Some of you will see these as-tested prices
and blanch. After all, how many people can
afford to spend $30K on their first new
car? Just remember, we drove cars that
came loaded up from the manufacturer.
Not everyone needs AWD, a panoramic
sunroof, or a premium sound system. Dial
back the extras, and you can shave five to
seven grand off the price.
One note: We also drove a base model
Seltos that came in around $23,000. And
although the instrumentation, buttons,
and dials were a bit cruder, it’s not like
they feel cheap. The CVT functions well in
delivering the base engine’s power. It is a
supremely competent cheap car, and it’s a
screaming deal at the price point.
Conversely, after a day spent driving the
top-trim Trailblazer, Seabaugh professed
it to be quite good for a $25,000 SUV. Then
he looked at the Monroney sticker: “THIS
IS $32,000?!?” Yes, in all-caps. Sometimes
your incredulity needs to be shouted.
About the only good thing about the
Chevy’s price-value equation, Lieberman
said, is that it’s cheaper than its Buick
Encore GX sibling.
The Mazda aims for a premium space,
daring to compare itself against the likes
of a Lexus UX or Audi Q3 (yeah, not so
much ... ), so good luck finding a base model
at a dealership. But the upmarket price
does come with the best interior of the
batch, so perhaps its higher entry price
is worth it. In fact, our in-house vehicle
evaluation service, IntelliChoice, ranks the
Mazda narrowly ahead of the Seltos and
Trailblazer in terms of retained value.
The CX-30 is rated as a Top Safety Pick+
(the highest score) by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety. It scored
5/5 stars from NHTSA in all front and
side crash tests, and it earned 4/5 stars in
rollover testing. However, its driver assis-
tance features are laggy in their reaction
times, and when they do make their pres-
ence known, they’re more annoying than
helpful. One example: the startling, false
forward-collision warning alert triggered
by a shadow from a car the next lane over.
Although the Seltos has equally good
crashworthiness scores as the Mazda, its
headlights are rated Poor by IIHS, which
knocks it down several pegs in those
ratings. The Kia got 5/5 stars for side crash
and front driver crash tests from NHTSA
but 4/5 stars for front passenger and roll-
over tests. As far as driver assist systems
go, the Seltos has excellent lane keeping
systems that are more akin to “lane
centering,” and its smart cruise distance
keeping in surging traffic feels like it came
from a more expensive car. This is what
happens when the Genesis luxury division
quickly sends its technology downmarket.
The Trailblazer scored 5/5 stars for side
crash and front driver crash tests from
NHTSA but a worrying 3/5 for the front
passenger crash test. The Chevy had not
been tested by IIHS at press time. Lane
keeping consists of ping-ponging between
line markers, while the cruise control
won’t maintain its set speed on a downhill
grade. One area where design conflicts
with safety: Because the C- and D-pillars
are combined into one solid swath of
sheetmetal, the Trailblazer has no rear
quarter window. That results in a giant
blind spot that can hide an entire car.
Each scored 4/5 stars on the NHTSA
rollover test. Braking distances from 60 to
0 mph for all three came in right around
120 feet, which is respectable.It’s not like the Trailblazer is a bad first car.
Indeed, its roominess is outstanding for
its size, but you get underwhelming ride
and handling. And to equip it properly, you
could get a mid-trim SUV from the next
segment up, like a Honda CR-V.
The CX-30 is stylish and snazzy, and it
has great crashworthiness and predicted
retained value. But its driving dynamics
don’t match the design premise. And it
offers the smallest interior of the batch,
which limits your weekend choices.
Which brings us to the Seltos. It’s by far
the best driver, has the best infotainment
interface, is packaged smartly inside, ain’t
bad to look at, and delivers value in both
base and upgraded trim levels.
The finishing results were close. None
of these small SUVs is a poor choice, per se.
Each has its weaknesses—which is bound
to occur with entry-level vehicles. When
you build to an affordable price, sacrifices
will be made. However, both the Chevy’s
and Mazda’s shortcomings crippled their
chances of winning, whereas the Kia’s were
relatively minor by comparison.
As they say in golf, it’s not about the
good shots you hit. It’s about the bad ones.
Fellow kids, you’ll learn more about golf
when you get the big promotion. But the
title bump may not require you to upgrade
from these sweet wheels.Q3rd Chevrolet Trailblazer
Pros Roomy interior, racy design, sensible
infotainment
Cons Awful powertrain, outrageous
pricing, ungainly ride and handling2nd Mazda CX-30
Pros Upscale interior, crashworthiness,
steering feel
Cons Underpowered, claustrophobic,
unintuitive infotainment system1st Kia Seltos
Pros Responsive ride and handling, smart
packaging, good value
Cons Interior plastics, occasional shift
shock, meh design40 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2021