New Holden Trailblazer REVIEW | 2016 LT And LTZ – Holden’s Feature-Filled And Refined Heavy-Duty 4X4 Wagon
CAN YOU HEAR IT? LISTEN HARD ENOUGH AND YOU’LL HEAR A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF FROM HOLDEN DEALERS ACROSS THE LAND. “Thank goodness… ” they’re intoning, “that the new Trailblazer doesn’t look like a terrible misunderstanding with an amorous Rhino.”
And yes, we’ve seen it, sat in it, and driven it – this new Trailblazer from Holden. We can confirm right now that it is in another reality altogether from the frumpy and somewhat coarse Colorado 7 it replaces.
The Colorado 7, inside and out, looked and felt a bit… well… boggo-cheap.
But the new Trailblazer doesn’t. This one looks comfortable on its wheels and, from the nose, pulls off a whiff of premium breeding with its Chevrolet-style grille and hockey-stick DRLs.
And inside, while still lagging behind niche leaders Everest and Fortuner, manages a sense of robust quality and durability, if not style. The new dash is vastly improved on the old, has tossed the commercial-grade plastics for improved soft-feel textures and stitching, comes well-featured straight from the box and offers the airy accommodation feel of an SUV wagon (rather than a “ute with a wagon back”).
But that’s only part of the story. The biggest improvement is in the way the new model drives. Extra sound deadening where it matters, active ‘balancers’ in the torque converter (‘centifugal pendulum absorber’), revisions to the engine, new engine and body mounts, and revised suspension geometry, all add up to a vastly more refined on-road experience.
So, it’s quiet - especially at speed - and steers better and rides better, but has lost none of its potency and capacity for work.
There is a lot going on here, with the new model. Except for the rear. Unchanged, it is still awfully drab - surely some new less-wonky tail-lights would not have broken the budget? But, given the improvements elsewhere, we can forgive it that (and maybe the rear lights will get a mid-model update).
Vehicle Style: Large SUV
Price: $47,990 - $52,490 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre 4cyl turbo diesel | 6sp automatic
Fuel Consumption Claimed: 8.6 l/100km | Tested: 10.8 l/100km (with off-road driving)
OVERVIEW
The new Holden Trailblazer, like the car it replaces, is easily described - there are just two models, the LT at $47,990 (plus on-road costs) and LTZ at $52,490 (plus), and one drivetrain: a revised but still stout 2.8 litre Duramax diesel mated to a six-speed conventional automatic, offering part-time four-wheel-drive with high and low ratios engaged through a transfer case.
Engine output and performance remains unchanged at a healthy 500Nm, available from a narrow 2000rpm to 2200rpm, and 147kW of power. It retains its 3.0 tonne towing capacity (braked) and 750kg, unbraked, with a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5.7 tonne against a kerb weight of 2.2 tonne.