When three different drivers share the Hornet, the optional memory system makes it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and radio stations. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Hornet’s front and rear power windows all 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 Trailblazer’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Hornet the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Trailblazer can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Hornet’s standard Keyless Enter-N-Go allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Trailblazer only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. Keyless Start is not available on the Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS.

The Hornet’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Trailblazer’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Hornet offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Hornet’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Chevrolet only offers heated mirrors on the Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS.

Both the Dodge Hornet and Chevrolet Trailblazer offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Hornet features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Trailblazer’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Hornet keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Hornet has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Trailblazer LS doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Hornet’s 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. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Hornet and the Trailblazer offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Hornet 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.

Compared to the Chevrolet Trailblazer, the Dodge Hornet eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the driver’s visor.

The Hornet’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer an automated parking system.