By Philip Ruth–
Cars are dead. Long live tall hatchbacks!
That’s the nature of this new breed of vehicle: a high-riding five-door with SUV-like styling.
You could say we’re in the postmodern phase of SUV influence, as that brush has been applied to everything from sedans to minivans. With our two South Korean-made subjects, the Chevrolet Trailblazer RS AWD and Hyundai Venue SEL, we uncover varied levels of off-roading intentions beneath their rugged exteriors.
The Trailblazer and Venue are not direct competitors—you’d line up the smaller Chevy Trax with the Venue—but these two are useful in terms of defining what buyers actually want from their transportation, however it is sized and shaped. Besides, their entry-level base prices are within $250 of each other.
From its bold name, the Trailblazer seems most eager to go find some scenery. Trim levels confirm this, with an “Activ” trim that raises the ride height on a stiffer suspension with specific tires. The Activ’s design is enhanced with the look of skid plates molded into the plastic front and rear. It’s a lot of pretension for what is still a soft-roader in search of slippery gravel to do its best work, but maybe for some buyers, it’s enough to give the Trailblazer some SUV credibility.
The Trailblazer has an odd way of summoning all-wheel drive; in fact, it doesn’t. It’s up to the driver to watch for a traction warning light on the instrument panel as a cue to hit a button to engage. This is so Chevy can keep the rear wheels out of the EPA mileage test. When it’s activated by the driver, the extra drag of AWD doesn’t count against it.
This shows the Trailblazer to be a car at heart. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Venue doesn’t bother with four-wheeled grip; its outdoorsy look is pulled forth by the fronts only. This represents a clean break from the Trailblazer’s earnest gestures toward the wilderness, or at least state parks. Contrast that with the Venue, where Hyundai says it’s OK to look like one thing and perform as another.
These different approaches lead to two vehicles that proved to be versatile and likeable. The Trailblazer gives a choice of two three-cylinder engines, and I was mostly content with the performance the larger one gave in the tester. The Venue has just one four-cylinder, and it was perky around town.
Despite the contrived visuals, I thought both looked appealing. The Trailblazer RS I drove came in a vibrant “Oasis Blue” with sculpted black framing. Strong horizontal emphasis in the lines gave it an authoritative look, which is rare in subcompact crossovers. The Venue highlights its tall-boy proportions—at first sight, I thought “London taxi”—and it’s just about as cute as cars come these days.
The Trailblazer can be had with a panoramic sunroof and adaptive cruise control, with a price to match. The Venue does without high-ticket items for a simpler array of conveniences. Both are functional and endearing, once you scratch their stylized surfaces.
Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.
Published on May 6, 2021
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