I feel that I am qualified to comment on the 2005 TrailBlazer LS 4WD. I rented one with less than 3k miles so it has not been abused and have spent a total of 24 hours behind the wheel covering over 1500 miles on a family vacation. The TrailBlazer is a comfortable and roomy vehicle. With two small children and the luggage they packed for themselves (practically emptying out their bedrooms) and the support items needed for them there was plenty of room without packing the TrailBlazer to the hilt. Everyone had plenty of space even to minimize the 'He/she is touching me!' woes of traveling with children. The seats are supportive and comfortable on long trips. The ride is smooth and comfortable with very little body roll. It felt very secure at highway speeds at 70 mph (posted speed limit in NC). The TrailBlazer has adequate power to accelerate and maintain speed on rolling highway hills. Occasionally it had to shift down a gear that did not jar the vehicle. The transmission shifts smoothly. My only complaint was the gas mileage. The TrailBlazer is rated at 20 mpg on the highway and you will get 20 mpg's on the average. I did get 21 on one tank (I double-checked the tire pressure to make sure it was not the cause. Is it the gearing of the transmission that is the cause? You will run below 2k rpm's at normal highway speed (at 70 mph I was a hair below 2k rpm's). Not what I was expecting from a 2005 vehicle with a state of the art 6 cylinder engine. The rental shop offered me a 6-cylinder Astro van and I was concerned with getting bad gas mileage on the trip so I opted for the TrailBlazer. A small V8 in the TrailBlazer would probably give better gas mileage on the highway. The TrailBlazer's 6-cylinder engine didn't appear to be working too hard but the added torque of the V8 would be better. I now wonder how the Ford Explorer would drive on a similar trip.
Also considered:
N/A
About This Reviewer...
Location:
Carmel, New York
Other vehicles owned:
None
Review submitted:
November 27, 2004
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