Starting at
Starting at
250-335 | Horsepower (hp) | 228-308 |
280-380 | Torque (lb-ft) | 258-270 |
73.4 | Cargo Space (cu.ft.) | 64.2 |
Vehicles built for the hustle and bustle of daily life are the ones that busy drivers should buy. This type of versatility comes in many shapes and sizes, but drivers who want the vehicle to make their lives easier while keeping up with the versatility of larger ones should consider a midsize SUV. This brings us to the two manufacturers who make the largest difference in this country: Ford and Chevy. Two manufacturers that opened their doors in the early 1900s and were the trailblazers of every American-made vehicle since. Both manufacturers offer various vehicle classes, but it's the 2023 Ford Edge vs 2023 Chevy Blazer that we are focusing our attention on today. But which one should you buy?
It’s not as complicated an answer as it may seem, but first, you need to learn a few things about the vehicles. Your shopping experience will begin by looking into the available trims and their pricing. The Ford Edge and Blazer are similarly priced, which places them in the same bracket of drivers that have a specific budget and vehicle type in mind. The Blazer comes with four trim levels, while the Edge has five. People tend to enjoy having extra trim levels to look through as it can allow for a more tailored experience, but it’s worth noting both have off-roading oriented trims: the Edge ST-Line and Blazer RS. Ultimately, if you’re shopping for a midsize SUV, you’ll have more flexibility with a Ford Edge thanks to that additional trim.
An outlier that immediately shaves away at the Chevy Blazer’s credibility is its lower-than-average cargo space. The Ford Edge has the advantage of being one of the most spacious midsize SUVs among other 2023 midsize models and is more spacious than some of its costlier peers, like the Grand Cherokee, among others. Most 2023 midsize SUVs offer at least 70 cu.ft. of space with the seats folded down, but the Edge falls behind with its 64.5 cu.ft. of space. The 2023 Ford Edge exceeds many available midsize SUVs thanks to its 73.4 cu.ft. of maximum cargo space.
Things don’t fare any better for the 2023 Blazer when the back seats are up. The 2023 Blazer has 30.5 cu.ft. of space available at all times but is sorely lacking behind its vast sea of competition––not just against Ford. The 2023 Edge is more spacious than a handful of midsize SUVs with the backseats folded up, including the Blazer, as Ford’s model has 39.2 cu.ft. of space, which is 28% more than the Blazer. The Ford Edge accommodates the varying needs of families with more cargo space that is wildly expandable by simply folding down those back seats.
The 2023 Edge not only has more cargo space than the Blazer in most of our testing, but it also comes out ahead in several key areas that we feel are crucial for an SUV. The best example of this is how you and everyone else you’re traveling with feel when sitting inside the vehicle, and the number one factor that affects this is the dimensions of the interior. Head and legroom are two dimensions you should look into for any car you’re purchasing.
Of course, everyone has different wants and needs with their vehicle, and you may find a smaller car to be better. However, if you’re buying an SUV, one of its largest advantages is providing ample head and legroom for everyone involved. Since the Edge and Blazers are midsize SUVs, you’ll probably have passengers in your vehicle pretty often, but it’s the Edge you should buy as its interior is larger, not just for cargo but passengers too. In the front row, the 2023 Ford Edge has 40.2 inches of headroom and 42.6 inches of legroom, both higher than the 39.8 and 41 inches of the same types of measurements in the Blazer. The backseats of the 2023 Ford Edge give passengers 40.3 inches of headroom and 42.6 inches of legroom, as opposed to 38.6 and 39.6 inches of head and legroom in the second row of the Blazer. Ultimately, the Edge is better suited to be an SUV thanks to its cargo space and 113.9 cu.ft. of passenger volume over the Blazer’s 107.8 cu.ft.
The Ford Edge keeps with tradition in that you don’t have to travel too far into a model’s list of trims before you strike it big with ample performance. Both the Edge and Blazer offer two powertrains each, and both come standard with a turbocharged engine. However, only the Edge offers a turbocharged V6 engine after the standard one, whereas the Edge’s V6 engine is non-turbocharged. The base model performance is important because it gives the best idea of what goals the manufacturer has in mind for each vehicle. With the Edge and Blazer, the name of the game is dynamic versatility.
Both standard powertrains are built upon turbocharged 2.0L I-4 engines, with the Blazer pairing to a nine-speed automatic transmission, while the Edge has an eight-speed. Having the nine-speed transmission doesn’t change the fact that the base performance in the Edge is better than the Blazer, as the turbocharged 2.0L I-4 engine in the Edge outputs 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque while towing up to 3,500 lbs. Horsepower, torque, and towing are all of lesser strength with Chevy’s SUV, as the Blazer’s base model only pushes out 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, with a maximum towing capacity of 3,250 lbs.
Things fare better on the towing side with the Blazer’s 3.6L V6 engine, but it still lacks in several regards compared to the Ford Edge’s turbocharged 2.7L V6 engine. For starters, the V6 in the Edge, along with the base engine, comes with standard all-wheel drive––there is no front-wheel drive option for the Ford SUV. The Blazer comes standard with front-wheel drive, so it’s not the best out of the gate when it comes to driving in in-climate weather. The Ford Edge has a much better performance output, with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque coming from the engine. The Blazer, on the other hand, only produces 308 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque.
The Edge and Blazer look similar on the outside and may perform similarly under the hood, but the underlying chassis that isn’t available to the naked eye is what makes the largest difference, especially when regarding impacts. Whether frontal, side, or rear collisions, it’s crucial that your vehicle is built with the utmost quality and materials to ensure the cage your vehicle is constructed around can withstand the force of an accident to keep everyone safe.
There are many ways that manufacturers continue to make their vehicles safe, adding in features like airbags and safety suites, but in general reliability, the Edge comes out on top. We’re not the only ones who think so either, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)––the leading organization in vehicle crash tests––named the 2023 Ford Edge a Top Safety Pick, while the 2023 Blazer received no award from the organization. In most areas where the Blazer faltered in the IIHS crash tests, the Edge exceeded in, like overall structure and safety cage. The IIHS also noted the driver’s right foot is another area where the Blazer showed more damage during a collision.
The 2023 Edge and Blazer both include notable driver-assist features to coincide with the technology suites that have been flourishing in the market. The Ford Edge is equipped with the Co-Pilot360 suite, while the Blazer has Chevy Safety Assist. Ford Co-Pilot360 includes features such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind-Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert, and the Lane-Keeping System. Similarly, the Blazer has features such as Forward Collision Alert with Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, and Front Pedestrian Braking. Safety is a key ingredient of midsize SUVs, and both Ford and Chevy got the memo. However, Ford’s vehicle is better constructed and has a stronger frame, meaning it’s easier to recommend that one over the Blazer.