Chevrolet Trailblazer 2WD automatic spied testing

The Trailblazer, Chevy’s upcoming SUV was spotted testing in Mumbai by one of our staffers. The test mule was camouflaged, hiding all exterior details. But we caught on to an interesting bit of detail on this SUV — a missing 4WD selector knob, which means that this was the 2WD variant. 

It will be powered by a 2.8-litre Duramax diesel engine churning out 197bhp and a massive 51kgm of torque. As of now, GM only offers this engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox in Thailand. There’s an option of buying this big Chevy with a six-speed manual too, but that is available only with the smaller 2.5-litre diesel mill, which might be brought in at a later stage. What needs to be seen is whether GM will launch it with an option of 4WD right from the beginning.

We drove the top-spec LTZ1, the only variant to get 4WD and it had Chevy’s MyLink touchscreen system, GPS and a rear-view camera; the last feature should be mandatory on a vehicle this big. Well, measuring 4,878mm in length, 1,902mm in width and 1,847mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,845mm and 231mm ground clearance, this definitely is a big vehicle. These numbers make it the largest in its class, but despite its gargantuan proportions we found it to have good road manners during our brief drive in Bangkok. 

The Trailblazer will be brought in through the CKD route here to keep costs down. When it goes on sale it will likely replace the Captiva, and will compete with the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. However it won’t have things easy, especially with the next-gen Fortuner set to be launched next year. 

Selvin Jose