Flagship Holden Trailblazer likely to materialise

HOLDEN is expected to build a new flagship Trailblazer seven-seat SUV using some of the same accessories as its mechanically related Colorado Z71 Xtreme sibling, although exact pricing and timing remains unclear.

 

Speaking to GoAuto at the launch of the new Colorado Z71 Xtreme, Holden general manager of light-commercial vehicles Andre Scott said there was room in the three-grade Trailblazer range for a halo variant. 

 

“Trailblazer is in the same family, it’s a closed-back seven-seater version of the Colorado with a shorter wheelbase, but a lot of the technology and capability is the same,” he said.

 

“At this point, I think there’s some work we can do around repositioning Z71 for Trailblazer. I won’t get into specifics on how that will happen, but I definitely think in that range, there’s a place for an off-road ready Trailblazer and that’s worth working on.”

 

At present, Holden’s Trailblazer kicks off from $47,990 before on-roads for the LT grade and moves up to $52,490 for the LTZ, however, it appears the limited-edition $53,490 Z71 is still available to purchase after being added to the range in May 2017.

 

The upgrades fitted to the Colorado Z71 to take it to the Xtreme includes a specially developed winch bar with integrated winch, revised front springs to accommodate the extra weight, all-terrain tyres, 2.5mm front bash plate, towing package and tubular side rails, all confirmed to be compatible with the seven-seat Trailblazer.

 

However, components such as the aggressive fender flares are yet to be developed for the Trailblazer, while the sports bar and soft tonneau cover are not applicable to Holden’s large SUV.

 

The new hero Trailblazer will likely follow the Colorado Xtreme in retaining  the same 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine as its donor car, paired to a six-speed torque converter automatic and four-wheel drive.

 

Don’t expect to see any interior changes however, with the standard equipment list likely to still include 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery with heated front seats, auto-dimming rearview mirror, digital radio, six-speaker sound system and electronic climate control.

 

Safety features such as seven airbags, front parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, lane departure warning, forward collision alert and automatic wipers are also expected to carryover.

 

Holden would not be drawn on timing or pricing for the new Trailblazer variant, but it is likely it will materialise next year with a similar $12,800 premium as its Colorado sibling, placing it in the mid-$60,000 ballpark.

 

The Trailblazer has struggled in the ute-based large-SUV segment so far this year, finding 1753 new homes – a 14.3 per cent drop – in the first eight months of the year to place second last ahead of the Chinese LDV D90 (215).

 

Leading the ute-based SUV pack is the Isuzu MU-X (5819), followed by the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (4404), Ford Everest (3627) and Toyota Fortuner (2321).

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