Blazing A New Trail

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good power from I-6 engine, vastly improved dashboard, roomy interior

Cons: Fuel economy, more options on LS model, please?

The Bottom Line: 
Representing a marked improvement over the previous generation of mid-size SUVs, I would not hesitate to recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a solidly built family vehicle.

Author's Review
I should note before I begin that I am a dyed-in-the-wool Chevy fan. In fact, the only thing I have ever driven is a General Motors product save for the last new van that I bought - a disastrous Plymouth Voyager that I purchased new in 1995 and that gave me 129,000 miles of lemon-scented trouble until the transmission finally failed and I had a reason to be rid of it. On the other side, I own two Chevrolet Astro vans, a 1994 model with over 200,000 miles, and a 2001 model with 55,000 miles. Now that two out of my four kids are driving, I let them use the two Astro vans, while I drive my new 2003 TrailBlazer.

While on the dealer's lot, I looked at a gorgeous blue and silver LTZ model with gray leather interior, DVD player, loaded with every option, until I looked at the sticker. $38,000?! There's no way I could afford that. So the nice salesman showed me an LS model with four-wheel drive in Light Pewter Metallic. The sticker was much more palatable at just over $30,000. After dealer discounts, rebates and my GM card rebate of $1,000, I waltzed out of the dealership with my new T-Blazer for $23,500. I've had it for one month and 2,500 miles now, and here are my impressions:

Exterior: 8.5
Even in base LS trim, the T-Blazer is a very inviting-looking piece. Clean lines, with a muscular front-end grille and headlight treatment, with no extraneous side cladding to muck things up. 16" alloy wheels with white-outlined tires look sporty and rugged. If I had a complaint, it would be that, on the LS model, the holes where the fog lights go on the LT and LTZ models are somewhat tacky looking, with their plastic latticework.

Interior: 9.5
This is where the new TB shines the greatest over the previous generation Blazer. I owned a Blazer for a short time in 1995, and I looked very long and hard at a preowned 2001 model. In both models I disliked the interior design and the quality of the materials - even in the 2001 model I found the materials to be more similar to those used in my 1994 Astro - definitely not befitting a 2001 model that originally sold for over $33,000. I also found the looks of the interior to be very unappealing and excessively utilitarian. Enter the 2003 T-Blazer. The new interior design is a vast improvement over the last generation, with a welcome upgrade in material quality and attention to assembly detail. There is not a squeak or a rattle to be heard in my vehicle. The controls are all very easy to understand and fall readily to hand, especially the climate controls, which include dual-zone temperature sliders and two knobs controlling fan speed and ventilation. In addition, the console shifter and parking brake are nice, sporty touches that add a nice touch to what is basically a utilitarian vehicle. Moreover, the rear seat is a surprisingly comfortable place to be, or so my four boys tell me. Rear seat passengers have their own air conditioning vents and ventilation controls.

Complaints? I really wish that a seat height adjuster was available on the base LS model, seeing as how, at 5'6", I'm rather short and would like at least the capability to raise and tilt the driver's seat. Also, I would like an outside temperature gauge and a compass. These last two items are available, but at a cost of $1,700 (the cost of mandatory OnStar and a power sunroof - two options I was not interested in).

Powertrain: 9.0
Lately known for its powerful pushrod small-block V8 engines, Chevrolet chose to take a different direction with the new T-Blazer. Under the hood resides a 4.2 liter in-line six-cylinder engine. This engine utilizes four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts to develop 270 horsepower and 275 foot-pounds of torque. This translates into smooth, powerful acceleration and passing performance. This engine is rated to tow at least 5,200 pounds. Routing the power to the rear wheels (or all four wheels) is a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission. On 4WD models, an Autotrac transfer case features an idiot-proof dial giving the driver a choice of automatic 4WD, 4WD high and low, and 2WD high.

Driving Experience: 8.5
Light-years ahead of the Blazer, the T-Blazer feels much more stable and buttoned down than the Blazer, which had the potential to be a real wild ride when driven aggressively. The T-Blazer rides very smoothly and quietly, with barely any noise coming from the engine. The suspension has been derided by some as being old-fashioned, but it seems to soak up the bumps just fine. As with any SUV, you'll never confuse this with a Corvette or even an Impala, but you won't feel like you're driving a bus.

