On paper, the 2019-2021 Chevy Blazer and second-gen GMC Acadia are very similar. They are both midsize crossovers, they are built on the same platform, their engine and transmission lineups are identical and they are very similar in price. It would therefore not be surprising if customers found it difficult to choose between the two GM crossovers, or that one would be stealing (cannibalizing) sales of the other. But that’s not the case.
There is one key difference: the 2021 Chevy Blazer has two rows of seats (in North American markets, at least) and the GMC Acadia has three. This fact alone means the vehicles are appealing to almost completely separate customer bases.
“You’re always going to see some sort of interaction, especially when we have about 700 dealerships that are shared with Chevrolet and GMC, but we feel like the big line in the sand with these two vehicles is the third row,” Brad Franz, senior marketing director, Chevrolet SUVs, told GM Authority executive editor, Alex Luft, in a recent interview.
“We don’t see as much interaction as one may think,” he added. “We typically run four-ish percent of interaction between Acadia and Blazer, which is very, very low. You do get it, but it’s very low for all intents and purposes.”
| 2021 Chevy Blazer | 2021 GMC Acadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Base MSRP | $29,995 | $30,995 |
| Length (inches) | 191.4 | 193.4 |
| Width (inches)* | 76.7 | 75.4 |
| Height (inches) | 67.0 | 66.7 |
| Wheelbase (inches) | 112.7 | 112.5 |
| Seating rows | 2 | 2 or 3 |
| Passenger capacity | 5 | 5 or 7 |
| Base curb weight (pound) | 4,043 | 3,923 |
| Engines | ||
| Base | 2.5L I4 LCV | 2.5L I4 LCV |
| Uplevel | 2.0L I4 LSY | 2.0L I4 LSY |
| Range-topping | 3.6L V6 LGX | 3.6L V6 LGX |
| Transmission | 9-speed auto | 9-speed auto |
| Drivetrain | FWD / AWD | FWD / AWD |
| Platform | C1 | C1 |
- * Without mirrors
Base MSRP includes a destination freight charge of $1,195 in each case. The base, naturally-aspirated 2.5 I4 LCV is rated at 193 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque, while the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine produces 230 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The range-topping 3.6L V6 LGX makes 308 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.
Both models ride on the C1 platform (pronounced “Chi”), which is also used for the Cadillac XT5, along with the Cadillac XT6 and the Chinese-market Buick Enclave and three-row Blazer. A longer-wheelbase variant underpins the North American Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse.
Sales Numbers - Chevy Blazer & GMC Acadia - Q3 2020 - USA
| MODEL | Q3 20 / Q3 19 | Q3 20 | Q3 19 | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMC ACADIA | -10.36% | 18,231 | 20,338 | -36.02% | 51,159 | 79,958 |
| CHEVROLET BLAZER | +45.17% | 29,486 | 20,312 | +103.25% | 71,356 | 35,107 |
| TOTAL | +17.39% | 47,717 | 40,650 | +6.47% | 122,515 | 115,065 |
The 2021 Chevy Blazer is comfortably outselling the GMC Acadia, suggesting that relatively few customers need seven seats rather than five. In Q3 of 2020, the Blazer was the second most popular two-row mainstream crossover in the U.S., losing out only to the Jeep Grand Cherokee for first.
In addition, roughly 45 percent of all Blazer sales are accounted for by customers who have never previously bought a Chevrolet, as GM Authority exclusively reported in October. That makes the reborn SUV CUV quite the conquest champ.
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Comments
Fewer people are cross shopping the Acadia because fewer people are shopping for it at all.
The refresh was a dud. It made the exterior worse and didn’t address the cheap feeling interior. In no way did that refresh make the Acadia more attractive. It’s not competitive with the Highlander, Pilot, or Ascent. Adding insult to injury, GMC locks a lot of active safety equipment behind higher trim levels – while their Japanese competitors offer it standard equipment. Active safety gear is very important in any car – but particularly 3 row crossovers.
The Acadia also has a very bad reputation for reliability because the first gen was so bad. Even though the second gen is much better; the reputation is still there.
The Acadia needs a total redesign, with a focus on quality, reliability, and more logical packaging of safety equipment.
I have a 2012 Acadia with 175,000 miles which is still running fine. My new 2021 Acadia lower SLE trim does have all driver assist standard (yes finally). The engine and transmission are far better than the Highlander, Pilot, or Ascent. I think GMC nailed it on the 2021 Acadia. I even now like the push button shift which I was at first hesitant about.
