CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER test drive since 2000 SUV

Iluzzi Rippers

Are the universal oscidences fear of real adventures?
 
Gloomy Morning
Oh, I don't like it all, I don't like it ... as if trying to discover something new, once again I walked around the villagers parked at the editorial park. Mt, it was necessary to take shotguns ... - Just as the heroes Tarantino thought me. The trunk was already lying a strong metal cable, and a shovel, and a pair of gloves. But this is so - to clean the conscience. Here would be an artillery of a large caliber, the winch like Worn or Supervinch. At worst, the Saratov Soliton would be used - everything is better than nothing ...
No, we were not going to storm the impassable debris of the Borneo Island. And Amundsen's laurels do not seduce us, at least ... the task is the maximum - just! - To climb on the swollen from the unexpected thaw off-road, lay a rut in deep snowdrifts and return home without the help of a tow truck. What is the snag? After all, we have two such powerful off-roads such as Mitsubishi-Pajero and Chevrolet-trailblazer. In view of them all on the shoulder. However, just this seems to see if not scarecrow, it was still alarming.
   
There can be no two opinions here. Pajero dashboard (left) is more informative. Modes of the gearbox and disassemble in front of the eyes. Trailbox meter instead voltmeter
     
   
Stylistically central consoles differ as heaven and earth, they are functionally very similar.
   
Beauty does not pass without a trace
The fact is that I have prejudice to such universal oscidence. These all-terrain vessels are Hummer-H1, UAZ-469, and also, maybe Gelendevagen, and necessarily short-wing and diesel. With a minimum of excesses - maximum efficiency. And these two? Too, they are similar to frozen pijons. You just look at the trail blazer! It is not only longer, wider and higher than the pension of the blazer. And the appearance of the newcomer will be rising. A courageous profile, slightly frowny forehead, formidable headlights - all this is its monumentality resembles the gigantic bas-reliefs of US presidents in South Dakota. On the right, it seems like Jefferson, Afas - already Roosevelt. I wonder if Yankee's similarities called the trail blazer the best sort of day last year? After all, let's say the gaps in the finger between the wings and the front headlights were clearly not accepted. Johnny Shevy has its own in-off - this is a road all-season tires with small risks of the tread, low under the fodder, not at all mandatory steps. And the third generation's pajero, at least at first glance, it looks too good in order to professionally perform some work, except for the defiling on the podium. The Japanese Sough-Room reminds Chudakha Shakhtar, who in front of the descent I visited a boutique of men's clothing, from there I was covered with an expensive hairdressing salon, well, and finally agreed to the pedicure. In the city, the city, and licked Mitsubishi, it looks just cool - the eyes of the cat, thigh muscular. But somehow chrome tsatski will look in the case? However, the question is ... Moreover, the third generation of Pajero lost all branded all-terrestrial attributes: dependent suspensions and frame structures. And you say what to worry?
   
Agree that Pajero's salon would make the honor of many middle class sedans. The spaces for the rear passengers are quite enough for even very solid people.
    
   
The interior of the trailblaser is also very spacious, and the Penal Belts, according to the latest safety requirements, are integrated into the front seats.
 
Without shift, the entry is not allowed!
But if I had little doubt. In the cabin, Pajero remains only to be stuck and mumble something vague: almost like in Lexus! And this is not flattery. Even I can not imagine how you can climb inside Mitsubishi in boots, rolled clay whites?! No, here, how to school, you need to walk with a bag of replacement shoes. How else? Japanese interior stuff This is not only a pleasant eye and back leather seat upholstery or plastic moire inserts under the red tree. On the same basis of the scales, the semi-sports dashboard with drowned pads of dials and a multifunctional color display that is working on the compass, radio tape recorder, climates. High class and clean work are visible in the built-in CD-changer built-in central console and even in a lovingly decorated set of tools, the place is found in the rear swing door.
   
