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My pre-owned Chevrolet Trailblazer: Review & buying experience

16th April 2024, 16:00 by Brij Gawde

I have been driving Toyota vehicles from the Qualis days back in 2002 and have owned literally 3 Qualis and 4 Innovas one after the other.

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Thank you very much! Till now I have driven the car a good 3,000-4,000kmkm which included one religious trip for Ashtavinayak contributing to 900km on the ODO and another trip to Pune which was close to 400km. I have an Innova which was Hot out of the oven back in 2009! The car has been a workhorse ever since! Back then, a vehicle that big and at that price point with that much of peppiness was a steal deal! Even today, Innova is a legend all around the Country! I love the car but may have to part ways due to less square footage for the parking. She has completed 2,40,000km under my hand alone and always pampered with the OEM. The Elders were all set to upgrade to a Crysta. It's a no-brainer in their opinion. Toyota vehicles can survive the famous "2012" movie and they expect no less from Crysta. The Ease of Driving and maintaining, Peppy Engine and those Comfortable Captain Seats were the points they put up. This became a challenge for me because nothing exists like the Crysta.

Me on the other side was now looking for a 4x4 to replace the Yeti and more importantly an SUV. I have been driving Toyota vehicles since the Qualis days back in 2002 and have owned literally 3 Qualis and 4 Innovas one after the other. I tried a few cars out:-

Fortuner

This was the Third generation with the 3.0 D4D Engines which was good but nothing apart from the Ride Quality and 2nd Row Bench Seat were different from the Innova I owned. The hefty Price Tag was also not favorable. Ride Quality was also Harsh. With the 5th Generation out, this was Outdated too. Most of all, all options available in the Preowned Market seemed to have already Globetrotted around India. All cars had High Mileages on them. Expecting a Toyota with Low Mileage is like Finding a Needle in a haystack

Endeavour

The 3.0 Litre was something else. The vehicle was the perfect mix of Comfort and Reliability for me specially after the Fortuner but no Low Mileage cars were available and the Third Row was literally non existent. Even then, this car made it to the Qualifying List for me to propose to the Elders.

Pajero Sport

The Vehicle was amazing. Old school but an amazing All-rounder. But the options I tested were extremely Noisy and Unrefined. The car had been there for just too long and would have aged pretty fast. Mitsubishi parts were also a Factor.

Audi Q7

Completely a choice from the Heart and not the Mind! I looked at it keeping the Elders Comfort in Mind or should I rather put it this way that I Comforted myself in thinking that a Q7 is Logical for the Comfort of the Elders!

This soon left the list when I was told about the Horror Stories of Maintenance. I was lucky to lay my hands on a 4.2 Petrol which was really old but was she fast. She was Built to make a Man Grin!Fuel Efficiency was to make a Man Cry!

Isuzu MU-X

Very less options were Available and whoever had them Sold them for a Premium which I did not see as Logical for a vehicle not sold in Good Numbers. The car had whatever I wanted and fit the list perfectly. It was slightly Heavy in driving and more on the Unrefined side but the capability of that car was Outstanding! A friend has a cousin of the MU-X known as D-Max and the car has been good over the years. Trailblazer is exactly the same car but there is a sky difference in power, pickup and feel both from the Engine and Gearbox!

I was convinced that I had No Option but to stick to the MPV segment and get the Crysta. I tried to shop across Segments such as Kodiaq, Alcazar, XL6, etc but the SUV choice was Embossed in my mind. It was either that or Crysta!

One day, while browsing through the net, I stumbled upon the only SUV that I had yet not considered now, and for obvious reasons. The Rarity itself Questions one mind whether this car was ever sold in India or did people just Import it. This car was a hidden gem. The question even before considering this Mammoth was Parts, Reliability, and the Availability of a Good Car! I personally was half keen on it because of the missing 4x4.

