Why Was The OG Chevy TrailBlazer SUV Discontinued, And What Replaced It?

Initially created as a trim to Chevrolet's original Blazer SUV, the Chevy TrailBlazer helped show that SUVs can be more than just suburban family-haulers. It wasn't until 2002 when Chevrolet decided to take the TrailBlazer name and turn it into its own vehicle. The original TrailBlazer paid homage to its predecessor by keeping the 'B' in Blazer capitalized and was offered in three trims, LS, LT, and ACTIV.

The OG TrailBlazer was sold until 2009, when Chevrolet decided it would be best to switch what vehicle they offer in the midsize SUV space. Chevy ended up replacing the TrailBlazer was the 2009 Chevy Traverse, which the brand still offers and averages over 100,000 units sold annually.

Chevrolet offered two different engines in the TrailBlazer, a standard V6 and a more powerful inline-six-cylinder. The V6 was capable of producing 190 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque, which aren't bad figures but struggle to compete with the I6. The TrailBlazer's inline-six engine was a monster, pushing out 270 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. Chevy eventually offered a more powerful engine in 2006 with the introduction of the SS trim.

The original 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer had a starting MSRP of $19,855, a price that's unthinkable now. It offered seating for four with two doors and ran its power through the rear wheels. Four-door models started at just over $25,000 and were capable of seating five passengers in two rows. Besides the base two-door model, every TrailBlazer featured the inline-six-cylinder engine and offered four-wheel drive.

In 2006, Chevrolet decided to add a new performance-tuned trim to the TrailBlazer lineup, the SS (Super Sport). The TrailBlazer with the SS badge came with a 395-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine, similar to what Chevy offered in the Corvette and what Pontiac offered in the GTO at the time. Chevrolet also included large 20-inch tires, a sport-tuned suspension, and SS badging. Chevrolet priced the TrailBlazer SS at a premium compared to the base model, starting at around $33,000 for the 2006 model.

The final year of the original TrailBlazer was 2009, and by that point, the Bow-Tie brand had already announced its successor, the Traverse. The 2009 TrailBlazer still offered the SS trim, though power had dropped to 390 horsepower by this point. As of 2010, the TrailBlazer name had been taken from the Chevrolet lineup, although this wouldn't be the last time the public saw the brawny SUV.

Chevrolet made the decision to bring the TrailBlazer back to the market in 2021, although this new model looks quite different from the big and powerful TrailBlazer of the early 2000s. The modern Chevy TrailBlazer is a subcompact SUV with much less power and space than the original midsize version it was named after. The modern TrailBlazer comes powered by a middling turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produces just 137 horsepower, a far cry from the 395 in the 2006 TrailBlazer SS.

Chevrolet's current midsize SUV, the Traverse, is what originally replaced the TrailBlazer in 2009. It still offers a powerful, 300+-horsepower engine, but it does so in a much more composed and efficient manner. The original TrailBlazer earned fuel economy estimates around 17 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway with its 190-horsepower V6. The 2025 Traverse earns much better fuel economy, with 20 mpg in city driving and 27 on the highway.

The Chevrolet Blazer, which the brand resurrected in 2019 as a midsize SUV, is the more athletic and energetic sibling of the Traverse. Chevy also added an electrified version of the Blazer to their lineup, which the brand introduced in 2024. The EV can drive up to 238 miles on a single charge.