It’s a muggy grey morning on the outskirts of Bangkok near the Suvarnabhumi Airport. It’s been still for a while, but now the wind is picking up. It playfully ruffles the trees as it rushes past and the gusts that blow our way are cool and refreshing. Luckily, it doesn’t look like rain, but we still keep our fingers crossed. We won’t be shooting until later in the day, and by that time, anything can happen. What I’m even more worried about, however, is the insane traffic; this, after all, is Bangkok, jam capital of the world, and we could be stuck for days in the same place if we’re unlucky.
Then our ride arrives, earlier than planned. The Chevrolet Trailblazer is cloaked in shadows, but I notice there’s a nice tension to the design as it rolls up to the hotel porch. Appearing for all the world like a mildly enraged rhino strutting its stuff, it looks bulky, brutal and mildly edgy, all at the same time. I also find that the cuts and slashes along the flanks work really well in this contrasting light, and the wide shoulders and nicely ‘tucked-in’ cabin look good too.
The ‘wrap-around’ rear is too Fortuner-like, but where this SUV differs is that there isn’t too much cladding, especially around places like the wheel arches, making it look a bit ‘softer’ than regular middle-of-the-road SUVs. And I wish the Trailblazer had a bit more individuality and character – it looks a bit too generic.
But enough gawking; it’s time to head out. We need to be approximately a hundred kilometres down the road before we can begin to shoot, and what’s making me nervous is that even here, on the outskirts, traffic can build up really quick. Luckily, we are motoring right out of the gate. I leave the windows down while I can, and the cool breeze wafts in, mixing perfectly with the friendly gurgle of the 2.8 diesel. Initial impressions are good. The Trailblazer is skipping forward effortlessly on the generous amounts of torque made by the motor, surfing the long waves with abandon, and what makes it feel even more effortless is just how easily it takes off every time I flex my right foot down.
The Trailblazer may have a smaller engine than the Toyota Fortuner, 2.8 litres versus 3.0, but the interesting bit is that it seems to have loads more punch. And it feels quite responsive too. At the next stop light, I pull out the spec sheet – it’s in Thai, but I can still read “500@2000”, which means the motor makes a chest-thumping 50kgm! No wonder – the Fortuner in contrast only makes 36kgm.
The sun’s coming up fast now, with an orange glow filtering through. Along with that comes the traffic. We aren’t crawling yet, but we’re part of a giant stream of cars headed over to a highway on the other side of the airport. Once that’s done, we’ve got to dive headlong into one of the busiest highways leading out of Bangkok, so it’s going to be quite an urban slog. It’s good in a way, because I keep picking up information about how the car drives at city speeds.
I’m, for example, particularly impressed with how well the Chevy is tackling the broken expansion joints on this cemented road. There’s an impressive rubber-footedness at low speeds and the manner in which this gargantuan almost-5m-long SUV rides over the sharp-edged bumps we encounter is also quite confidence-inspiring. Yes, there is a thud at times and there is some pitter-patter over warped road surfaces too, but overall, the primary ride of the Trailblazer is so good, it feels more soft-roader than heavy-chassis-bearing SUV. Of course, what helps is the fact that the Trailblazer is built on a thoroughly modern stiff, lightweight frame. There is a bit of wheel tramp and axle shimmy, and there’s a bit of wheel hop too, but the Trailblazer’s chassis has been put together so well, this otherwise generic problem is considerably reduced.
Driving this big SUV through traffic is, however, not for the faint-hearted. The steering is surprisingly heavy for a modern SUV, and the view over the big bonnet is intimidating at first. Then there’s the sheer size of the thing – it’s almost five metres long. Fitting through toll plazas requires some deft manoeuvring and I notice myself seeking out the empty parts of a parking lot.
Finally, we leave Bangkok’s trafficked roads behind and move out onto more open highways. It’s not like we have the entire road to ourselves, but the greater separation and higher-speed roads begin to throw up different sorts of challenges for the Chevy.
As ever, the powerful 197bhp common-rail diesel is the first to impress. Just like it did at lower speeds, the Trailblazer feels like it has plenty of power. It feels quite strong even as the speedometer needle sweeps past 120kph, the midrange feels as punchy as ever and the six-speed automatic gearbox does a fair job of keeping the engine in the powerband. It’s no modern twin-clutch unit or BMW/ZF eight-speeder, but considering that this is a big, heavy SUV, the gearbox does a good job. However, as with many high capacity diesels, the Chevrolet unit does not like to spin very fast. It begins to strain and gets a bit noisy after 3500rpm; pulling it harder past 4000rpm isn’t of much use.
Stability at high speeds is quite impressive too. There’s no vagueness at speed from the slightly heavy steering, which now feels just right for the job. The chassis feels pretty planted for something that has a massive 231mm of ground clearance, and the Chevrolet feels stable even in crosswinds.