Days passed by and I finally decided to take the Plunge. I looked through the net and various sources for this car but the most Major Factor, “Availability of the Car Itself” was not being met. Soon, I managed to see a few options scattered in Maharashtra but they had Clocked well. This was a Good Thing because that Simply means the car has been Reliable. On the other hand, I was Researching on Major Parts and Components that could go wrong in the future and it turned out everything was available that too off the Counter. During this Research, I was Guided to Speak to the Chevrolet Workshop for Diesel Filters since this car has two of them. This is where I hit the Jackpot. The Manager asked me to bring in my vehicle to have it changed but soon he learned I was just Researching. The Talks went on Deeper and Eventually, he Proposed a Customer car that had literally 30,000km on the ODO. He told me that if I could make it today, I could meet the owner who is interested in selling since the car was at his workshop.

I immediately visited the workshop excited to see the car in the flesh for the first time and boy was I surprised! The car looked even Bigger than I Imagined! I met the Owner, took a Test Drive, and was happy to see how well the car was kept. She had new shoes at just 30,000km of Goodyear Wrangler Silentrac. I was blown away by the Power. I ended up paying a Token and Sealing the Deal at the Chevrolet Workshop.

Post that, I have just done some Minor Repairs to the Body. Got some Dents Removed. I had the Compressor and Brake Pads Changed. I have got all the Fluids Replaced as per the OEM manual Except Transmission. Thinking of upgrading the Fog Lamps and Headlights soon too.

My Experience till now has been Good. It's been Barely two months and the car has already done 4,000km which includes more Cities. One was a 400km round trip to Pune and the Second was a 900km Sprint for Ashtavinayak in two days.

Refinement

The Diesel Clatter from the 2.8 Duramax can be felt but it's not invasive. I was able to keep highway speed beyond 100kmph with ease. The Clatter is Evident Outside but once inside, you're Cocooned by Silence. There is literally next to “0” vibration. The Engine sound was much less than all of the options above!

Fuel Efficiency

This seems to be the Elephant in the Room for this car. Especially for me. During my Initial drives, I could see nothing more than 7kmpl which included Traffic runs and the use of all 200 Horses since the car was new. Soon I Simmered down to usual driving styles and managed 9kmpl even in Deep Traffic. On slightly open roads in the City, I have managed 9.5-10kmpl. On the Highway, I have seen up to 14kmpl with Controlled Inputs to the Accelerator similar to an EV. On Normal Driving, it's Easy to Witness 13kmpl and on Aggressive Inputs, you can see nothing more than 10.5kmpl. I have seen myself in all Environments now and I must say that Duramax engine and the Butter Smooth Gearbox Tempts on the Open Road to push for more!

Power

The car is simply a Beast. The Pickup is Great. Although not as Light as the Old Fortuner when pushed, she can Smoke many Cars. In fact, when I Floor the Accelerator, the Rubber Burns. That’s the Amount of Power on Tap. Easy to Overtake in Single Lanes too and not a car which would get you tired.

Comfort

This has been the area that needed convincing with the elders. The car is “High” but the footstep does a Good Job. Second Row are Bench Seats that are Extremely Comfortable. Even the 5 Link Suspension is Good on Bad Roads. They do Miss the Captain Seats but the Overall feel was enough to have them Sold on this car. The Third Row is also one of the most Spacious and Comfortable Places to be. Driving-wise, the Car is very Comfortable too but the Steering is Slightly Heavy during Parking.

Safety

Equipped with all the Safeties a Modern Car would need Today's date such as ABS, EBD, Traction Control, Stability, etc but it only has 2 Airbags which is a little Disappointing. It even has something known as Grade Braking which Assist in Braking the Car on Steep Slopes. This is different from Hill Descent which is also present in this car because this happens even at Highway Speeds.

Features

The car has a 7-inch unit which is a Touchscreen with USB, Aux, and Bluetooth. It displays the Music Content being played on the Screen and Call Data too. The Mic is very Clear and Crisp. 6 speaker unit is nice. You can set up some simple settings related to the car through the Music System. It has a Good Rear View Camera, Auto Folding Mirrors, and Cruise Control.

Parts, Reliability, and Availability

All parts are available with Chevrolet Factory. They can simply be ordered at their Authorised workshop. Even local shops stock all Mechanical Parts. Most parts are common with the MU-X. Hence, the ISUZU part bin is an option to explore. The Interiors are completely identical so are the Suspension setup and Chassis. Engine and Gearbox are different. Even though the cars are identical, the Trailblazer feels better put together and has much better performance.