While India believes in the bigger is better philosophy, when it comes to a big SUV under Rs 30 lakh, it does not get any better than the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
We got our hands on this monster and we think it makes the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour look like things of the past.
The Looks
Talk about huge! Once you have seen the Trailblazer in the flesh, you would never refer to a Toyota Fortuner for size. It’s taller and longer than the Toyota.
It’s muscular and as badass as it can get on an Indian road. It also has a lot to do with it’s American maker, Chevrolet. It looks like one of those huge wrestlers from WWE but in a tuxedo.
The 18-inch alloy wheels add character and gives it that tall appeal. The sides are kept simple and flat and the rear of the SUV has a huge Chevrolet logo stamped on it.
If you want your presence felt when you arrive at your destination, the Chevy Trailblazer will not disappoint you at all.
The Good
Apart from being huge and spacious, the Trailblazer also packs in 500 nm of Torque. That’s something that you won’t find in this price bracket. The 2.8 litre Duramax diesel engine with 200ps power is all that you need on highways or in the city.
The torque on the Trailblazer is humongous and this is an SUV that, despite its size, can do a 0-100 km/h in under 10 seconds. Talk about power, and Chevrolet has put all that they could find in this one for India.
Climb inside and the cabin is like a 1 BHK house in Mumbai. Loads of space to keep your goodies, and the beige and black interiors are done subtly.
Chevrolet is getting this car in just one variant in India and it’s a 6-Speed Automatic transmission. The 6-Speed Automatic transmission with active select is a bit slow at times but it never leaves the car wanting for a shift up or down. For passengers, there is ample space and comfort. The Trailblazer does have a bit of a body roll but it’s not like what you’d get on the Fortuner.
The Chevrolet’s mylink infotainment system is something that’s easy to operate and the touch response is way better than what you get in many cars in India for a touchscreen.
The trailblazer also has massive boot space. With all the seats down you can get about 1830 litres of space. You can move most of your house in there.
Once you buckle in, the car gives you the best commanding seating position in this segment. You can see both the sides of the bonnet while seated inside the car. So you might be scared at first to drive it in the city but it will make you feel at ease.
Rear seat comfort is better than what you get in a Toyota Fortuner.
The Bad
The plastic quality of the centre console is something that might disappoint you on the Trailblazer.
It has a massive engine so don’t expect even an average fuel economy from this one. At best it gave us around 11 Km/l in combined highway and city driving.
The power steering on the Chevrolet Trailblazer is a hydraulic one. So it does take a bit more effort to manoeuver it in traffic. The updated version of the Trailblazer is also on its way to India and they plan to improve on that.
The Trailblazer also lacks a 4-wheel drive option in India since it just comes in one variant. So don’t expect to do a lot of off-roading on this one.
The Trailblazer also has a couple of blind spots, so if you are stuck in traffic you have to be extra careful of the surroundings.
The Rivals
The Trailblazer mainly competes with the Toyota Fortuner, Ford’s Endeavour and the Pajero Sport.
The standard equipment includes cruise control, automatic climate control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Hill Descent Control System (HDC), Traction Control System (TCS), 5 Link Rear Suspension Setup, High Ride Front Independent double wishbone suspension, Panic Brake Assist (PBA) and Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA). Now that’s a lot for an SUV under Rs 30 lakh.
Chevrolet’s entered the Indian market at the right time with the Trailblazer. The sub Rs 30 Lakh SUV category has had just one champion till now, in the name of the Toyota Fortuner. But the Trailblazer belittles the Fortuner right now.
Ford’s Endeavour, on the other hand, has just got itself a refresh and packs in a lot of technology as well as a terrain management system. Toyota also plans on getting the new Fortuner to India sometime this year.
But the Trailblazer, just on sheer size, has the ability to turn heads.
Verdict
If you like SUV’s that are big, bold and on steroids, then the Trailblazer makes sense. And of course at Rs 26.99 Lakhs (ex-showroom New Delhi) it’s not cheap either.
It’s a great old-school SUV that will give you everything, including a class leading 253mm ground clearance. The Fortuner definitely needs a refresh considering that the Trailblazer is here.
The Trailblazer needs more goodies for now as Ford’s Endeavour packs in a lot on that luxury list.
But as a kid, you always wanted a battle tank and the Chevrolet Trailblazer comes as close as it can get to that fantasy in real life.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)