I also own a 2018 Acadia (2.4L AWD) and also very happy with it so far. The 2021 model addresses one of my two complaints with the 2018, the lack of standard driver assist features. The other complaint is one that I knew going in; the 2.4L engine is lackluster but tolerable with the AWD shift profile and the fact that I can easily average 30mgd at 70mph on the highway.
As an owner of a 2018 Acadia SLE, I could not disagree more. ThIs generation Acadia is very sophisticated, beautiful interior, high level of tech, and I get complimented on the exterior styling just about anywhere I go.
A quality product by GMC.
I highly doubt that. The Acadia is not a bad looking vehicle, but it’s not a good looking vehicle either. It has some awkward lines, especially the rear side window that lines up with… Nothing.
It’s better looking than the blazer, but that’s not a high bar. The Equinox and Traverse were far better executed..
I own a 20 Equinox, hate it. I had a 15 prior and loved it.I wish I could have talked the purse strings into a Acadia
When people say that I always wonder what kind of crap town they live in that the nicest vehicle there is a 40k CUV. We have had our fair share of nice and unique vehicles and rarely get a compliment. So the only other conclusion is people such as yourself are lying to try and strengthen your point. With that said it is a nice looking vehicle (though it doesn’t really stand out against the competition) with a nice interior and good tech, but note worthy enough to be complimented on anywhere someone goes, that is a hard no.
I guess I am an exception to this analysis. After ruling out the Highlander and the Passport, I chose between the Blazer and the Acadia. I ended up picking the Acadia because of headroom and rear visibility. The 3rd row was a don’t care either way.
Raymond you are not alone.
We are please with our 2017. It was the right size and has been a pleasure to own. We looked at the older Acadia but it was too large for our needs.
Those who like to say the new one is a failure have yet to account for the higher sale numbers it has produced.
The truth is the Blazer and Acadia compliment the segment as they target two totally different buyers as like the Equinox and Terrain have over the years.
Few brands can offer two models in the same segment. But these two do and combined off a lot of sales to GM and profits.
Now I hope they continue to move the trucks farther apart to grab more market share.
It is at the expense of the Traverse !
This is a Chevrolet modlel.
Look at those numbers !!
Spin, Spin, Spin !
Speaking from my own experience, and being a former GM dealership employee for over 20+years and a GM loyalist, I traded my ‘13 ATS, then ‘13 XTS (due to 37 mechanical problem visits to the dealer that couldn’t be resolved) for a ‘15 SRX which was great. I then wanted a third row option and moved into my ‘17 Acadia Denali. They were all equally beautiful, but I received far more compliments on the Acadia. HOWEVER, that SUV was also nothing but a mechanical nightmare from day one! Multiple GM engineering execs flew to my selling dealer to try to figure out the constant recurring engine problems and could not come up with an answer. I was told that the very apparent noises that sounded literally like a popcorn maker under the hood “should not impact the drivability of the vehicle in the future”. Also, if they were to replace the motor and the problem was not corrected, I was on my own. I was not willing to take that chance with a $50k vehicle. It took everything short of begging to get a lemon law GM buyback to happen! This was all in a matter of just months of ownership. I put exponentially more miles on the multiple loaner cars I had than on my own car. I WAS DONE!!
Needless to say, I am now the proud owner of a BMW X5 since 2018. Never so much as a peep from this far superior machine, it’s an absolute pleasure to drive, and their service treats me like I’m royalty. Hard lesson learned!
Fortunately, BMW and Benz were soundly defeated in WWII by the likes of GMC, Ford, Studebaker, Nash, Packard etc. otherwise we would all be driving German cars.
Impressive that engineers actually visited the dealer to try to resolve the issue, but they did it wrong. The engine should have been pulled, shipped back to the engine factory, torn apart and checked with a micrometers. No doubt it was an assembly problem, a part made out of tolerance, something not torque correctly, sabotage, etc, etc, etc. If a tear down was performed the source would have been found. Sounds like these guys were sent out to resolve a customer issue, not an engineering issue.
There needs to be a safety law about third row seats. A vehicle of this size, the kids sitting in the third row become part of the rear bumper. I had a 1979 Impala wagon, the rear third row seat faced the rear window. Not much difference with a 18 foot long vehicle.
Ever see then backseat of a new Fiat? The crush space is the back of your head.
The Arcadia is better looking with at4 and no 3rd row it is on my short list to look at
That’s “A C A D I A”
Durango is far nicer than Arcadia if you can get past the Dodge nameplate.
