Holden Trailblazer LTZ sits among a heavily competitive segment with the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Isuzu M-UX.

Now there is a good choice of robust, quality, reasonably priced 4WD wagons for buyers to choose from.

The Trailblazer was launched in October 2016 so it is now almost 20 months on the market and follows on from the relaunched Colorado earlier.

While it still resembles the Colorado7 the Trailblazer is dramatically improved in a number of key areas.

External

Externally the Trailblazer is fairly stylish with exterior styling enhancements including LED tail lights, signature LED and daytime running lamps.

These are combined with chrome accents, complementing a stylish front fascia and more muscular bonnet design.

A clever and practical touch that simply combines form and function.

It has an upright, bold design and clean lines that look good from any angle, especially with the 18″ alloy wheels.

There is also a full sized spare.

The Trailblazer along with the Isuzu MU-X is the most stylish of the new breed of 4WD wagon.

Internal

The front leather premium heated seats are comfortable and stylish, if a little flat in the squab.

The driver’s seat has multiple electronic adjustments but no lumbar support.

The seat back is fairly supportive though.

Along with the height adjustable steering wheel, drivers are able reach a reasonably comfortable driving position.

I did find myself reaching for the steering wheel a little though. It lacks reach adjustment.

The thick rimmed steering wheel feels good in the hand, has two stalks visible above the steering wheel spokes, but the indicator is a little far away from the rim of the wheel, necessitating you reaching for the indicator.

In front of the driver is a redesigned dash with two large dials, centre MFD and dials above that.

It is actually clear and easy to read providing most of the information the driver needs.

The redesigned dash and door trims has soft touch feel, and has a premium feel to it with subtle styling.

One thing though is a rough edge below the ridge above the centre stack that is a little sharp.

The middle row of seats are comfortable for three people, have adequate head, shoulder and knee room.

Again the seat squab is a little flat and hard but supportive.

The third row of seats are bigger and better than most competitors in the segment but still only good for shorter passengers for short trips.

They have headroom and shoulder room but restricted room for the passengers’ feet and knees.

The rear two rows of seats fold flat to reveal a large 1830 L boot area.

It is long enough for me at 190cm to lie down in it.

When all three rows of seats are used there isn’t much room behind for luggage though. This is the same for all the Ute based wagons.

The middle row seats tumble forward to allow access to the third row.

The rear privacy blind for the boot can store behind the rear seats when not in use.

The storage is a mixed bag.

The glove box is decent size, however the centre console is on the small size and has the USB port there which restricts use when that feature is utilized.

There are two cup holders in the centre console and the doors have a spot for those 600ml bottles but not much else.

The rear passengers in both rows have access to cup and bottle holders.

Features

Comfort features include electronic climate control for passenger comfort and rear A/C vents.

The remote window operation when the doors open and close is a great design feature allowing easier door closing but is prone to haphazard working which is annoying.

Other comfort features include large heated and power folding exterior mirrors, electrochromic (light sensitive) rear view mirrors and rain sensing windscreen wipers.

Drive and Engine

The Trailblazer is powered by the 2.8L Duramax diesel engine which produces 147kW/ 500Nm.

This power and torque is transferred to through a dual range 4WD system and a 6 speed sports automatic transmission and a LSD.

This combination works equally as well on and off road. There is no rear diff lock like some competitors such as the Pajero Sport.

In fact the Trailblazer has excellent off road ability.

It also actually feels quite nimble on road.

On test we drove the Trailblazer over fire trails, some heavier 4WD tracks, on sand and on the farm.

It performed without missing a beat.

We also towed some trailers and the Trailblazer easily handles its 3000 kg tow limit with a 300 kg tow ball rating.

It now equals the MU-X for ease of towing. Holden has a great payload calculator on its website.

 Safety

Holden has significantly upgraded the safety features of the Trailblazer LTZ with a five star ANCAP safety rating.

Trailblazer LTZ offers an array of active and passive safety features including:

• 7 Airbags (Driver, Pass., Fr. Seats, Curtain, and Driver’s Knee)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System
• Hill Start Assist (HSA)
• Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
• Hill Descent Control (HDC)
• Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)

The technology offering is further bolstered with rear park assist and reversing cameras standard as well as:

• Front Park Assist (FPA)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Good Bits:

• LTZ safety package
• Powerful engine
• Towing and 4WD capability

 Not So Good Bits:

• No lumbar support for driver
• No rear diff lock
• No reach for steering wheel adjustment

Summary

Holden has set the standard in the segment for safety with the Trailblazer. It sits 7 in relative comfort, will drive most places a family will want to go, and is economical and reliable.

In short it should absolutely be on the list for a family 4WD.

Impressively the Trailblazer comes with Lifetime Capped Price Service program and Australian based Customer Care.

 Facts and Figures: 2018 Holden Trailblazer LTZ

• Engine: 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbo diesel 147kW/500Nm
• Transmission: Six-speed auto 4WD
• Safety: Five stars
• Warranty: 7yrs/100,000km
• Origin: Thailand
• Price: from $57,587 RDAP