We count the cylinders under the hood of the Chevrolet Trailblazer crossover

It all starts at 2,049,000 rubles for the LS version with a CVT and front-wheel drive. An all-wheel drive with an “automatic” will cost no less than 2,303,000. Test modifications are another 144,000 more expensive, excluding options.

The new compact crossover Chevrolet Trailblazer has nothing to do with the frame of the same name, produced before 2010, nor with its successor, sold in Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The kid with Chinese roots traces its history to the Buick Encore car, presented in Shanghai 2019. New chapter, new concept. A new consumer willing to come to terms with a modest three-cylinder engine equipped with a simple turbocharger.

Before coming to Russia, Trailblazer managed to light up on the US market, at first even with two turbotriks, one more modest than the other. But version 1.2 with 139 hp did not work. Today, only a 150-strong modification 1.3, developing 236 N • m, comes off the assembly line in South Korea, where the crossover is also produced for Russia. The front-wheel drive version is equipped with a variator and a rear torsion beam. In the transmission with a connected second axle, the Hydra-Matic 9T45 automatic is involved, and the semi-independent suspension is supplemented by a Watt mechanism, like the last Asters of the Jem era (see Technique).

For a 600-kilometer run from Magnitogorsk to Ufa, the Russian office of GM has prepared four-wheel drive top versions: Activ and RS for 2,447,000 rubles each. One seems to be for active out-of-town recreation, the second is positioned as more sporty. But they differ only in internal and external decor and wheels of different sizes. The Trailblazer looked good on signature photographs around the Grand Canyon, but it looks even better live. There is no escape from comparisons with Creta, but I agree with those who see Camaro in optional LED optics.

The interior is nicer in photographs than in real life. In the illustrations, assembly flaws are not noticeable: you cannot see how the chrome rings for climate control are loose, you cannot hear the squeak of the rear sofa heating keys ... There is a lot of hard plastic in the contact points. But the ergonomics are not bad, you quickly get used to the arrangement of the buttons. The dashboard with a small screen between the classic dials is easy to read. The graphics on the eight-inch display of the media center are plain, but the touchscreen responds quickly to touch, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported for friendship with smartphones.

By the standards of the class, heights are in abundance - at least come in with a hat. And back - you can in cowboy boots. In the sense that the feet fit easily under the front seat. However, the comfort of the knees of the occupants of the sofa depends on the height of the driver. In the backrest adjusted for my 187 cm seat, I rest hard. It's good that there is an armrest and heating. The trunk pleases with the correct geometry and an even two-level raised floor. Only for some reason the curtain is attributed to dealer accessories.

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