 
This picture clearly shows the advantage of Pajero in geometric patency. Pay attention to how the chevrolet bumper hangs
 
Trail Bleser Against the background of almost Lexus, a clear case, is lost. But in the money and demand - after all, despite their own, so to speak, one-class, Pajero stands in the states of thousands for seven or ten more than Chevrolet. Another thing is that in Russia the prices of these cars are more close. We, however, were distracted.
Everything seems to be nothing in the inner making of the trailboxer: and the spacious back seat, and individual illumination, and management of music and climate control at the rear passengers, and leather chairs, and an electric car with a cruise control. But why the upholstery plastic is buzzing, as a trunk of birch siblied, and in the dark in the eyes of ripples from multicolored and too bright backlight? Who came up with such a stupid climate control algorithm and on whose ochoty the inclusion of janitors is made by a small flag on the left (and the only) steering wheel switch? And who came to mind ... completeness, however. After all, approximately in the same underwent phrases, interjections and intonations, the European will tell about the salon of any American sacrifice. They are far from us.
In addition, we were again taken to the side - because the external gloss and inner chic is not necessary all-terrain. Much more important ...
    
Sport is not rest
The name of Pajero is inseparable with the concept of a rally-raid. Prototypes on the basis of Japanese Sough-Room, however, like almost serial specimens, not one ten years old Sand Dunes Paris Dakar, Rally Pharaohs, the call of the desert. Over time, the number passed into quality. It is enough, probably, to say that the pilots of three diamonds occupied the first seven lines in the absolute standings of Dakar 2002! Americans in African marathons are infrequent guests. It is understandable - to go far, especially when under the side of Mexico, with its broken roads and directions. North America hosts a whole off-road SCORE championship. The most famous stage of which is Baha-1000. His main charm is that only one day is given to the pilots for overcoming the distance in 1600 km! Racing trailblausers, like Pajero for Dakar, have little in common with their serial fellow. But the forced engines, a carbonistic body, the night vision system helped Pilot Chevroles last year to win two stages of the championship - Nevada-2000 and Bach-500.
 
   
What do you like more: flywheel system autotrek chevrolet or classic Distribution lever Mitsubishi?
    
 

The color display is very promised and unobtrusive

Glove boxes in Pajero two at once, one of them locked
   
 
Two removable chairs of the third row not for long journeys
 
 

Uncomfortable janitor inclusion flag
   
 
Rota repeaters in mirrors are now in fashion

Passengers of the second row of climate and audio control panel
 
 
Iron nerves, healthy kidneys
And with the health of these guys everything is fine. The pledge of the strength of the miracle warriors, of course, the motors. Under the hood, Pajero is the most powerful in the range of 3.5-liter V-shaped six (202 hp). The trailboxer holds in the cord of 270 horses of the row 6-cylinder engine of the VECEX volume of 4.2 liters. Which of two is the fastest? Do not guess from once? Of course, Chevrolet. It is only possible to press gas, and two with nuts tons of this sports and utilitarian car fly forward like a ball after serving Marat Safina. Possessing the locomotive moment, the motor, however, at the same time, it is happily twisted to six thousand - which is not at all American. But gasoline in such a mode of Shevya sucks like a wife salary from her husband. There are two hundred Silenis Pajero do not make a proper impression. But in the case of the Japanese Sough-Road driver hardly feels greatly. The more modern 5-speed box with the sequential switching mode of Invecs II (Shevi outdated and capable 4-speed hydramatics) is helped. The Japanese loss in acceleration dynamics is obvious, but not deadly. But how many Mitsubishi will save you on fuel! If you adapt and force the GDI-ECO green light bulb on the dashboard to burn at least half the trip time, the fuel consumption will not be much higher than the appetite of the middle class sedan. Moreover, it is not necessary to think that getting into the greenstone is very difficult or the pace of your movement in this mode will be comparable to the worker. Aggressive acceleration on the first up to 3000 rpm, then immediately the third, a little timest fourth, and now you are going fast and at the same time. Well, if you decide to play a kick-down, do not blame me - the fuel level arrow will fall in front of the eyes. In general, we warned you.
   
