Chevrolet brings the int’l launch of the all-new Trailblazer, Colorado to the Philippines

THE Colorado’s traction and stability controls at work in this challenging off-road course.

Chevrolet International together with The Covenant Car Company Inc. recently unveiled the new Chevrolet Trailblazer 7-seat SUV and Colorado pickup truck to members of the Asean Press in Cebu, Philippines.

Asean motoring journalists from Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei and the Philippines attended the three-day event to experience the latest round of improvements Chevrolet on the truck duo.

Chevrolet is big on customer and client clinics; they listen to everything their clients tell them rather than simply having a single person decide for everything.

The latest range of changes to the exterior include a modernized front end with LED daytime running lights, a more subdued looking bow tie grill with a reshaped front bumper that makes both the SUV and pickup look and feel more modern.

A new range of colors, as well as decals on the top-model Z71 variant, give the Trailblazer and Colorado a tougher, more aggressive look.

New design wheels round out the exterior changes.

Chevrolet is particularly proud of the LED DRL signature on the headlight; it gives the truck a more urban, lifestyle sophisticated look without betraying any of its tough, workhorse, go-anywhere anytime abilities.

Improved interiors

Chevrolets have always been criticized for having cheap-feeling interiors, and Chevrolet engineers have addressed this: the interiors now feature far better quality plastics and other soft-touch materials, all with an improved, tighter fit and finish.

A new generation Chevy My Link multimedia system now incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allows for better, easier integration and syncing with your mobile media device. This is also an industry first as most other major car manufacturers go with one or the other.

Chevrolet decided to go with both to allow consumers who use either iOS or Android to conveniently integrate their mobile media devices with their Chevrolet.

Other changes include leather and suede combination interiors for the top-spec models along with red stitching on the Z71 variants, and a simplified, cleaner dashboard architecture. The overall impact is clean, classy and timeless.

Beyond skin-deep

MIKE Devereux, General Motors International vice president for sales, marketing and aftersales, with the Trailblazer.

But it is the engineering underneath the skin that Chevrolet engineers are most proud of. The chassis has been stiffened further: the engine, body and transmission mounts have been stiffened to absorb more NVH before it enters the cabin; while the shock absorbers now feature digressive valving which gives a firmer initial damping action suitable for fast road-use on the highway, yet soften as they are compressed to give impressive traction and stability off-road.

The windscreen thickness has increased by 10 millimeters to stiffen the front-end further, and crucially, the power steering system’s old hydraulic set-up has been replaced with a more modern electric power-assisted system which improves the much-maligned unnatural self-centering action while filtering out more road imperfections.

The result is a more relaxed, less stressful and more convenient, easy-feeling cruise out on the highway, but it also helps dampen road imperfections off-road and on poorly surfaced avenues.

Added safety

The Chevrolet trucks feature the same safety kit we know and have come to expect from Chevrolet. These include the newly introduced tire pressure monitoring system, lane departure assistant (which alerts you when you unintentionally veer from your lane), forward collision alert (which constantly determines the speed differential between you and the car you are following and alerts you should you come too close to the vehicle ahead), multiple airbags including a knee airbag, traction/stability control, hill-descent control and  hill-start assist, ABS-EBD brakes with brake assist, rear-cross traffic alert (which warns the driver of rear crossing cars and pedestrians when backing out of parking), a rear-facing camera, and front and rear parking assist.

The latest Chevrolet Trailblazer and Colorado are safer, and feature more convenience aids to make driving effortless.

Of course, you get 5-star crash safety ratings based on NCAP test results for both the Trailblazer and Colorado so you are in a very safe car in terms of front and side collisions as well as roll-over avoidance.

Behind the wheel

We had a chance to sample the Trailblazer Z71 and the Colorado LTZ, both 4×4 automatic variants with the big 2.8-liter VGT engines.

Acceleration was impressive, and with no noticeable smoke from the tail pipes when you floor it.

The in-car NVH isolation is truly otherworldly: at the launch, the engine was started, and occupants inside the car were surprised when they were told that the engine was running. It was very quiet inside, and the massive vibration which afflicted the interior dashboard and steering column on earlier prefacelift models was pleasantly absent.

Chevrolet has done wonders to improve body dampening and refinement. On the open road, the digressive dampers live up to the promise of a controlled and confident ride on winding roads, yet swallowed up huge bumps with great comfort.

The steering feels sharper, less rubbery, and has a more natural self-centering feel.

The brakes had surprisingly firm, positive and progressive action that allowed test drivers to speed up aggressively and brake with confidence as traffic would form.

Driving position is good with ample support for the legs, and decent support for your sides on off-road driving.

Unfortunately, Chevrolet should have included better reach adjustability for the steering wheel and steering column to get a more car-like and therefore less tiring driving position over long distances.

Its competitors from Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford all offer a better, more car-like driving experience due mostly to the added adjustability from the steering column.

Off road

Dynamically, not much has been changed specifically to improve off-road performance. Ride-height, ground clearance, fording depth, angles of approach, departure and break-over were still the same.

But the Colorado and Trailblazer have never been slouches off the beaten path.

After a winding drive on steep and perilously narrow mountain roads covered by broken tarmac from Danao Port, we headed up to the Danasan Eco Adventure Park where the team of driving instructors took turns to demonstrate the Colorado and Trailblazer’s off-road prowess.

Chevrolet built an off-road course at the adventure park to showcase the Chevrolet truck duo’s off-road abilities.

Highlights included a 600-mm river crossing, moguls and axle/chassis twister sections, a 35-degree sideway drive, and a 45-degree incline.

Though the Colorado and Trailblazer lack a specific off-road assistance software, the existing traction and stability controls were more than enough to help guide us out of the very challenging spots on the off-road course.

All the vehicles were riding on moderate all-terrain tires. But a switch to more aggressive all-terrain or even mud terrain tires would boost the Colorado and Trailblazer’s performance on the rough stuff even further.

A variant for every budget

Chevrolet will introduce five variants for the Colorado, and another five variants for the Trailblazer. Both trucks get a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with a 2.5-non-VGT, 2.5-VGT and 2.8-VGT engines for the range-topping variants.

The Colorado pickup’s 2.5-liter non-VGT 6-speed manual 4×2 starts out at P1,167,888, and tops out at P1,689,888 with the range-topping LTZ variant 4×4 2.8-a/t.

The Trailblazer 7-seat SUV starts out at P1,378,888 for the base 2.5-liter 6-speed manual 4×2 LT, and the range-topping 4×4 Z71 6-speed a/t 2.8-liter comes in at a competitive P1,881,888.

A great price/variant spread, impressive specifications, and a much improved driving and ownership experience signal Chevrolet’s renewed resurgence in the Philippine market.

The world’s third largest car company traditionally had a weak presence in Asean, but the brand knows it and has been working vigorously to improve its product offerings in the Asean region by providing products of great value, performance and safety.

Mike Devereux, head of Marketing, Sales and Aftersales of General Motors (GM) International, says that the change in perception for the GM and Chevrolet brands will take a while in Asia, but they are doing their very best to deliver the best products that are competitive to the market and relevant to Asean buyers.

Chevrolet’s nationwide dealership network is now accepting orders; deliveries will start in October of this year.