Chevrolet introduced the Trailblazer as a replacement for Blazer in 2000, and by 2008 it was about to replace it, but it did only a mild facelift instead.
With the world financial crisis cutting down jobs, companies, and future plans, GM was concerned. It had to save its European branch Opel, the Holden, and decide what to keep and what to throw away. The Trailblazer already proved to be a successful project, and it wasn't that much costly either, so the management decided to give it a second facelift.
At the front, the 2008 model lost the chromed slat that crossed the car from side to side, over the headlights. This time the headlights were clear from any other adornments. That led to a redesigned grille, which still kept the horizontal slat, but in body color and the bow-tie in the middle. The carmaker installed a redesigned bumper on the lower side of the front fascia with a pair of rectangular fog lights and a lower grille. It featured a lower ground clearance for the SS version, bigger wheels, and an extended front horizontal slat over the headlights.
Inside, the carmaker kept the same design for the dashboard, but it changed the steering wheel. For specific trim levels, it added buttons for the sound system and trip computer. The SS version sported the distinctive badge in the middle instead of the Chevrolet's badge.
Under the bodywork, GM placed the same drivetrain as on the non-facelifted version. It offered the Trailblazer with a choice of three engines, a rear or 4x4 systems. The SS version, which was not that much popular anymore, offered 400 horses and was used more as a marketing tool than a sales model.
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