A shopper cross-shopping the small-SUV aisle in Allentown usually lands on the same question: does the value-priced end of the compact crossover class skip the features that make a vehicle livable, or does stepping up mean paying full-size money for something that still parks like a hatchback? The 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer is built to answer that without a trade-off. The range starts at $23,300 before a $1,795 destination charge, offers all-wheel drive when the Trax it's built alongside does not, and packs a standard 11-inch touchscreen and Chevy Safety Assist onto every trim from the entry LS to the off-road-styled Activ.

Outten Chevrolet of Allentown stocks and services all four Trailblazer trims at 1701 W Tilghman St. Engines, trim pricing, technology, cargo and towing, safety and a trim-by-trim buying guide follow, weighed against how the Lehigh Valley actually drives.

2026 Trailblazer Engines and Powertrain Options

The Trailblazer runs two distinct powertrains, and which one is under the hood decides more about the vehicle than any options list does.

Standard: 1.2L turbo I-3

LS and LT trims come standard with a 1.2-liter turbocharged inline-3 rated at 137 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm, paired exclusively with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive. This is the efficiency-first setup: it returns an EPA-estimated 30 MPG combined and is the engine most LS and LT buyers drive home in.

Available: 1.3L turbo I-3

Step up to the 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-3, a $395 option on LS and LT and standard on RS and Activ, and the Trailblazer makes 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, instrumented-tested at roughly 9.4 seconds to 60 mph. The 1.3L is also the only way to get all-wheel drive: choosing AWD automatically brings the 1.3L and swaps the CVT for a 9-speed automatic. There is no 1.2L-plus-AWD combination on this vehicle, and no four-wheel-drive system at all. AWD is the correct term for what the Trailblazer offers, and it's optional, never standard, on every trim.

Fuel economy by configuration

Configuration	City	Highway	Combined
1.2L, FWD (LS/LT standard)	30 MPG	31 MPG	30 MPG
1.3L, FWD (RS/Activ standard; LS/LT optional)	29 MPG	33 MPG	31 MPG
1.3L, AWD (any trim)	26 MPG	29 MPG	27 MPG

Those are EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov. The 1.2L is the mileage leader by a real margin, 30 combined, and all-wheel drive costs 4 MPG combined against the front-drive 1.3L. That is a fair trade for winter traction on the ridge roads around Nazareth and Slatington, but it's worth knowing before you option it on a car that mostly sees Route 22 traffic between Allentown and Bethlehem.

Trailblazer Trim Lineup and Pricing

Four trims, two engines, and a pricing ladder where the same-size step buys very different things depending on where you start. Every price below excludes the $1,795 destination charge, which Chevrolet publishes separately.

Trim	Starting MSRP (FWD)	With AWD	What defines it
LS	$23,300	$25,300	Value entry: 11-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Chevy Safety Assist and 17-inch silver-painted alloy wheels, all standard.
LT	$24,500	$26,500	The most-popular trim: LS equipment plus silver-painted roof rails and the easiest path to the 1.3L/AWD combination.
RS	$27,900	$29,500	Sport styling: standard 1.3L engine, 19-inch high-gloss-black machined-aluminum wheels, blacked-out trim.
Activ	$27,900	$29,500	Rugged-look styling: standard 1.3L engine, off-road-tuned suspension cues and skid-plate styling, raised ride height.

Two things worth reading off that table. RS and Activ are priced identically and both come with the 1.3L engine standard, so the choice between them is styling, not spec: RS leans sport, Activ leans rugged. And the 1.3L engine itself is only a $395 add on LS or LT, a small line item that also raises horsepower from 137 to 155 and opens the door to AWD, which is not available at any price on the base 1.2L.

Technology and Connectivity

Every 2026 Trailblazer, LS through Activ, comes with an 11-inch diagonal touchscreen standard, a full 3 inches larger than the base screen on its Trax sibling, alongside an 8-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hotspot, satellite radio and push-button start. That is a genuinely uncommon spec at this price point: most compact crossovers reserve an 11-inch display for a mid or top trim, not the entry LS.

Moving up the options list brings a wireless phone charging pad, available Bose premium audio, and three selectable drive modes. The Driver Confidence Package ($395) adds blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear park assist, worth flagging for anyone merging onto Route 22 near the 15th Street interchange in Allentown, where short on-ramps and standstill traffic make blind-spot coverage genuinely useful rather than a nice-to-have.

