Discontinued in 2008, after only seven years on the North American market, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer was revived in 2012 as an SUV destined for a number of emerging markets.
Unveiled as a concept at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show, the second-generation TrailBlazer is built in Thailand and Brazil and shares platform with the 2012 Chevrolet Colorado. The vehicle is available with two diesel engines - 2.5 and 2.8-liter Duramax - and a 3.6-liter gasoline unit that’s available only in Brazil. The new TrailBlazer is also marketed in Australia as the Holden Colorado 7. Other markets include South Africa, Saudi Arabia and some Southeast Asian countries.

Unlike its predecessors, whose names are actually spelled slightly different (with a capital B), the first-ever Chevrolet Trailblazer is in essence the entry level option into the world of Chevrolet SUVs and crossovers.
The model was initially created with the Chinese market in mind and it first made its appearance in the Middle Kingdom. Starting with 2020 it will try to make its way into the American small SUV segment, which is continuously expanding.

Slotted between the Chevrolet Trax and the Equinox, the Trailblazer brings the Blazer’s more rugged look in the compact crossover class. The engine lineup consists of two three-cylinder powerplants, one with 1.2 liters and the other one with 1.3 liters of displacement, both turbocharged and paired as standard with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with stop/start technology. The bigger 1.3-liter engine delivers a healthy 155 horsepower and can also be mated with a 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. Speaking of which, the AWD system is selectable, allowing drivers to activate it or to keep the car in FWD mode for improved fuel economy. Both FWD and AWD versions come with at least three driving modes, selectable by the driver, which can improve the car’s handling depending on the driving surface.

Chevrolet introduced the Trailblazer as a replacement for Blazer in 2000, and by 2008 it was about to replace it, but it did only a mild facelift instead.
With the world financial crisis cutting down jobs, companies, and future plans, GM was concerned. It had to save its European branch Opel, the Holden, and decide what to keep and what to throw away. The Trailblazer already proved to be a successful project, and it wasn’t that much costly either, so the management decided to give it a second facelift.

At the front, the 2008 model lost the chromed slat that crossed the car from side to side, over the headlights. This time the headlights were clear from any other adornments. That led to a redesigned grille, which still kept the horizontal slat, but in body color and the bow-tie in the middle. The carmaker installed a redesigned bumper on the lower side of the front fascia with a pair of rectangular fog lights and a lower grille. It featured a lower ground clearance for the SS version, bigger wheels, and an extended front horizontal slat over the headlights.

Inside, the carmaker kept the same design for the dashboard, but it changed the steering wheel. For specific trim levels, it added buttons for the sound system and trip computer. The SS version sported the distinctive badge in the middle instead of the Chevrolet’s badge.

Under the bodywork, GM placed the same drivetrain as on the non-facelifted version. It offered the Trailblazer with a choice of three engines, a rear or 4x4 systems. The SS version, which was not that much popular anymore, offered 400 horses and was used more as a marketing tool than a sales model.

With a body-on-frame SUV and a strong enough chassis, the GM could install a strong V8 engine inside the engine bay of a Chevrolet Trailblazer and the result was the SS version.
GM had some strange, high-performance SUVs in the past. Some will remember the GMC Typhoon produced between 1991 and 1993 in less than 5000 units. It was one of the fastest cars on the road at the time of its launch due to a turbocharged V6 engine. In 2005, GM did it again, but that time with the Chevrolet Trailblazer SS. Inside of the medium-sized SUV the engineers installed a Corvette engine.

The chromed grille on the lower part of the front bumper and the standard 20” polished light-alloy-wheels combined with the standard tinted windows made a stance for the car. When combined with the lowered suspension, the Trailblazer SS looked mean on the road.

Inside, there was a lot of standard equipment. The infotainment unit offered a six-CD changer, navigation system, XM Satellite radio. As for the rear, it offered a ceiling-mounted DVD player. The sport seat upfront offered better side support for the driver and front passenger while cornering.

Besides the LS2 engine from the Corvette, the Trailblazer SS featured thicker anti-roll bars, stiffened suspension and wider tires to keep the car on the road. Bigger disc brakes with two pistons were fitted on the front.

The SUV market started to be bigger and bigger in the 2000s when Chevrolet launched the Trailblazer.
It was a large SUV to fit the needs of those who had a Blazer before and wished for more.

The Trailblazer was a body-on-frame construction with a newly developed GMT360 chassis underneath. The vehicle had to be comfortable, but still able to tackle serious off-road tracks. It was built with a short or long wheelbase, with seating for up to seven passengers.

The front featured some similarities with the smaller Chevrolet Blazer that was launched in 1998. It featured a chromed bar in the front that went across the grille and divided the headlights from the turn-signals. It was available in three trim levels: LS, LT, and LTZ. In 2006, the SS version was introduced with a more powerful engine and a permanent all-wheel-drive system.

Inside, depending on the trim level, the Trailblazer featured CD-player and a premium sound system signed by Bose for the LTZ. The leather heated seats were part of the same package as well.

The Trailblazer was fitted with front independent suspension and a five-link axle in the rear. It was fitted with a locking differential for the entire range, apart from the SS version. It was fitted with two engine choices: a 4.2-liter inline-six and a 5.3-liter V8. The latter was upgraded in 2005. The 400 hp 6.0-liter V8 engine from the SS was introduced in 2006. All versions were mated to a standard 4-speed automatic.

Two years after launching the new Trailblazer, GM’s Chevrolet decided to introduced a new 3-row, 7-seat version of the model, called the EXT (Extended).
This variant was introduced to the main public at the same time with the Trailblazer changing its platform and featured a longer and higher body. This particular version was handed for assembly to the Oklahoma City plant. Unlike the initial Trailblazer, the EXT was discontinued in 2006 as a result of GM’s closing their Oklahoma factory at the beginning of the year. Soon after the discontinuance of the EXT, Chevrolet introduced the new SS (Super Sport) version in 2006.