A more powerful, more connected Trailblazer

NEW 2.8 Duramax engine: 200 bhp, 500 Nm max torque

The last time I drove and rode a Chevrolet Trailblazer 4×4 LTZ out of town, it was already quite impressive.  Now, less than a year later, the 2014 Trailblazer has been upgraded to become more powerful and more connected while retaining the outstanding safety features, spaciousness and riding comfort of last year’s model.

When you look at the 2014 Trailblazer, it appears to be exactly the same as the 2013 model.  What marks it as a 2014 product is the “Duramax” insignia on the front doors.  If you associate the Duramax label with the Isuzu D-Max pickup truck, you’re right.  The Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck, with which the Trailblazer shares its global body-on-frame architecture, was designed by General Motors Do Brasil and jointly engineered with Japan’s Isuzu.  The Trailblazer is manufactured at GM’s plant in Rayong, Thailand, and debuted at the 2012 Bangkok International Auto Show.  These multinational inputs make the Trailblazer a truly global vehicle that, in fact, GM plans to sell in 50 overseas markets including the Middle East and Australia.

INSIDE, the new MyLink infotainment sans CD player

In the 2013 Trailblazer, the 2.8-liter, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder diesel engine with common rail direct injection (CRDi), variable geometry turbo (VGT) and intercooler produces  177.53 horsepower and 470 Newton-meters max torque.  Last year, that was already more torque than the second leading competitor could muster.  Now, the 2014 Trailblazer is pulling farther ahead of its midsize, seven-seater CRDi diesel rivals with a new, upgraded drivetrain packing 197.26 HP/3,800 rpm and class-leading 500 Nm/2000 rpm peak torque.  The more powerful engine is mated to an improved six-speed automatic transmission (AT) with Active Select in the 4×4 LTZ variant.

SECOND-ROW seat roomy enough for three well-fed adults

MOST POWERFUL. These numbers make the 2014 Trailblazer LTZ the most powerful in its class as the new engine equals 178 Nm per liter, improving the vehicle’s acceleration and straight-line performance plus its towing and payload capacity.  Together with its high ground clearance enabling it to ford 800 millimeters of water, the high approach and departure angles of its “body in-wheels out” structure, eight-crossmember ladder chassis configuration, 4WD with two-speed (high and low) electric shift select system, transfer case shield and Limited Slip Differential, the stronger Duramax engine makes the 4×4 Trailblazer a superior off-roader challenging the best-selling brands in its class.

The 4×4 2014 Trailblazer is a tough off-roader equipped with a low-range transfer case, yet it is also a soft-roader in the sense that it provides a pleasant, comfortable ride in city and highway driving despite its truck-based platform, thanks to the Soft Ride Suspension System, four coil springs  and a multilink rear suspension.  It is categorized as a midsize SUV, but when you enter the cabin, its enormous spaciousness will amaze you.  In the LTZ, the driver’s seat is power-adjustable  and all leather seats for passengers are supportive and well-bolstered with separate aircon controls for the second- and third-row seat occupants.

THE NEW Trailblazer can tow 3 tons, ford 800 mm water. PHOTOS BY AIDA SEVILLA-MENDOZA

The 2014 Trailblazer is more connected than the 2013 model because of the new MyLink infotainment system in the LTZ variant.  MyLink consists of a 7-inch color touchscreen multimedia display with smartphone-iPod-iPhone interconnectivity, audio/video USB, audio/video AUX, clock, day-date, thermometer, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and vehicle settings.  MyLink is so high-tech that it doesn’t have anachronisms like a CD player.

MORE SAFETY. In terms of safety features, the Trailblazer LTZ also outshines the competition.  Aside from the expected antilock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and driver and front passenger airbags, the Trailblazer LTZ is equipped with an Electronic Stability Program that improves stability as the vehicle cruises forward; Traction Control that saves the wheels from spinning; Hill Start Assist prevents the vehicle from rolling while trying to pull away on an uphill or downhill gradient by holding the vehicle stationary after the brake is released; Hill Descent Control gets the engine and the brake working in unison automatically so as to limit the vehicle’s speed to the most appropriate level and thus make the descent safer; Panic Brake Assist manages sudden braking; Cornering Brake Control increases stability when the brake is applied while cornering; Hydraulic Brake Assist increases brake fluid pressure when needed and Hydraulic Brake Fade Assist ensures the ideal brake fluid pressure.  The Trailblazer, by the way, is the first midsize SUV to have disc brakes on all four alloy wheels.

BIGGER cargo space with third-row seat folded

The LTZ has a Rear Park Assist Sensor, but alas, no rear parking camera.  Reversing the Trailblazer into a parking slot is difficult because the wide C pillars and the tall seatbacks and headrests of the second- and third-row seats block rearward visibility.  But forward visibility is fine.  In other markets like the Middle East, the Trailblazer comes with six airbags as standard equipment. Maybe that’s because six airbags are the norm or required by law while over here, only seatbelts are mandated.

The superior power, durability, new connectivity, off-road prowess, creature comforts including eight premium loudspeakers and array of safety features offered by the 2014 Trailblazer 2.8 4×4 LTZ AT will cost you P1,733,888.  If that price is too rich for your blood, you can settle for the lower-spec 2.8 4×2 LT AT variant at P1,488,888 or the 2.5 4×2 LT manual transmission at P1,378,888.

COMEBACK? Meanwhile, rumors are rife that an SUV based on the made-in-Thailand Trailblazer sold here and the Asean may be launched in the United States later this year as a 2015 model.  Whether it will be built in the United States or retain the Trailblazer name is anyone’s guess.  The Trailblazer was introduced in the United States in 2002 to replace the Blazer, which had its origins in 1999.  GM stopped producing the Trailblazer in 2009 due to numerous consumer complaints about its poor quality.

Now, will a stronger, greatly improved Trailblazer make a comeback over there? A GM spokesperson interviewed last August by Edmunds.com denied that GM will add another SUV to its portfolio, happy as they are with the way the Equinox, Traverse and Tahoe/Suburban are performing in the US market.  Whatever happens, SUV enthusiasts in the Philippines must be glad that the all-new Trailblazer is here.