Chevrolet Trailblazer

Chevrolet Trailblazer at a glance

Origin as a Blazer trim

The name first appeared for the 1999 model year as an upscale trim of the compact four-door S-10 Blazer. It became a model of its own when the all-new mid-size TrailBlazer launched in 2001 for the 2002 model year; the older S-10 Blazer stayed on sale alongside it until 2005.

First generation (2002–2009): GMT360

The GMT360 TrailBlazer shared its platform with the GMC Envoy and other GM mid-size SUVs. It had independent front suspension and a five-link live axle at the rear, and four-wheel drive was optional with an automatic mode plus 2-High, 4-High and 4-Low. Its standard engine was the 4.2-litre Atlas inline-six with 204 kW (273 hp) and 376 Nm. It appeared on Ward's 10 Best Engines list from 2002 to 2005, and in the US EPA test it reached up to 20 mpg on the highway. A 5.3 V8 with 225 kW and 447 Nm and Active Fuel Management was optional. The TrailBlazer was North American Truck of the Year for 2002.

The seven-seat EXT, 410 mm longer with a 3,277 mm wheelbase and a raised rear roof, was built in Oklahoma City until 20 February 2006. Trim levels were LS, LT and, for 2002–2003, LTZ. A refresh for the 2006 model year brought a new front and new interior trim; side curtain airbags became standard for 2008.

The last TrailBlazer left the Moraine plant on 16 December 2008, and the plant closed a week later. The Traverse replaced the nameplate in 2009, and a 2012 recall then covered more than 258,000 GM mid-size SUVs of the 2006–2007 model years over short circuits in the power window and lock switches.

TrailBlazer SS (2006–2009)

For 2006 Chevrolet built the first production SUV to wear its Super Sport badge. The SS used the 6.0-litre LS2 V8 of the C6 Corvette with different intake and exhaust, rated at 294 kW (395 hp) and 540 Nm. It came with a 4L70E automatic, a 4.10 rear axle ratio and 20-inch wheels, and buyers could choose rear- or all-wheel drive and got a limited-slip differential as standard. It accounted for about 1.7 percent of TrailBlazer production.

Second generation (since 2012): the global seven-seater

The second Trailblazer was shown as a concept at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show and as a production model at the Bangkok Motor Show on 21 March 2012. It uses the frame of the second-generation Colorado pickup with its own body behind the A-pillars, three rows of seats and a coil-sprung live axle with five links. Its platform is shared with the first Isuzu MU-X, and in Australia and New Zealand it was sold as the Holden Colorado 7 and later as the Holden Trailblazer. A comparable body-on-frame seven-seater is the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

The 2.8 diesel has a water-cooled variable-geometry turbocharger and common-rail injection; gearboxes are six-speed manual or automatic. It was sold in Thailand from 2012 to 2020, while production in Brazil continues: a third facelift was unveiled there on 17 April 2024.

The crossover since 2019

The current Trailblazer for North America has nothing in common with the earlier SUVs apart from the name. It was unveiled at the Shanghai motor show on 16 April 2019, and reached the US in early 2020 as a 2021 model. GM Korea builds it in Bupyeong, while SAIC-GM produces the version for China in Yantai. It sits on the VSS-F platform and is related to the Buick Encore GX. In North America it shares showrooms with the Trax, which is larger but has no all-wheel drive and costs less; our Chevrolet Tracker (Trax) article covers the earlier Trax.

With a 2,640 mm wheelbase and 4,411–4,425 mm length it weighs 1,359–1,470 kg. Even at the top of that weight range, a 116 kW 1.3 carries only about 12.7 kg per kW, against about 14.4 kg per kW for a 102 kW 1.2 at the same weight. The 2021 model earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, with "Good" ratings in all crash tests. The 2024 facelift added a new front, LED tail lights, an 11-inch touchscreen and an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster.

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