The maximum volume of the trunk of Pajero is more than the trailboxer. But in Chevrolet, the glass fifth doors opens separately.
    
    
An example of the effective work of the self-locking differential of the trailbox is even in a slide and under high load row both rear wheels. Alas, all-season rubber did not allow us to complete the rise. Paddle's torture tires, in turn, will help the Japanese to pave a rut and in deeper snow
 

 
Lightness of Being
But if Pajero is inferior to a trailboxer in dynamics, then easily compensates for losing challenges. Mitsubishi in the city is just tall and heavy, but, of course, the passenger car, Chevrolet resembles a cooled truck. The steering wheel of the American is empty, like a shadow from the bottle, and in Mitsubishi Baranka elastic and informative. Although, to say frankly, the handling of both fighters is Nevaznetskaya. This, however, for the soughs of axiom. But at high speeds in Mitsubishi, more confidence that you manage the car, and not vice versa - Pajero does not grow and perfectly holds straight. The brakes in Japanese are also informative, although there are no complaints about the intensity of the inverse acceleration and on Shevi. But on filtration of small irregularities, the trailblaser is ahead - Pajero is where the profile of the road repeats more. Eh, it would still be overcome these eternal and typically American swinging and strokes on the steering wheel (strange, even the front independent suspension does not help), and it would be quite good. So unnoticed, with jokes and booms, we got to off-road.
   
The sound and vibration of Mitsubishi and Chevrolet engines deserves the highest marks
  

    
What how much
Dealers General Motors will be brought to Russia a trailboxer in the richest performance LTZ. For $ 47 388 you get a completely packaged oscidence. Skin, climate control with rear passengers control panel, full electric car, all-wheel drive transmission autotrek, heated front seats and mirrors, radio tape recorder with acoustics Bose, alloy wheels, full-size spare parts and even digital voice recorder are included in this amount. The only option is a hatch with an electric drive in the roof that raises the price of a $ 1,200. However, if you do not need so much minced meat, you can place an order for the basic variant of the trailboxer - LT. It will cost significantly cheaper - at $ 39,000, while the powerful 270-strong VEKEK, the electric car and the cessis from you will not go anywhere.
Having visited in our test, Pajero is estimated at $ 54,990, and this is the most expensive Mitsubishi in Russia. List all his bells, it is meaningless - everything is inclusive. It is much more affordable to Pajero with a 3.2 liter diesel engine and a Common Rail fuel injection system (165 hp). For $ 43 890, you get a full and packaged oscidence - alloy wheels, climate control, anti-theft, tape recorder with six columns, fully removable third row of seats. It is a pity that Diesels do not have chibs yet.
Will we do without winch?
4x4 Club Route - Jeeper Games, well-known in Moscow. In the summer in dry weather, many of its plots can be overcome on a passenger car. In winter, in remote corners where traces of snow removal machines are not visible, perhaps not all sorts of day. We were doubly lucky. The monstrous January thaw turned separate sections to the Chubby swamp, and hit the eve of the light frost added the sharpness of sensations in the form of cunning land. The first on a date with Buuras went Pajero. And all fears about the endurance and reliability on the off-road carrier design with independent suspensions were in vain. The high-protected body did not cling to the soil, the levers of the suspension with enlarged strokes are also located high, reminding the plug-up graduation chassis of the reactive liner. In an intricate path with many rates and descents, we overcame playing, without connecting even the front-wheel drive. Let's try to get out of the gauge. Buks, snow syringe from under the wheels, stop! The lever of the famous second-generation super-selector is translated into 4H mode (direct transmission, the front axle is connected to the Viscounts, the distribution of the moment on the axes in the ratio of 33:67), and Pajero, Aki Dye, got out of the trap.
Go to more complex exercises. The left rear wheel is posted, under the feet thick-thick layer of loose snow. Gas! The rear wheel's posterior wheel rotates, the other does not even move, the front lacks the traction - and again the stop. We block the interstitial differential, downward, and again running on the spot ... Surely got up? Let the last remedy - button next to the gear selector, forcibly blocking the rear differential. And suddenly a lazy wheel begins to file, and Mitsubishi confidently crawls towards the solid land.
By the way, all Pajero 2002 model year is mandatory equipped with a rear-al-locking differential. Useful thing. Self-block will come in handy in the city, to, leaving from ice to asphalt, do not grind with wheels. He will help on off-road. If during the rise you exceeded the speed of 12 km / h, then the forcibly blocked rear differential dissolves the electronics, and you would inevitably crawled down, do not be self-block.
The self-locking differential is in the transmission of the trailboxer. And noticeably more efficient than in Pajero, and it works even at the maximum load on the rear axle. Yes, and the All-wheel drive system Autotrek (Autotrac), which is a multi-disc clutch with a leading electric motor and electronic control, knows its business. And most importantly, the child will also deal with the Office. No dispensing levers are the only handwheel on the central console. In winter it is best to leave in the Auto 4WD position. In this mode, the electronic unit, receiving information about the sink of the rear wheels, accordingly, presses the clutch discs, passing the moment on the front wheels - the more the box from the back, the more traction goes forward. On iced roads, it's just a buzz - I added a brake, the back of the famously threw the front wheels here, not allowing to develop uncontrolled rotation. Solid pleasure! But on the harsh off-road automation leaves - for those few moments, while there is an in front of the front, the rear wheels have time to jump from the rut or break even deeper. The car hangs on the steps and ... shovels in hand! Transferring the handwheel to the 4H position, you rigidly adapted the front axle, but to keep up with Mitsubishi a trailboxer still interferes with insufficient geometric permeability and toothless rubber. Although America's tightly did not get up anywhere. Where Shevi could no longer go ahead, he was poorly chosen back along the path himself.
 
