
During the new millennium America’s love affair with the Sport Utility Vehicle was in full bloom, with the mid-sized versions as the sales leaders. These vehicles were the replacements for the unloved minivans and station wagons of yesterday. General Motors was desperately trying to modernize their offerings while increasing production levels to keep the fat profit margins of the outgoing models. Was the cloning machine successful? Almost a year later the seven passenger Trailblazer EXT version debuted. The EXT received an extended wheelbase and a third-row seat that enabled it to accommodate up to seven passengers. It had a long list of standard features and a cushy (some would say nauseating) highway ride. Unfortunately, there was still the uninspired interior design mated to dull steering and handling response that became restive when the road got twisty. Worst of all, the EXT was ungainly morphing into a wallowing giant that was actually longer than the full-size Tahoe and saddled with an underpowered inline six as standard equipment. The optional 5.3-liter V8 improved acceleration times somewhat, but it still felt strained when compared to the full-sized Tahoe. The whole stretch made the relatively narrow Trailblazer look somewhat disproportionate in long wheelbase form.
The Envoy, the “Trollblazer,” and the rest of the family were recently euthanized when GM closed the Moraine Ohio assembly plant this past December as part of its initial restructuring effort. None of the Trailblazer clones ever excelled in any area; they were decidedly mid-pack when introduced and became increasingly uncompetitive as better competitors were introduced and as the market moved away from body-on-frame truck SUVs to lighter, more efficient car-based crossovers. In this regard, GM introduced competitive – and in some cases class-leading – crossovers but repeated its mistakes with the Trailbalzer by offering them across almost all its brands in an unsuccessful effort to placate its dealers. While the Trailblazer may have been an initial sales success, it and its many clones were never class leaders and were relatively inexpensive when new; they are now downright cheap as used vehicles having depreciated severely, especially as GM”s problems have accelerated. Would I own one? In a word the answer is no. And I would be hard pressed to recommend one to anyone I know either. They really didn’t deserve to be built for as long as they were, in as many varieties as they were offered. It’s my opinion that the Trailblazer and its clones are the poster children for many of the problems that General Motors experienced prior to its bankruptcy and will need to overcome soon. Maybe with fewer brands to support, General Motors can concentrate on giving each of its divisions distinctive vehicles that will be competitive to succeed in the marketplace on their own merits. Read more of my Retrospective and Recently Deceased Articles at Automotive Traveler.