The XT4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT4 has standard Reverse Automatic Braking 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.
The XT4 has a standard Surround Vision 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 XT4 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Trailblazer’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the XT4 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Trailblazer and the Trailblazer’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.
Both the XT4 and the Trailblazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.
The Cadillac XT4 weighs 413 to 853 pounds more than the Chevrolet Trailblazer. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:
|
XT4 |
Trailblazer |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
350 |
401 |
Neck Stress |
131 lbs. |
153 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
77 lbs. |
82 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
73/175 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 Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:
|
XT4 |
Trailblazer |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.8 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
185 lbs. |
199 lbs. |
Hip Force |
328 lbs. |
459 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
169 |
185 |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
13 inches |
HIC |
204 |
337 |
Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
38 G’s |
Hip Force |
522 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 XT4 is 1.2% to 3.1% less likely to roll over than the Trailblazer.