Yet another “seemingly relevant” comparo is made here with the Jeep SRT8. This time it’s the Chevy Trailblazer SS. While it might be the model most suited to compare to Jeep’s heavy-hitter, it’s not in the same league.
The article is so-so, but until someone gets the two of these onto a drag strip and road course, this is as good as it gets…
As is the case with the SSR, the Trailblazer SS is saddled with a prehistoric four-speed automatic transmission. And unlike the SSR, the Trailblazer isn’t offered with a manual transmission. Shifts are slow and jerky, and the transmission downshifts with the slightest brush of the accelerator. Those downshifts aren’t smooth, either. Senior editor Joe Lorio elaborates: “There are mile-wide gaps between the gears and none of the sophisticated electronic controls [you find on many vehicles] that adjust the engine throttle to smooth out shifting. Consequently, any shift made with urgency causes a heaving ripple effect through the car.” The truck’s 395 horsepower can’t get to the ground with any urgency because of the long first-gear ratio, so city driving in the SS is hardly different than it is in the weaker, short-wheelbase, 5.3-liter V-8-powered vehicles offered on the same GM platform. In contrast to the Jeep, the Chevy is better to drive on winding roads, where it is able to stay in the power band of one gear. But even there, the spotlight doesn’t burn brightly on the SS…
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