Bye-bye

[4x4x4doors]

GM has officially announced the last day to order 2009 TrailBlazer/Envoy/9 7 X and there is no 2010 launch date. Looks like its bye-bye to the last Blazer and GM mid-size SUV.

Model..........................................Last day to transmit 2009 orders................ 2010 launch date
Trailblazer / Envoy / SAAB 9 7X............Oct-25-2008........................................

[ex IROC Crew]

Well, I think the TrailBlazer was a misfit. Many of the dimensions of the TrailBlazer and XL overlapped those of the Tahoe/Surburban line. I looked at the TrailBlazer before buying my 2008 Yukon, but the Yukon had more to offer, and the price difference wasn't that much. Fuel economy between the two vehicles was a wash for all practical purposes, and the Yukon came with rear air conditioning---important here in AZ.

I never understood why GM abandoned the Blazer size. I know they wanted to go larger to hopefully lure some of the Ford Explorer buyers, but the Blazer had a strong following, good owner loyalty, and a desireable size. Evidently Ford saw the need for a smaller vehicle since they brought out the escape. I sure would have shelled out for an updated version of the Blazer with improved chassis and suspension, a fresh appearance, and maybe an uplevel V6 engine. Fuel economy improvements could have made such a vehicle pretty attractive.

[4x4x4doors]

Although it wasn't a huge hit in the market, GM did have the Tracker in their lineup (which had greater 4x4 capabilities than the Escape) at the time the S10-based Blazer disappeared. Also recall that GM's big Blazer never went away, it just got renamed Tahoe and Yukon and only came with 4 doors.