It was a sad day when GM announced that Chevrolet would be withdrawing from South Africa at the end of 2017. Their lineup at the time provided a variety of reliable and friendly vehicles in nearly all of the various segments. One of our favourites was the large, 7-seater SUV, the Trailblazer.
Related: 2017 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.8D 4x4 LTZ - Video Review
The Trailblazer was updated in early 2017, right before Chevrolet announced their plans to stop selling vehicles in SA and implemented their warranty and service strategy to honour all existing warranties. This saw the Trailblazer given a fresh lease on life, albeit briefly.
We will maintain that the Trailblazer remains one of the great 7-seater buys and to help you make your mind up, we've compiled this list of 5 features that you should pay close attention to when test driving a 2017 model Chevrolet Trailblazer.
1. 2.8 Duramax
By far our favourite feature of the Trailblazer is the 2.8-litre turbodiesel Duramax engine. Found in the LTZ and Z71 models, this powerhouse of an engine produces a respectable 144 kW of power but it's the 500 Nm torque that continues to blow us away, still to this day. Fuel consumption may not be as frugal as it's competitors, but a 9.5l/100 km is still more than acceptable.
2. Towing capacity
While this one will be tough to test out on a test drive, know that the Trailblazer is rated to tow as much as 2965 kg with a braked trailer. This makes it great for towing other vehicles, large caravans, boats and heavy off-road trailers. The only model that isn't capable of towing this amount is the 2.5-litre manual version which is only rated at 2515 kg, which should still be adequate for most applications.
3. Power steering
One of the 2017 updates saw a revision to the power steering system in the Trailblazer. The Electronic Power Steering system (EPS) received a special system that consists of Active Pull and Smooth Road Shake Compensation. This system ensures that minor road undulations and vibrations are absorbed through the power steering system and not transmitted through the steering wheel. This results in less fatigue over uneven surfaces and on long journeys.
4. Climate control
Digital Climate Control is part and parcel of the Chevrolet Trailblazer but it takes this concept to a new level by offering individual control over the respective environments for all three rows. Each row will be able to adjust the flow of their air-conditioning to their personal preferences, avoiding arguments and discomfort.
5. Infotainment system
The Trailblazer received an infotainment upgrade for the 2017 model year and this saw the inclusion of a 7-inch touchscreen system. The MyLink system is an easy-to-navigate unit that includes Bluetooth, USB, and AUX connectivity with the added benefit of bundled Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for seamless smartphone tethering.
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