06 Chevy Trailblazer EXT

**DocGM** · August 21st, 2006 02:36 PM

I was just wondering how come this vehicle which has reaped a lot of good reviews abroad seems to be seldomly discussed, especially now that it has been modified in looks as the new tahoe and engine to have been increased to 291 HP with Stabilitrak for an I6 and the smoothest ride... Just my observation. Any thoughts?

**empy** · August 21st, 2006 02:50 PM

just a guess, but maybe people hadn't had a lot of experience with it? i for one have only seen the exterior passing by on the street.

have you driven it? if so what are your impressions?

**BlueBimmer** · August 21st, 2006 02:53 PM

because its not a mainstream model? and gas guzzlers are not popular here?

**miogimd** · August 21st, 2006 03:29 PM

I'm in the market for a new SUV and this is one consideration.
Test drove it and loved the reassuringly smooth comfy ride. Plus it has Gm's stabilitrak(anti-rollover)thingie since safety is a priority for me.

Pales in comparison with the Ford Explorer. It had a severely jarring ride, so bad that the sales guy was begging me to give him another chance after I asked him if the tires were over inflated. Grabe! My wife said she thought she was gonna throw up. Funny, friends who have Ford Explorers rave about the ride, being the one with an all independent suspension set up. No idea what went wrong with the unit I test drove.

That's why I went back to test drive the Trailblazer a second time and I wasn't disappointed. Bose na rin daw ang sound system, as in the 4x4 model. Smooth I6 engine, now tweaked to 291hp(from 275). CBU from the US, di nga lang leather for the 2m asking price.

The Sta Fe is in the running but I haven't test driven the diesel variant yet since it only has one airbag! The gas variant has all the bells and whistles and ok naman. Only wished the 3rd row was less cramped or more habitable; kids doon no problem.

Hope matuloy test drive ko with the Honda Pilot this weekend so I can compare.

**GasJunkie** · August 21st, 2006 03:48 PM

also try the new ml

**kyle618** · August 21st, 2006 04:55 PM

dont forget the nissan murano if you're going to test drive the honda pilot. wow 291hp na pala ang trailblazer! finally another person who enjoys the smoothness of 6,8 cylinder engines... low end grunt is the bomb.

**DocGM** · August 21st, 2006 05:07 PM

That's precisely the reason I posted this. I own one and have really been satisfied with it after more than a thousand kilometers. In fact the mileage isn't that bad for an SUV this size, I get about 6 to 7 in the city and 9 in the highway. I heard that the gas variant of the fortuner does similar results but is more bumpy and a lot less in roominess and comfort. BTW mine is a 4 x 2 variant and cost me just a little over 2M.

Hope this helps.

**oldblue** · August 21st, 2006 11:10 PM

this traiblazer is too long. it's more like the venture with elevated body.

mid suv's are supposed to be nimble and manuverable. tingin ko talaga sa trailblazer elevated van lang with same fat ass. but i could be wrong hehehe. i just dont like long vehicles.

**miogimd** · August 22nd, 2006 10:11 PM

DocGM,

So are you recommending the Trailblazer? The horror stories of GM vehicles are giving me second thoughts, but its in my shortlist. The ride is cushier given our badly maintained roads, defiinitely a balm during long drives. I did read the generally favorable reviews and the not so flattering ones. Its really the after sales I'm worried about...the parts availability etc. Given that I plan to hold on to this one for a couple of years since I need the space for the kids.

The Benz ML class is way off budget and a 5 seater, though the GL class(7 seater) is even better..but sigh..I'd rather invest the moolah in real estate.
The Murano is strictly a 5 seater, so its not in my list. Looks great, but I'm not really a Nissan fan. The sales guy from Ford wanted me to test drive the Explorer a second time, so we'll see if he'll give something to think about.

The Pajero and Prado are too "pang offroad" which in all probability I won't do
anyway. Sayang lang features nya.
Which leaves me with the Honda Pilot, supposedly an 8 seater(as I have seen up close in Glorietta)and with unanimously favorable reviews..

**OTEP** · August 22nd, 2006 10:46 PM

From the other thread:

Part of buying a product is after-sales support (be it in-house or otherwise). And to that end GM does not deliver. In-house support is lousy, third-party support is virtually non-existent. If the Starex was taking 3 weeks at the dealer, you can just pull it out and have a real a/c facility fix it in a day for oodles less. Try doing that with a GM product. Unless we're talking about a simple slap-on-some-new-parts job, few a/c shops will take you in.

Ford and GM share the same third party parts supplier (Thunder) so they're pretty much equal there. But Ford has the advantage of having some of its products (Lynx and Ranger) capable of being supported by Mazda and it's larger 3rd party support group.

I can't just pull up to GlennSter's auto supply (far from being a specialist store) in a GM and ask for parts or services. But they do stock parts for 10 year old Suzukis! Even Ssangyong has stronger in-house and 3rd party product support than GM. How lousy can these guys get?