2018 Holden Trailblazer LT (4×4) review
I've had the car 10 months and 25,000km. I drove all the opposition and this was the best bang for my buck.
- Steering
- Power and torque
- Economy
- Really easy to park
- Full-size spare
- Steering column adjustability
- Dealer attitude
I was fortunate to buy when Holden was offering $1000 off, seven-year warranty and five years of fixed-price servicing. None of the competitors could match that, which gave me the confidence to battle through the buying process with the dealer.
I've had two Holdens and walked in with cash both times, and it is like they want to make it hard to buy the car.
We have a farm and make the 300km trip from Brisbane regularly, so it had to be a proper 4WD as a crossover wouldn't cope with the roads for long. I love the steering, good interior space (I carry a couple of kelpies). The seats are comfortable, and I didn't want leather as the car has canvas seat covers due to how and where it is used.
The entertainment system is easy to use and has good reception. I really like the Android Auto – I think the navigation is very good with this. I do miss not having rain-sensing wipers, but with the cost difference between the LT and LTZ I couldn't justify it. Yes, I know there were other doodads, but not $12K worth in my opinion.
I also prefer to have the 17-inch rims for easier tyre availability. The front suspension could be firmer on turn-in around town, but otherwise the handling is very good on the open road. The handling is surprisingly good on dirt roads and inspires confidence – and this from a guy coming out of Land Rovers.
Great power and torque make towing a breeze. The engine is noisy low in the revs, but pretty quiet at highway speeds. I have regularly gotten 6.5L/100km on the highway, but still I would like a bigger tank.
The dealer was rubbish to deal with when buying the car, but the service has been good. I like having a full-size spare as space-savers inspire no confidence in the bush.
Nothing has gone wrong with it, so I would happily buy another. Honestly, I can't understand why the MU-X outsells it. Actually, I can – they need to put a rocket up the dealers.
NOTE: With no photo supplied, we have used a CarAdvice image for this story.