Team-BHP
(
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
The car seems great, but Chevy's attempt is definitely half hearted. The car is too expensive as many necessary and expected features have simply been omitted. Then, there is the lack of models.
I for one wouldn't go for an old school torque converter gearbox which saps so much power and gas. A manual in this car would've made this a very enticing proposition with the massive 500 nm torque.
Heck, this cars engine specs are similar to my E250, which has 2 turbos. Its a promising car, with a half hearted attempt. I doubt its gonna do well with that Chevy badge either.
Excellent review Anshuman! Some of the recent reviews on teambhp are really gold standard!clap:
Coming to the car I am going to go against the tide and say this might just surprise us with the sales numbers. I also don't believe Chevrolet are expecting / targeting huge sales numbers with this and this seems more like a Halo car aimed at a brand building exercise which begs the question as to why they skimped on certain safety and feel good features like more airbags, sunroof, start stop button, auto headlamps and wipers, etc. A 4x4 AT would have been a good addition for a couple of lacs more and this would have been an awesome buy. For some reason I love the butch and old school looks of this over the over styled versions of the New Fortuner and New Pajero Sport. Over to the New Endeavour then to wow us sometime soon!
Landed on the home page of the Chevy website and saw this. What a shame, considering the premium offering.
A proper SUV which looks like an SUV and not an elongated hatch with pumped up suspension. The dimensions are good, size wise the car is a bit smaller than the Q7, but larger than everything else in the category.
GM has got three things wrong here which are going to hurt them.
1. To recover their name, they need numbers and should have priced this SUV lower.
2. A 4X4 option was needed, with the clearance one would always chance a bit of dirt track.
3. The TCU keeps the engine in the torque band all the time, they should have made it more adaptable, or the downshift we see everytime the foot is of the throttle will kill the efficiency.
Rahul
Excellent review, Anshuman. Kudos!
Finally the Chevy behemoth is here, with it's humongous power & torque numbers. But for the price listed, Chevy India should have provided more features which has become the norm in the 25 lakh-segment - at least 6 airbags (or more, specially when the international spec car gets them), remote-controlled boot opener, pure keyless entry with push-button start, steering-reach adjustment, backlit switches, sunroof, xenons - and the biggest omission, a 4x4 option!
Maybe it has been launched in a single LTZ variant because they might be mulling a 4x4 variant for the future depending on how it does at the sales BO. Even then, Chevy should have been pro-active and launched a proper 4x4 variant at launch itself. Even then, since it's taking on a very tech-savvy section of the masses, Chevy India missed a real trick by not loading up the Trailblazer with a few more goodies.
Pricing is another key factor - the target customer will always be aware of the fact that the Trailblazer is priced more than the Fortuner, and once the Endeavour is launched at a lower price than this, the Trailblazer is as good as dead. Bringing it in via the CKD route could have done something to mend this aspect, but it's too late to think of this now.
The design, although a bit dated, is more preferable than the outlandish shapes the current-gen Fortuner and the Pajero have evolved into. I am always a fan of clean, straight and butch looks which the Trailblazer and the current-gen Endeavour possess. The SUV looks huge, burly, muscular and ready to tame the terrain, which is a huge tick mark beside it's name.
I for one like the circular HVAC console. It looks stylish and contemporary, although the display should have been better than the usual Casio font in light-green backlight.
Another disappointment is the report of unsettled ride quality at higher speeds. This is where the Fortuner & the Endeavour will hit the Trailblazer hard - the Pajero Sport is simply in another league in this regard. Does the suspension need re-tuning for a smoother ride, or is it an inherent quality of the Trailblazer which simply cannot be fixed?
Overall, plenty of hits but I would say the misses outnumber them here. Chevy India is already struggling in the Indian market right now, and what they need are serious contenders in the segments they ply in. The Trailblazer may attract some crowd initially just by it's spec numbers and in-cabin space alone, but I am afraid that once the Endeavour gets launched and the 2016 Fortuner follows suit, the Trailblazer just might see it's already-thinned out blazing trail completely snuffed out.
Rating this exquisite review a full 5-stars.
Spotted a Trailblazer top of the line LTZ at Sion, Mumbai with TC plates GJ 17 TC 213 'On Test'.
Sorry for the blurry pictures!
Was running with a milkshake in hand :)
But on a serious note doesn't the TC plates have a certain KM radius restriction?
The SUV sure looks butch and imposing.
From a far it reminded me of the old Captiva in the front, which was one of the reason I spotted the vehicle.
Someone whom I know wants to have a TD of this vehicle and it isn't available at Calcutta. Is this how Chevrolet plans to sell it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheel
(Post 3857647)
Someone whom I know wants to have a TD of this vehicle and it isn't available at Calcutta. Is this how Chevrolet plans to sell it?
|
The joke is on Chevrolet literally. Here is the situation in little more detail :
There has been 2 bookings of the Trailblazer in Kolkata till date, both post Diwali bookings. Let alone a test drive vehicle, there is no display vehicle to be seen anywhere. The prospective owners have been told of possible waiting periods between 4 to 6 months as the cars are reportedly being imported against confirmed bookings. One may assume here, that Chevrolet would wait till it gets reasonable numbers of bookings to process an import order that could justify the logistic costs involved.
Let go of your hopes for the Camaro men. The Trailblazer is the "Halo product" for Chevrolet in India.
Powedrift reports that Trailblazer has been sold out until March 2016. The funny part is GM had imported only 150 units in first batch and expects to import more numbers in next lot!
GM has close to 230-250 dealers which means some dealer are yet to receive the vehicle, forget the demo cars!!
Spotted a Chevy trailblazer in Madurai with test plates it was red plates. Got a really shaky pic of it, so not bothering posting it here. It is a handsome brute reminds me of the 2009 Toyota Fortuner. A casual glance at the rear will lead you to believe it's a Fortuner, unless you've got the eyes of a BHPian!! :lol
P.S. looks really good in white.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrideRed
(Post 3857901)
Powedrift reports that Trailblazer has been sold out until March 2016. The funny part is GM had imported only 150 units in first batch and expects to import more numbers in next lot!
GM has close to 230-250 dealers which means some dealer are yet to receive the vehicle, forget the demo cars!!
|
I made a single inquiry, but keep receiving calls from dealers even though I said I wasn't interested in a non-4wd vehicle which is so expensive!
Better to have a Storme for half the money, as that car will probably be driven by a driver.
Slightly off topic, but just back from Thailand where I got to drive the new Everest (Endeavour) and sit in the new Fortuner
I can tell you that once both these models are available in India and if sensibly priced, Chevy is going to struggle, halo or no halo.
My first encounter with a Chevrolet Trial Blazer on the road.
Just saw this on the way back from office yesterday, tried my best to take a good pic. But barely managed this with my phone.
The car looks massive and of course as big as the Fortuner, but the styling is unique.
Searched on the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department directory for the owner of the car, and to my shock this one belongs to the Chairman of Geeyem Motors the dealer of Chevrolet across Kerala and it has been imported from Thailand. Refer the below screenshot for details.
Don't think Trailblazer is making much impact in the market. I have not seen one on road yet. However, GM Seems to have sold 74 and 70 cars in the month of October and November, 2015. Not sure of December figures.
Source
Suprised that Pajero Sport still got a 3 digit sales figure every month (though very low compared to the Fortuner) :Shockked:
| All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 21:15. | |