Value: 9.0
My TrailBlazer listed at about $30,800, an LS with the 1SC package, which included power windows, locks and heated side mirrors, as well as keyless entry and a cargo cover. As I mentioned, I paid under $24,000 for this vehicle. I would consider this a very strong value for a competent, midsize vehicle.

In closing, I would give this strong effort from Chevrolet a solid 9 out of 10.

UPDATE (3/3/2004): I've had my '03 TrailBlazer for a little over a year, and have accumulated just about 30,000 miles on my vehicle. Overall, I am very pleased with the car. It provides a good ride--although it is not Lexus-smooth, it still is very smooth and well-controlled. No one is going to get motion sickness. Although I hear constantly that the TrailBlazer is not considered a sharp-handling vehicle, I must disagree. Of course, consider the vehicles I've been driving--Chevy Astro vans are not exactly sports cars either. I think that for the intended market, the handling is at least average to above-average.

Utility is this vehicle's strong suit. I can take my youngest son to soccer practice, drop him and his gear off, go grocery shopping, load the week's purchases into the back (either through the liftglass or by opening the entire gate), go back to the field, pick up my son, throw his gear into the back (separate from the groceries, of course) and still have enough room to offer two of his friends a ride home. Then, on the weekends, we can load up the back with our suitcases for a quick weekend getaway, or I can tow our boat to the lake, or hook up the snowmobile trailer and hit the trails. No matter where we're going, the TrailBlazer satisfies with its versatility and roomy interior.

The Vortec 4200 engine is a mostly good but still mixed bag. It is infinitely smoother than the old 4300 used in the Astro (or Blazer, for that matter), but the higher-revving twin-cam 4200 lacks the enormous low-end torque of the old pushrod 4300. That said, I notice it mostly in the city, where 0-30 mph acceleration is critical. On two-lane highways, where 0-60 mph acceleration and 50-70 mph passing maneuvers are more common, the 4200's power is almost intoxicating, especially compared to the old 4300, which tends to become winded at high RPMs.

A note about winter driving. This is my first vehicle with a driver-selectable transfer case. I was told that with the Autotrac system, I could leave the vehicle in Auto 4WD mode year-round without doing any damage to the system. I did this, and the first time I lost traction going around a snowy corner, I went skittering sideways. I was able to get the vehicle under control, but it was nevertheless surprising, as I have never (mark my words!) lost control in either of my Astro vans. Upon further research, I learned that even in Auto 4WD mode, the torque is routed almost solely to the rear axle until such time as the rear axle loses traction and starts rotating faster than the front, at which time the power is routed to the front axle. However, on dry pavement even in Auto 4WD, the front drivetrain does not spin. In my Astro vans, which both have full-time all-wheel-drive, both the front and rear drivetrains are engaged all the time, with the torque split biased towards the rear axle in dry conditions. The upshot of this is that Auto 4WD is not the same as full-time AWD, and should not be confused as such, and it is proof that SUVs are not invincible. Vehicles with four-wheel-drive are only as capable as the person driving them. That said, I did find it beneficial to turn the dial to 4WD High (which locks the front and rear axles) if I was traversing a particularly bad road.

As far as reliability, the vehicle has never let me down, and I have yet to visit the dealer for a major repair. In fact, the only repair whatsoever that required dealer attention was a sticking rear-seat folding mechanism. This repair was handled with professionalism and courtesy. I was given a loaner, a TrailBlazer EXT (the stretched version of the TrailBlazer), and I was very impressed with the vehicle. In fact, I am considering moving up to the seven-passenger EXT in the near future. Stay tuned :-)

UPDATE (11/23/2005): 52,000 miles and counting! Since my last update a year and a half ago, I have driven the TrailBlazer from upstate New York to Las Vegas once and to Florida twice. No serious problems to report save for an airbag light that came on at just over 37,000 miles. The issue was fixed at no charge to me, and as usual, the repair was handled with utmost efficiency. Other than that, no issues have surfaced. Fuel consumption has hovered at just about 17 mpg for mostly highway driving, which is kind of a drag when gas is $3.00 a gallon, but for the utility the car offers, its worth it in my opinion.

Three months ago, I purchased a 2005 TrailBlazer, which I will be reviewing separately. My older TB is starting to show signs of age, especially compared to the brand new truck, but nothing that shouldn't be expected out of a car with 52,000-plus miles.