Interior and Comfort

The Trailblazer rides on a 104.0-inch wheelbase inside a 174.1-inch overall length, and it uses that footprint efficiently: 40.9 inches of front legroom and 55.4 inches of front shoulder room, with 123.5 cubic feet of EPA-rated total interior volume. Front seating is genuinely comfortable for taller drivers. The second row, at 39.0 inches of legroom, is sized for the segment rather than for adults on a long haul, typical for a compact crossover and not a knock unique to this one.

A fold-flat front passenger seat is standard on every trim, which lets the Trailblazer swallow an 8.5-foot object, a ladder, lumber, a kayak, running the length of the cabin, a trick most rivals in this size class don't offer. The RS adds a flat-bottom steering wheel and blacked-out interior trim. The Activ leans toward durable, weather-ready materials suited to gear and mud rather than dress-up chrome, a fit for anyone hauling gear between Easton and Emmaus on a weekend. Seven exterior colors are offered across the lineup, from Summit White to Cacti Green.

Cargo, Passenger Space and Towing Capability

Measurement	2026 Trailblazer
Cargo behind the rear seats	25.3 cu. ft.
Maximum cargo, seats folded	54.4 cu. ft.
Seating	5
Maximum towing, properly equipped, front- or all-wheel drive	1,000 pounds

The 25.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats is the number that matters on an ordinary week, a Costco run from Whitehall or the gear for a weekend at Trexler Nature Preserve, and it beats the Trax's own behind-seat figure by a hair. Fold the seats flat (standard, no package required) and the hold opens to 54.4 cubic feet, the largest max-cargo figure in this two-model Chevy pairing. An available hands-free power liftgate opens with a foot kick, which matters more than it sounds like the first time you're crossing a wet lot at the Allentown Fairgrounds with both arms full.

The 1,000-pound towing rating, available with the trailering package ($1,025) when properly equipped on front- or all-wheel-drive models, is a genuinely uncommon spec in this class: the Trax, the Trailblazer's own in-house sibling, isn't rated to tow at all. It's not a boat-and-trailer number, but it covers a small utility trailer, a pair of kayaks on a rack-and-trailer combo for a Poconos weekend, or a load of yard waste to the transfer station without renting a truck.

Safety and Driver Assistance

Chevy Safety Assist comes standard on every 2026 Trailblazer trim, LS through Activ, bundling six features: forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking with front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, a following-distance indicator and IntelliBeam automatic high beams. Federal NHTSA testing gave the Trailblazer a 5-star frontal rating and a 4-star rollover rating; independent IIHS testing rated it Good on the small-overlap front and side tests. Its headlight rating splits by trim, Acceptable on LS and LT, Poor on RS and Activ, the tradeoff of the sportier trims' styled lighting units, worth a look for anyone commuting the unlit rural stretches around Slatington, Nazareth or the PA 145 corridor after dark.

Stepping up to the Driver Confidence Package adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, features that don't come standard at this price point on every competitor in the class.

Which 2026 Trailblazer Is Right for You?

If this is you	Buy this	Why
You want the lowest payment and the best mileage	LS, 1.2L FWD	$23,300 gets an 11-inch screen, Chevy Safety Assist and 30 MPG combined, nothing to add.
You drive unplowed roads or steep grades in winter	LT, 1.3L AWD	$26,500 is the least-expensive way into AWD, with roof rails and the 1.3L's extra 18 horsepower.
You want the sportiest look and standard extra power	RS	$27,900 makes the 1.3L standard, with 19-inch black wheels and blacked-out trim, no options needed.
You tow a small trailer or want rugged styling	Activ	$27,900, same standard 1.3L, with off-road-tuned suspension cues and the trailering package available for the 1,000-lb tow rating.

A well-equipped pick for most Lehigh Valley buyers is an LT with the 1.3L and AWD at $26,500 excluding destination. See the Trailblazers on the ground now, or get pre-approved before you come in.

Why Buy the 2026 Trailblazer at Outten Chevrolet

The 2026 Trailblazer carries 3 years or 36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, and 6 years or 100,000 miles against rust-through, plus one covered first maintenance visit in the first 12 months. We sell and service every trim under one roof at 1701 W Tilghman St in Allentown, and sales reach us at (484) 244-2822. PennDOT runs salt and anti-skid heavily on Route 22, I-78 and PA 33 from late November through March, and what road salt does to brake hardware and underbody fasteners has nothing to do with the odometer. Buying from a store that will still be servicing the vehicle in year six is worth something in a market that salts this hard. Trade appraisal, financing and a test drive can be lined up before you arrive, and families come to us from Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Nazareth, Whitehall, Slatington and across the Lehigh Valley.

2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer Frequently Asked Questions

Explore the Trailblazer