Chevy’s Tougher Trailblazer Is The One America Doesn’t Get

The Bigger Trailblazer

Chevrolet has launched a new range-topping special edition of the Trailblazer called the High Country Midnight, but it won’t be sold in the U.S. This isn’t the same South Korea-built Trailblazer crossover that starts at under $25,000, but rather a body-on-frame model competing in the midsize SUV segment.

According to GM Authority, the Chevy Trailblazer Midnight is now available in Brazil with upgrades aimed at improving its off-road capabilities. At the same time, Fabio Daumichen, chief engineer of 4×4 vehicles at GM South America, noted that while the new edition is more capable, the SUV remains calibrated for family use, saying, “Our challenge with the new Trailblazer Midnight was to further enhance its 4×4 capability without taking away its role as a family car.”

A Familiar Name With Diesel Muscle

Developed in collaboration with GM’s performance team, the Midnight edition is equipped with an Ironman suspension featuring shocks and springs specifically designed for a three-row vehicle. The setup raises the body by up to 30 mm (1.18 inches), improving its approach and departure angles while providing 320 mm (12.6 inches) of ground clearance and greater water-fording capability.

Under the hood is a 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine making 207 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. This type of engine is popular in body-on-frame pickups and SUVs outside the U.S., as seen in models such as the Toyota Hilux and Mazda BT-50 – both of which are offered in South America. It delivers strong low-end torque, good fuel efficiency, and durability, making it ideal for workhorse use.

7-Seater With A Taste For Trails

The report stated that the top-of-the-line Chevrolet Trailblazer starts at 422,590 reais, or about $82,400 at current exchange rates. The Bowtie brand initially plans to produce around 100 examples and will gauge whether to continue offering the edition based on its market reception.

While the Trailblazer Midnight is closely related to the S10 pickup sold in Brazil, it is essentially that market’s SUV counterpart to the Colorado. The automaker doesn’t offer a comparable Colorado-based, three-row SUV in the U.S., much like Ford does not sell the Ranger-based Everest here. Bringing such models stateside would be challenging because diesel is more difficult to justify, they could overlap with existing SUVs, and they would need more power and refinement to compete with gasoline- and hybrid-powered rivals.