Chevrolet Trailblazer review, test drive

In time

With a good deal of time spent behind the wheel, the Trailblazer’s cabin now feels like familiar territory. The cabin is high-set, so it’s a climb in – the sturdy footboard and grab handles on the A-pillar find good use – but the comfy front seats do make the short trek up worth it. They are large, well-cushioned and come finished in good quality leather. Drivers will also like the nice-to-hold steering wheel and the view of the Camaro-like hooded dials, complete with sporty blue backlighting. The rest of the dashboard is interesting too, largely thanks to the glossy black centre console’s design. Here, vertically oriented air vents flank a seven-inch touchscreen with a unique round platform for the climate control settings positioned below it. The air-con’s control dial comes inset with a digital readout for temperature and blower speed, and looks particularly nice. As for ◊ ∆ the touchscreen, it is easy to pair with a smartphone via Bluetooth and is simple enough to use on the move. In terms of features, the high-spec Trailblazer LTZ, the sole variant to go on sale in India, offers quite a bit. In addition to the touchscreen, rear-view camera and leather seats already mentioned, it gets projector headlights, cruise control, powered mirrors and electric adjust for the driver’s seat. A sunroof and onboard sat-nav would have been welcome too. Cars for India are to come with cabins finished in black and beige materials. While the dual-tone colour combination looks upmarket, cabin quality, on the whole, is good but not exceptional. Fit and finish is actually quite similar to what you get on the Chevy Cruze sedan. 

The cabin also comes across as well thought out in terms of storage space. Each of the doors gets bottle holders, there’s a retractable cupholder at each end of the dash, there’s a recess above the centre console, a storage shelf under the steering column and even a handy bay below the headlight controls. All of the above are in addition to two (albeit medium-sized) gloveboxes and a usefully large storage space under the front centre armrest. Though it must be said, the lid on the latter feels quite flimsy.

Shifting focus to the middle row, the findings are quite pleasant – this is among the better second rows in the segment. There’s lots of space in every direction, the foldable centre armrest is at the right height and the seating position is good. The seat base is a bit short and the backrest angle can’t be adjusted, but even then, you’ll be quite happy here. The cabin’s sufficient width and flat floor also allows a third occupant to fit in here quite comfortably. Even the last row is more useable than it looks. Access is awkward, headroom is average and space isn’t generous, but it’s manageable for short intra-city stints. When not in use, the third-row seats that split 50:50 can be folded flush with the raised boot floor to form a sizeable loading area. Essential if you intend to take a holiday because, with all seats in place, luggage space is only good for a few soft bags at best.

‘Big’ surprise

I’ll be honest. The Trailblazer did surprise a lot of us with its breadth of abilities. We knew its large size would go down well with the ‘bigger is better’ platoon of SUV buyers in India, but beyond that, we didn’t know what else to expect. Well, over our time with it, the Trailblazer has established itself as a proper, no-nonsense SUV. It’s not revolutionary in any way, but comes across as quite sophisticated by current class standards. Overall comfort is good, though performance is the Trailblazer’s strongest suite. There’s also a nice air of modernity to the package and you just can’t ignore that after long, here’s a Chevy that really feels like a Chevy.