    
Give seven places!
A year ago, debuting in the American market, the trailblazer could only boast a five-seater salon. While the nearest rivals Chevrolet is the same Pajero (in the US Montero) and Ford-Explorer, seven seats. Representatives of Chevrolet claimed that they deliberately abandoned two unnecessary chairs, because they could not be made comfortable. Oh, and I got it impossible! First from customers, and then from the bosses. So at the end of 2001, Chevrolet, at the request of the workers, presented the seven-party variant of the trailboxer with the EXT index. Moreover, the external dimensions of the sorewood have not changed.
    
Pleasant surprises
Modification of Pajero 2002 model year differs from the previous model with insignificant, but pleasant nuances. In addition to the already mentioned self-locking differential, new alloy wheels of the so-called Japanese design, the grille and edging of the rear lamps coated with chrome appeared on the car. The salon made a multifunctional color display with a diagonal of 4.5 inches, and the overall security level increased belt pretensioners.

Fans of vocational training
All my illusions dispelled as a cigarette smoke. The cable was not useful. The need for the winch disappeared by itself. It turns out, not so bad our highly highly expensive Frant? Perhaps that yes. If you can be a man to a man and think about the Gras of Nail, then the saznodnik can be considered stylish, comfortable and truly combat at the same time. Of course, you can speculate on the topic, somehow leading myself to the body of Pajero Year of the Year in Three. And how many salty winters will withstand the electric motor of a multid-wide all-wheel drive clutch of the trailboxer? Well, we will definitely talk about it. Only another time.
Mitsubishi-Pajero-3,5GDI
Per
Great build quality,
excellent off-road abilities,
clear passenger behavior
on the road, comfortable and spacious interior,
attention to detail
Against
High price,
ambiguous appearance
 
 
Chevrolet trailblezer
 
Per
Powerful and elastic engine,
spacious salon,
attractive appearance
 
Against
Not the best geometric permeability,
boring interior design,
places inaccurate assembly,
outdated gearbox design
 
Mikhail Medvedev, photo Maxim Goncharov

 

A source: Limousine magazine [03/02]