I’ve unfortunately experienced first hand several times now that the truth is the truth. My X5 has a much higher level of quality craftsmanship, outstanding service network, better resale/residual value, and a higher desirability in the marketplace.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved Cadillac products. I still do. I’ve owned 12 of them. I MAY consider another. Possibly an XT6 if I can muster up the courage to try GM again.
We will see. But for now, this BMW (my 4th) is by far the best car I’ve ever owned for a variety of reasons.
Why the thumbs down? Do you disagree with my assessment? That’s your prerogative. But whoever you are didn’t have my many bad experiences with these products. Also, I doubt that you’ve even driven a true high line car such as a BMW or Benz, as I suspect you’d have a different opinion. I liken them to driving a luxury “vault on wheels”.
Maybe because you on a GM website, we don’t want to hear about German junk, go to C/D and don’t forget to tell about the horrible repair bills that will come when your warranty expires on your Eurotrash.
If you read my comments, you saw that I did own multiple GM cars including a ‘17 Acadia which was a nightmare from the word go. Plus, I don’t keep my cars after the warranties expire so your ignorant name calling comment has no bearing on my car buying decisions. Grow up.
When did I call you a name?, I said go talk your Eurojunk at another site for “grow up”s. As someone else said a $60k minimum vehicle better be better than $30k volume GMs which happen to be gaining share, I’m sure GMs had lemons as well foreign brands, since you don’t keep vehicles past warranties that also shouldn’t weigh on convince as you should had lemon law’ed it if it was that bad. Anyways you’ll get criticism boosting others junk on here.
Calling my choice in vehicle Eurotrash is not a derogatory name/term? Ok. And again I will say that I feel that my comment was relevant because Acadias aren’t all inexpensive $30k models. Mine was $50k+… Therefore launching it into other higher line models price points…like bmw, caddy, Lincoln, etc. That was my only reason for commenting. There was no need to take the conversation to your diminished and condescending level. Have a good day.
The reason for the thumbs down my many is likely the lack of relevance that your comment brings to the article:
Last I checked, this article was about the Blazer vs the Acadia, both $30k vehicles. You referenced a $60K MINIMUM vehicle, a comparison that simply doesn’t hold water. I struggle to see the relevance of your comparison given the X5 is twice the price. If you are looking at comparable vehicles at the X5 price point, then yes you would be looking at a Cadillac however this article is not about Cadillacs is it?
My comment referenced my $50k+ Acadia and it’s problems. This SUV’s different price points make it comparable to other higher end ones. As a matter of fact, my Denali actually had a higher sticker price than my ‘15 SRX and the ‘17 XT5 I compared it to before I bought it. Just because it was not a low end Acadia doesn’t make its issues any less relevant. These models may start at $30k but most of the ones sold are not at that price point. I understand what you are saying. Just stating my experience.
Duly noted that is what you were talking about but you should really include that in the initial comment, otherwise the lack of reference lessens the impact of your comment. Being an actual owner is an important reference point, rather than random guy #237 that likes his BMW making some reference to a Cadillac not mentioned in the article.
I was locked in on buying Chevy Blazer until I drove GMC Acadia. I have never drove vehicle as smooth riding as the Acadia. Love it more everytime I drive it.
I looked into these vehicles, I chose a 2016 acadia due to it having more space, a bigger engine, and cheaper because it was used. Plus the 2nd gen acadia had their issues worked out just just before the 3rd gen redesign.
Realistically who cares? It’s another crossover. They all look the same do the same thing. It’s an appliance on wheels, a bread sandwich. Says nothing about the driver except that they needed transportation and everyone I know has one and look at all the technology. Yawn
this new chevy blazer crossover is a big time insult to classics like the K5 and the S10, those were classics blazer, this one is a joke.
I replaced my 2017 Acadia Denali with a 2020 Acadia Denali this past April. I have really enjoyed both vehicles but I really like the 2020. The ride is improved, the infotainment system is better, I like the HUD unit and there are numerous other incremental improvements, including the transmission. I think this vehicle is highly competitive in its segment and certainly prefer it to a Highlander. It is solid and very comfortable. I recently did a 3,000 mile round trip with ease while getting 26 & 27 mpg on the highway.