The brakes, however, don’t instill the highest levels of confidence. While the stopping performance of the 300mm discs, both front and rear, is acceptable and they do bring you to a halt quickly when you slam on them, the pedal feel is poor. It robs the driver of a lot of confidence because there’s no well-defined ‘bite point’. This makes it particularly unnerving when you’re following someone and need those soft but sharp brake responses.
After a bit of steady motoring between 120 and 150kph, we peel off the six-lane highway and get onto some smaller roads with less traffic. Known as Kao Yai in the Saraburi province, these mountain roads are perfectly manicured and have a nice rhythm to them. There are plenty of tight corners, there are changes in elevation and there are also a few long corners that double up on themselves – not the kind of road to drive an SUV over. While it’s clearly not in its element, the Chevy does manage to acquit itself well. Yes, there is some amount of body roll and you can feel the mass of the Trailblazer being transferred from one side to the other, but nothing really gets out of hand. I actually find myself driving it with more abandon than I expect to. It does drive with a surprising amount of confidence, especially for a big seven-seater.
Another area where the Trailblazer does well is space and comfort. The front seats, built to American spec and XXL frames, are nicely built and very comfortable. This Chevy probably has the best second-row seat among the competition. There’s plenty of legroom, the seat height is surprisingly good for an SUV, and the backrest is supportive. There’s even just about sufficient space for a third passenger sat in between. The windowline tends to rise a bit, but it’s airy enough on second row for most passengers. The Chevy also scores well for comfort on the third row. The word “comfort” is used relatively here, but this is still a seat you can quite easily spend an hour or so in, and not be worse for wear. It is a bit of a struggle getting in, and legroom is tight, but once you’re sat down, it’s pretty useable.
The Trailblazer is likely to be pretty well-loaded too. The top-of-the-line LTZ1 version that’s likely to come to India will get LED running lights at both front and rear, Chevy’s MyLink touchscreen system, GPS and a rear-view camera which, in my view, is essential on a supertanker like this. The four-wheel drive uses a shift-on-the-fly system that also comes with low range. You get hill descent control, hill start assist, ABS, brake assist, Cornering Brake Control (that adds considerably to stability in corners), traction control and ESP or stability control. So in terms of safety and stability tech, the Trailblazer is right up there with luxury cars.
The design of the dash, instrument panel and steering wheel is pretty interesting too. The Camaro-inspired square peg instrument cluster and sporty three-spoke wheel are cool, and functionality is good too. Where the Chevy trails the competition, however, is in the build of the dash. Plastics are not up to the standards expected today, there are other bits like the door panels, glovebox lid and lower half of the centre console, where the fit and finish is too basic and stowage in general is poor.
The launch of the Trailblazer towards Diwali this year will be a watershed moment for General Motors India. Not only will it mark a return to global products – as against Chinese cars like the Sail and Enjoy dictated by earlier part-owner SAIC of China – it’s likely to also mark the beginning of a new offensive for the company in India. What customers can look forward to with the Trailblazer, and there’s a lot here, is a modern, solidly engineered vehicle that takes the body-on-frame SUV game a step ahead. There’s a genuine Chevrolet vibe that emanates from this vehicle, finally, and as a product, it seems to have everything customers expect of a vehicle like this. There’s the class-leading comfort and space, imposing size and looks, a strong diesel engine mated to an impressive six-speed automatic gearbox, generous levels of equipment, and a quiet confidence not seen on a Chevy vehicle since the Cruze. It’s a great all-rounder too – it’s quick and refined, rides well, drives neatly and has a raft of modern safety systems built in.
Still, it won’t have things easy when it goes up against competition like the Toyota Fortuner. Some of the plastics on the inside may not be up to the standards expected of the class. It will be imported and not assembled, so it’s likely to be a bit more expensive than the competition at approximately Rs 30 lakh.
So, will it prove to be more appealing than the Toyota when the two stand shoulder to shoulder? Will Indian customers be willing to pay a bit more for the Trailblazer when it comes to India? Does Chevy have enough brand equity and goodwill to stick it out at this price? These and other interesting questions answered when we get both the cars on the same piece of tarmac, at the same time. Until then, stay tuned...
Torque to me - Duramax 2.8 diesel
SUVs normally get robust but simple diesel engines. GM’s new 2.8 diesel, however, uses high tech to attain higher levels of efficiency and, as a result, power. It uses a new water-cooled variable geometry turbo, a new exhaust gas regeneration system and a new, more efficient intake manifold as well. There’s also a new head that has better oil and water flow characteristics and common rail pressure has been stepped up to a high 2000bar for better responses
Comments
Post a Comment