Introduction

It is the battle of the behemoths and there is a new boy in town. Yes, we are talking about the massive ladder-on-frame SUVs located in the upper echelons of the D-segment. In the fray are the familiar Toyota Fortuner and the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport but now there is a new boy in town in the form of the Chevrolet Trailblazer which has been launched in India for Rs 26.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Exterior

This is a segment where road presence takes preference above all. It’s pretty obvious that the trio have no shortage of “I’ll flash my headlights in your ORVMs till you get out of my way” quotient. They are big, imposing and tower above everything else.

First, the Pajero Sport. It the oldest of the lot and despite the age it is still quite menacing. The high grille and straight face make for a no nonsense appearance while the heavily flared wheel arches on the side appear to be a segment standard but are no less imposing. There is some semblance of modernity at the rear thanks to the wrap around tail lamps, chrome elements above the number plate holder and visible rear bash plate element.

The Toyota Fortuner appears to be a bit more modern thanks to the large chrome grille, sleek(ish) bumper and giant air intake on the bonnet. It has a side profile similar to that of the Pajero Sport but looks less cluttered. The rear of the latest version of the Fortuner gets smoked out tail lamps with black inserts.

Chevrolet’s Trailblazer is the new boy on the block and despite being a bit of an old design; it has quite a bit going for it. The face is dominated by the Chevrolet Bowtie logo, projector headlamps and seemingly smiling fascia. The side profile reveals proportionate overhangs, softly flared wheel arches and black pillars which give the impression of a floating roofline. The back has a lot of chrome elements and very modern looking wrap around tail lamps.

As I said in the beginning, looks are king in this neck of the woods and so accordingly it will be a subjective choice (a.k.a buyer’s preference) when it comes to rating the trio with regards to looks and presence.

Interior

When we first compare the interior of the trio, it is very obvious that they have all used similar layouts and offer the same levels of equipment when it comes to the basic stuff. It is all there - climate control, touchscreen infotainment, chrome-heavy plastics, a plethora of cubby holes, big comfy seats and third row AC vents as well.

It is when we go beyond this that we start to see the differences. The Pajero Sport has the least in terms of goodies in the cabin. The touchscreen system is a bit dated and the climate control system has no display of any kind.

However, this is (sort of) made up for thanks to the pleasant beige and black interiors as well as the oodles of space for all three rows. Both the second and third row can fold away giving you oodles of storage space within the cabin.

Moving to the Toyota Fortuner, we can see that it offers similar levels of equipment but the fit and finish is far better. In the top-spec model the cabin is fully black save for the centre console which is silver in colour and looks to be like an after-market fitment. The second row is decently comfortable but the third row can only be described as a space best reserved for kids or really short people.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer appears to be the most modern of the lot. It gets a beige and black combination for the cabin like the Pajero Sport but appears to have a much better fit and finish. The chrome heavy design for the climate control and infotainment system adds to the premium appeal while the blue backlight for the instrument cluster adds some minor sporty appeal.

This vehicle is significantly longer than its rivals but has a wheelbase that is just 45mm more than the Pajero Sport. Despite this, it appears to be a much larger vehicle and will be comfortable with regard to space across all three rows. It is also the first vehicle to offer six-way adjustment for the driver’s seat as well as dedicated technology like MyLink for better access of various functions.

Engine and Performance

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport gets a four-cylinder 2.5-litre diesel engine that produces 176bhp/350Nm of torque. This can be had either with a five-speed manual or five-speed AT. The manual is available in RWD or 4WD but the AT is only available in the RWD layout.

The Toyota Fortuner can be had with two engines. The newer engine is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder unit that produces 142bhp and 360Nm of torque or three-litre four-cylinder mill that produces 169bhp and 343Nm of torque. The former is a newer unit and is expected to power even the facelifted model while the latter is likely to be phased out after this current generation. Both engines can be had with a five-speed manual or a five-speed AT.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer is offered with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 197bhp and 500Nm of torque. It is available only with a six-speed AT which sends power to the rear-wheels. Depending on demand, they may introduce an AWD variant next year. It is the first vehicle in the segment to offer hill descent control, stability control and traction control.

Summary

It appears that Chevrolet has a winner on its hands with the Trailblazer. The car has the presence, power and features needed to woo buyers when it comes these kinds of vehicles. We believe that if they work heavily on sales and service, it might propel their image to new heights.

However, their challenge will be a tough one as Toyota clearly stands miles above the rivals when it comes to actual sales and volumes. With a new Fortuner expected next year, things should look pretty good for Toyota.

The Pajero Sport in its current avatar is bit past its due date and since a new one has been launched, we expect it to come to India sometime next year and take the place of the current vehicle.