Chevrolet Trailblazer vs Toyota Fortuner. What’s better and why?

The Chevrolet Trailblazer will be launched on the 21st of October and it will be competing with the Toyota Fortuner. So, how better is it than the Fortuner?

What will be your pick if you are in the market to get one of these SUVs. We tell you with a basic preview of the two SUVs.

Toyota Fortuner’s biggest strengths are its presence, brand awareness in India, bullet-proof reliability, good network reach and of course good resale value as well. So, what does Chevrolet have to diffuse the heavyweight champion of SUVs?

Presence

The Chevrolet certainly has the presence, when it comes to Trailblazer. It is a massive American SUV that you can’t miss and it does have an appeal too.

Maybe not like the Fortuner, but it is certainly a large SUV that will suggest that you have arrived somewhere in life. The Ssangyong Rexton has also been another SUV that succeeded here as well. The Fortuner too has great presence.

Reliability

Toyota are known to keep on going without any issues. They have been built after a lot of testing and Toyota products are known for this ability globally. Chevrolet is a strong global player too, but hasn’t been strong with after sales and service in India, be it cost or the service. This is something Toyota will have an edge over Chevrolet.

Good Network

One of the key aspects to consider while buying a car is a strong network backing. Several Chevrolet dealerships have shut down across the country and this is another network for the American car brand.

Brand-Awareness

Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki are some of the few automakers that have higher brand recognition, and Toyota is known for its UVs in India. The Innova and Fortuner are the best-sellers from the Japanese auto-maker. While Chevrolet has struggled to sell the Captiva, we aren’t sure how will buyers react to Chevrolet products in India, in excess of INR 30 lakhs. Toyota and to a good extent Hyundai has been successful in this segment.

Good resale

Toyota has the best resale value in the SUV segment, and again another round goes to the Fortuner. Chevrolet has been struggling with its products for resale value and with the Trailblazer, it will be even more difficult.

The Toyota Fortuner will be a better product than the Trailblazer and majority of buyers will continue to pick the Japanese SUV. It is offered with more variants, while the Trailblazer only comes with a 2WD automatic. We reckon Chevrolet needs to strengthen its brand awareness if not dealer network for these kinds of products.

Hyundai has burnt the midnight oil and the results are appearing for the brand with the current Santa Fe. At the moment, we are just judging the book by its cover, while we will be doing a detailed comparison of the duo.

Read our review of the Toyota Fortuner 4×4 AT and first drive of the Chevrolet Trailblazer.