Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer

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
Recommendations

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Area View 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan has standard rear cross-path warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Trailblazer.

Both the Tiguan 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The Volkswagen Tiguan weighs 448 to 807 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 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 Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Chevrolet Trailblazer:

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	91
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	199 lbs.
Hip Force	337 lbs.	459 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	185
Hip Force	510 lbs.	517 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	330	337

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 Tiguan is 1.1% to 1.7% less likely to roll over than the Trailblazer.

Warranty

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Trailblazer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Trailblazer’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Trailblazer.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Trailblazer’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Tiguan’s 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.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (184 vs. 137) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 162) than the Trailblazer’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (184 vs. 155) and 47 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 174) than the Trailblazer’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

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

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
Zero to 60 MPH	8.6 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	81.5 MPH	80.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Trailblazer (15.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Trailblazer (15.9 vs. 13.2 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.81 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.39 inches

The Tiguan stops shorter than the Trailblazer:

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
60 to 0 MPH	131 feet	133 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Trailblazer (255/45R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trailblazer’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan SEL R-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Trailblazer’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Volkswagen Tiguan 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 Tiguan has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tiguan flat and controlled during cornering. The Trailblazer’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Tiguan 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the Trailblazer (109.9 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Tiguan is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than on the Trailblazer.

The Tiguan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.9% to 44.1%) than the Trailblazer’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Tiguan more stable handling and braking.

The Tiguan 4Motion® handles at .82 G’s, while the Trailblazer RS AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Trailblazer can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 7.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trailblazer.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area provides more volume than the Trailblazer.

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
Third Seat Folded	33 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	25.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	65.3 cubic feet	54.4 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	54.4 cubic feet

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

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

	Tiguan	Trailblazer
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./32”/64.5”
Max Width	55”	54”
Min Width	39.8”	41”
Height	33.5”	28.2”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Tiguan’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Tiguan’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Trailblazer’s (1500 vs. 1000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Tiguan 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 Tiguan SEL R-Line, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Tiguan’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 Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Trailblazer can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Trailblazer’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Tiguan’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Trailblazer’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Trailblazer doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Tiguan’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.

When the Tiguan SEL Premium is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Trailblazer’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Tiguan SEL R-Line 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 Tiguan has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Trailblazer LS doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Tiguan SE/SEL’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 Tiguan and the Trailblazer offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Tiguan 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 Tiguan SEL R-Line’s standard 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.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s 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.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Tiguan outsold the Chevrolet Trailblazer by 45% during 2022.

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