If you don’t like the gmc maybe you like the Chevy and GM gets a sale on something thats built on the same platform.same time some my only buy a gmc
A year ago almost to the day I got 2019 acadia with the 3.6 cylinder, black edition on white paint. It looks beautiful. Mechanically I love it. It feels athletic. My wife drives a 2017 buick enclave and it’s loaded. My only complaint about my acadia is that the interior doesn’t feel premium like my wife’s enclave. If it did, I would have zero complaints.
I own a 2017 Acadia SLE-2 purchased used as a certified GMC SUV. Thankfully the first year of ownership came with bumper to bumper protection. I have experienced the shift to Park problem and a horn that requires inordinate pressure to work. Thankfully both issues were repaired under certified warranty. I very much like the size, ride and comfort of the Acadia. The interior needs upgrading. The base 2.5 liter engine in my Acadia is adequate though the more powerful 3.5 is better for towing or going up hills.
My 2017 Chevrolet Equinox Premier has proven reliable possibly because that body style was the final year of production whereas my 2017 Acadia was the first of the newer body style with reduced size. The Android auto and blue tooth have been finicky in my Acadia. Interesting that GMC elected to change the shifter in the 2017-2019 Acadia to push button.
Perhaps the shifter was problematic because of complaints about the earlier models not recognizing the vehicle was in park even though the shifter was placed in park. The fix was a new wiring harness and half the time a new shifter is required. I will see how things go for both my Acadia and Equinox looking toward eventually trading up to more current models have more safety features standard.
GM must be a bit concerned with Acadia sales . When they downsized it to its current level many were unhappy with it . The Blazer may be taking sales from the Acadia, and in Denali trim it’s a money maker . So for the next model change the Acadia is moving to the Lansing Delta Plant along side the Traverse and Enclave and will again be the same size as those twins .
The most common form
Bought a new 2017 Denali, trading in a 2017 Impala (terrible seat comfort) because of the revamped model. Just not a fan of the Blazer. Had the shifter also and finally fixed after 4 visits to the dealer which was frustrating. GMC and the dealer both knew about the problem and tryed the cheap way to fix it initially. Service dept. admitted GM forces them to try the cheap fix (jumper wire) instead of ordering the new replacement parts right away. Then GM wonders why people are disloyal? Anyway, that was the only issue with the 2017. End of August, bought a 2020 Denali AWD and what an improvement as far as ride, 9 speed tranny is smooth as butter, finally folding mirrors with turn indicators and refreshed grille. Love it except for the bland interior again.
Why would it cannibalize it it’s the same unibody front wheel drive POS. Ford got it right with the new rear wheel drive Explorer.
and their upcoming bronco which is gonna be a classic.
And after that, they will base the Ranger on the Bronco truck and stick the 2.7 in it. After that, they will have the best mid size truck unless the rest can figure out how to give 400 lbs of torque. GM is the worst mid size since the still use that defective 8 speed. Blazer is just a allot of money for junk. GM = government motors or Garbage motors or both.
I bought the 2016 Acadia SLE 2. I love the size of it. I previously had a SRX. I needed something bigger. My Acadia rides great. I haven’t had any problems with it. But I did purchase the bumper to bumper warranty from the dealer. Only because of some bad experiences a couple of friends had with theirs. The newer ones are small. The interior was kinda plain. Once I added seat covers and mats, it looks real sporty. I get compliments on the exterior and interior now. I’m not a big fan of the infotainment system. I’ll update it soon. I only buy GM now. I just never had a problem with any of my purchases. Except, I had to have the transmission replaced in my Impala.
consists of the book itself
My 18 acadia slt was all I wanted smooth ride, great features. But at 2k miles it started with shift to park issues and continued. After 10 trips to service department and multiple harnesses, modulators, etc being switched under warranty loses power steering, brake assist, doesn’t register mph, claiming lemon but not wanting to waste anymore time going through lemon process, traded it in for a buick enclave. Stay away from 2016-2019 acadias! I’ve read the volts, Malibu, and several others have had this issue as well with no recall. There are several class action lawsuits in several states.
GeeTee,
You will never win with some here no matter what you say.
Lets just say I agree with you, and have had horrible troubles with the last three GM products and one is a Cadillac and 2 were GMC.
One GMC I traded already, the other GMC is good now with a tune not from GM .
The GM customer support might as well not exist.
You are justified with your comments as you owned a vehicle from GM and one in the article itself.
Again the GM fanboys, will just beat the h3ll out of you on here and it just adds to the true GM customer support experience.
There was a shift to park issue I commented on a while back, and just like every other ” known Faulty ” design issue, GM is just screwing the customer, the comments still come in daily.
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