The market for small, city-friendly subcompact SUVs is packed with strong candidates. Two of them are the 2025 Volkswagen Taos and the 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which we compare here.
Both offer all-wheel drive (AWD), and, thanks to their small turbocharged engines, they’re easy on fuel budgets. Furthermore, given their low prices, you also get a surprising number of tech features and driver aids.
Because of their modest proportions, the Taos and Trailblazer can also slip through tiny gaps in traffic. Even better, you don’t have to sacrifice rear legroom or cargo capacity; the Taos and Trailblazer deliver plenty of each.
Let’s take a deeper dive into what the Volkswagen Taos and Chevrolet Trailblazer have to offer.
2025 Volkswagen Taos
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos starts at $26,420, including factory-to-dealer delivery charges. Volkswagen updated the Taos for 2025 with a refreshed face, including a new grille, a new bumper, and LED projector headlights across the trim lineup. Inside, a new integrated, floating 8-inch infotainment display anchors the center dashboard. Volkswagen also gave the engine a performance boost, while eliminating the 7-speed transmission for all-wheel-drive models. Four grades are available: S, SE, SE Black, and SEL.
Propelling the Taos is a 174-hp (16 hp more than last year) turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder linked to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard for most trims, with all-wheel drive optional on the S, SE, and SE Black. The range-topping SEL provides standard all-wheel drive.
Volkswagen Taos Highlights
Peppy performance: During many miles of road testing, we’ve routinely found the driving dynamics of the Volkswagen Taos to be a cut above most competing models. Its sharp handling is well-matched to a ride that’s firm yet nicely balanced. Its turbo 4-cylinder has plenty of pep for city and highway driving, too.
Digital Cockpit: This slick-looking digital instrument panel measures 8 inches in the Taos S, SE, and SE Black, or 10.25 inches in the SEL (where it’s called Digital Cockpit Pro). Navigation instructions, music settings, and other vehicle info are broadcast directly ahead of the driver, which means less glancing away from the road to sneak a peek at a dash-mounted infotainment screen.
Free maintenance: One nice perk Volkswagen Taos shoppers enjoy is two years or 20,000 miles of free maintenance, whichever comes first. This is in addition to the bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties that span four years/50,000 miles.
Read our Volkswagen Taos Expert Review or see 2025 Volkswagen Taos models for sale near you.
2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Chevy offers the Trailblazer in a quartet of trims (LS, LT, Activ, and RS) with pricing starting at $24,395, including delivery fee. Having undergone a mild makeover last year, the Trailblazer returns in 2025 basically unchanged.
Serving as the standard mill is a 137-hp turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. This engine is only offered with front-wheel drive.
We recommend choosing the optional 155-hp 1.3-liter turbo 3-cylinder. Not only does it have a bit more punch than the somewhat lethargic base engine, but it’s also available with front- or all-wheel drive.
Chevrolet Trailblazer Highlights
Chevrolet Safety Assist: Standard on every Trailblazer, this bundle of advanced safety tech includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, automatic high beams, and a following distance indicator.
User-friendly infotainment system: A combination of an 11-inch touchscreen and an 8-inch digital instrument display highlights this system that looks modern and is simple to operate. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and two USB ports are all included.
Mildly adventurous Activ model: Even subcompact SUV shoppers are up for a little adventure, right? To that end, the Activ grade has underbody skid plates, a stronger off-road suspension system, and 17-inch black-painted alloy wheels. Inside, it adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The Volkswagen Taos doesn’t offer a rugged trim quite like this.
Read our Chevrolet Trailblazer Expert Review or see 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer models for sale near you.
Similarities
Easy to maneuver and kind to your SUV-shopping budget, the Volkswagen Taos and Chevy Trailblazer have much to offer. They don’t skimp on safety or tech gear, either. Moreover, they deliver nearly identical amounts of cargo space and rear legroom. The Taos holds an edge with the former (especially with the rear seats folded), while the Trailblazer is a smidge more generous with the latter.
Conclusion
Looking at our final scorecard – not to mention our ranking of the Best Subcompact SUVs of 2024 and 2025, it’s the Chevrolet Trailblazer that takes a closely fought win. True, the Trailblazer’s base engine is limited in passing power, but we like the design and engineering that have gone into Chevy’s smallest, most-affordable SUV. It’s surprisingly spacious, and updates have kept it current in terms of tech touches.
However, we have high praise for the Volkswagen Taos, too. In fact, we’d say it’s a little more fun to drive and equally as accommodating in terms of interior space and cargo volume. On the other hand, when optioned to its highest trim, this pint-size VW’s price vaults the $30,000 hurdle. That starts to pit it against larger and more versatile compact SUVs.
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors.
The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for vehicles and vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership.
These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.
| 2025 Volkswagen Taos | 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer | |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | Turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder | Turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 174 hp @ 5,500 rpm | 137 hp @ 5,000 rpm |
| Torque | 184 lb-ft @ 1,7500 rpm | 162 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | CVT |
| Fuel economy MPG | 28 city/33 highway/31 combined (2024) | 30 city/31 highway/30 combined |
| Also Available | AWD | Turbo 1.3-liter 3-cyl, 9-speed automatic, AWD |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 4 years/50,000 miles | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 4 years/50,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety | 4 stars | 5 stars |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Wheelbase | 105.9 inches | 103.9 inches |
| Overall Length | 175.8 inches | 175.5 inches |
| Width | 72.5 inches | 71.2 inches |
| Height | 64.4 inches | 65.2 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 37.6 feet | 36.8 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.7 inches | 40.0 inches |
| Headroom, Rear | 39.8 inches | 39.4 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 40.1 inches | 40.9 inches |
| Legroom, Rear | 37.9 inches | 39.4 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 56.5 inches | 55.4 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Rear | 55.2 inches | 53.8 inches |
| Cargo Volume rear seats up/down | 27.9/65.9 cubic feet | 25.3/54.4 cubic feet |