Photo: Chevrolet
Crossover after crossover after crossover appears to be the secret to commercial success these days, and on the downside, a sea of crossovers dilutes the automotive landscape. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that this body style offers that little more visual drama than your ordinary hatchback without the fuel economy-related drawbacks of a sports utility vehicle.
Chevrolet has brought back the Trailblazer for this exact reason, and as opposed to what that nameplate used to mean in the olden days, we’re dealing with a subcompact crossover. Initially launched in China, the U.S. model will arrive at dealerships next year from $19,995.
“Yeah, great! What do I get for my hard-earned bucks, though?” The answer to that is… wait for it… an engine! A three-cylinder turbo with 1.2 liters of displacement is the culprit, the same powerplant as you may find under the hood of the Buick Encore GX. Coincidence or not, the luxed-up sibling has also been unveiled in China before the United States got it.
Front-wheel drive and a CVT are also standard, and all-wheel drive is an optional extra that adds $2,000 to the price along with 0.1 more liters of displacement. The output ratings for the Trailblazer are 137 and 155 horsepower, which are adequate for a vehicle of this size and weight.
L, LS, LT, Activ, and RS trims will be available for the 2021 model year, and the 1.3 with AWD switches from the CVT to the Hydramatic 9TXX automatic transmission with a torque converter. Like the Buick, the Chevy rides on what General Motors calls the VSS-F. Short for Vehicle Strategy Set – Front, this architecture has subsets that vary from the A-segment for city cars like the Spark to the E-segment such as the Impala.
L trims feature a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and no all-wheel-drive option, the LS can be had with AWD, and the LT sweetens the deal with pretty much all that you need in a subcompact crossover. Moving higher up to the Activ, the $26,395 sticker price gets you a more aggressive grille, Hankook Sport Terrain tires, off-road tuning for the dampers, and the 1.3 with front-wheel drive.
The Trailblazer RS, which wants to be the sportiest of the lot, also starts at $26,395.
“Yeah, great! What do I get for my hard-earned bucks, though?” The answer to that is… wait for it… an engine! A three-cylinder turbo with 1.2 liters of displacement is the culprit, the same powerplant as you may find under the hood of the Buick Encore GX. Coincidence or not, the luxed-up sibling has also been unveiled in China before the United States got it.
Front-wheel drive and a CVT are also standard, and all-wheel drive is an optional extra that adds $2,000 to the price along with 0.1 more liters of displacement. The output ratings for the Trailblazer are 137 and 155 horsepower, which are adequate for a vehicle of this size and weight.
L, LS, LT, Activ, and RS trims will be available for the 2021 model year, and the 1.3 with AWD switches from the CVT to the Hydramatic 9TXX automatic transmission with a torque converter. Like the Buick, the Chevy rides on what General Motors calls the VSS-F. Short for Vehicle Strategy Set – Front, this architecture has subsets that vary from the A-segment for city cars like the Spark to the E-segment such as the Impala.
L trims feature a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and no all-wheel-drive option, the LS can be had with AWD, and the LT sweetens the deal with pretty much all that you need in a subcompact crossover. Moving higher up to the Activ, the $26,395 sticker price gets you a more aggressive grille, Hankook Sport Terrain tires, off-road tuning for the dampers, and the 1.3 with front-wheel drive.
The Trailblazer RS, which wants to be the sportiest of the lot, also starts at $26,395.
Google News