Full-size forbidden fruit: 2017 Chevrolet Trailblazer bows in Brazil
We wouldn't be surprised if this fresh face eventually made its way to the US in some form or another.
Chevrolet has a hard time keeping secrets. The Opel Karl debuted in Europe, blowing the surprise for the forthcoming US-spec 2016 Chevrolet Spark. The same thing happened when Opel's Mokka bowed ahead of the refreshed Buick Encore. Now, Chevy's bringing out a new Trailblazer in Brazil, and you never know what surprise they've ruined this time.
You might recognize the original Chevrolet Trailblazer from the used car lot near your house. Its body-on-frame construction paved the way for newer, unibody crossovers that have followed in its footsteps, while the Trailblazer has soldiered on in other markets. Its most recent iteration, prior to this one, shares many visual similarities with the current Chevrolet Equinox.
This new Brazilian Trailblazer (the name sounds like a hipster cocktail for which you'd pay $13) packs a whole host of fancy features, like a MyLink infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a thrifty turbocharged diesel engine and rain-sensing wipers. It's no different than any similarly sized US offering, except we won't get it here in the US.
That said, one should never say never. Given the seemingly endless (except not) gas-price lull we're in, and the fact that those gas prices are sending more and more Americans back to larger, thirstier vehicles, there could be a halfway decent business case for the Trailblazer. With three rows of seating and body-on-frame construction (it utilizes the midsize Colorado's chassis), it could be a solid competitor for Toyota's 4Runner.
Or it could just be a preview of the face we'll soon see on Chevrolet's next-generation Equinox. Some of my colleagues within Roadshow don't necessarily agree with me, but I have $10 riding on it, so my fingers are crossed.
