Compare the2026 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2025 Toyota 4Runner

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Toyota 4Runner doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Blazer uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Blazer and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Blazer’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the 4Runner’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer first among midsize suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The 4Runner isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

As tested in Car and Driver the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the 4Runner Trailhunter 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Blazer gets better mileage than the 4Runner:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer V6’s fuel efficiency. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the Blazer’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Toyota only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the 4Runner Limited/i-FORCE MAX.

The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 4Runner (21.7 vs. 19 gallons).

The Blazer has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Blazer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the 4Runner.

The Blazer stops much shorter than the 4Runner:

The Blazer’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4Runner SR5’s standard 70 series tires. The Blazer RS’ optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 4Runner SR5. The Blazer RS’ optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The 4Runner doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Chevrolet Blazer has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Blazer RS AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the 4Runner Trailhunter pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Blazer RS AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Blazer’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 4Runner’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Chevrolet Blazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 1200 pounds less than the Toyota 4Runner.

The Blazer is 3 inches shorter than the 4Runner, making the Blazer easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Blazer’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Blazer uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Blazer RS AWD is quieter than the 4Runner Trailhunter (66 vs. 70 dB).

The Blazer has .1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 4.8 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4Runner.

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume than the 4Runner with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 12.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Blazer easier. The Blazer’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.3 inches, while the 4Runner’s liftover is 32.7 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Blazer’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 4Runner doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The 4Runner can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Blazer uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The 4Runner uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Blazer has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Blazer’s standard Keyless Open and Start allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key standard on the 4Runner doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The Blazer’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The 4Runner offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Blazer has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.