CHEVY'S CORVETTE-POWERED SUV IS NOW A CAYENNE-BEATING BARGAIN
Wildly fast SUVs seem to be everywhere these days, used for everything from getting the groceries to dropping off the kids at school. These days, even Lamborghini makes a daily driver SUV, and, of course, Ferrari controversially entered the sport utility game recently. But back in the mid-2000s, these strange hybrids of off-road wagon and finely-tuned supercar were still a very new concept. Mercedes-Benz had got the ball rolling for the European premium brands, with the muscular ML 55 AMG hitting the streets in 2000. Porsche followed with the Cayenne Turbo in 2002, and then the Turbo S, which arrived in 2006. This was, at the time, the most powerful car the Stuttgart brand produced after the Carrera GT hypercar. BMW didn't launch its X5 M until the 2010 model year.
But in the midst of all this Euro SUV horsepower madness, one American car manufacturer quietly created its own take on the concept of a do-it-all SUV fitted with what is essentially a supercar engine under the hood. Whereas the Cayenne is still going strong, getting ever more horsepower shoved under the hood, this Chevrolet SUV with a Corvette engine is, sadly, largely forgotten. The good news is, however, that you can pick one up dirt cheap in 2025 on the used market.
HotCars used official manufacturer data and expert sources such as Edmunds for performance statistics. We also looked at Kelley Blue Book's Fair Purchase Prices to compare secondhand values.
Chevy's Trailblazer SS Was Quicker And Cheaper Than A Porsche Cayenne
The Chevrolet Trailblazer in 2025 is a small, inoffensive SUV that you would pick up at an airport if you wanted to save a few bucks, but still have something a bit more jazzy than a Toyota Corolla. It is powered by a 1.3-liter turbocharged engine that majors on efficiency rather than terrifying people at the pedestrian crossing. The Trailblazer wasn't always as acceptable, however. Years before rumors started circulating of a Corvette SUV coming to the market, Chevy went and made one, albeit with a Trailblazer body. The result was called the Trailblazer SS and it was a monster truck.
The Trailblazer SS Was Fine-Tuned At The Nürburgring
Even before the Trailblazer SS was launched in 2006, there were pictures reaching the internet of a rough, patchwork Chevy SUV doing lap after lap of Germany's fabled Nürburgring. Chevy was serious about the Trailblazer SS being more than just a hot rod. It had to handle too. To get the Trailblazer sorted, high-performance operations director John Heinricy took one of the prototypes to the Green Hell to polish its roadholding.
The Trailblazer SS Is An SUV With The Heart Of A Corvette
Under the hood of the Trailblazer SS sits the 6.0-liter pushrod LS2 engine, with aluminum block and heads.This legendary mill produces 395 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. This is the same LS2 V8 that could be found under the hood of the C6 Corvette, Pontiac GTO, and Cadillac CTS-V. Suffice to say, with this much grunt, the Trailblazer SS can really shift. Perhaps unbelievably, given how many performance cars and SUVs are all-wheel-drive these days, the SS was available as either all-wheel-drive ($39,200) or rear-drive ($33,600), making it something of a jacked-up muscle car in the cheaper iteration.
A Closer Look At The Chevrolet Trailblazer SS
Whereas these days, hot SUVs like to wear their ridiculous power on their sleeves, with glitter, carbon fiber and aero bits everywhere, the Trailblazer SS was a much more subtle affair. Aside from the SS badges, 20-inch alloy wheels, and slightly lower suspension, this Chevy SUV was designed to be a low-key sleeper, devoid of anything that would give the game away.
To a casual bystander, this could just be a standard Trailblazer with an owner who had a couple of grand to burn and a passing interest in Pimp My Ride. One magazine at the time of its development quoted a company insider as saying it was designed for someone with children who wanted a fast car but didn't want anyone to know what they had under the hood. Inside, the car had plenty of high-end features included too, making it a luxury ride when just poodling around town.
There Was A Lot Of Work To Make The Chevy Trailblazer SS Work On The Road And Track
Under the unassuming body of the Trailblazer is where all the work had been done, then. Along with the lower ride height, the suspension features stiffer springs and shocks, a 9.5-inch rear axle with limited slip diff, tougher bushings all around, and there are larger front brake discs to help bring the Trailblazer to a halt. The Corvette LS2 was mated to a 4-speed automatic 'box. Unsurprisingly, the Trailblazer SS was quick. It could hit 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 13.9 seconds. Turns out that the Trailblazer was an effective tool for the drag strip too.
How The Trailblazer SS Compared To A Porsche Cayenne
Chevrolet Trailblazer SS V Porsche Cayenne S
Sources: Chevrolet/ Porsche
The Trailblazer's natural nemesis over at Porsche would be the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. This Porsche SUV hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V8, just 0.6 seconds quicker than the Chevy Trailblazer. But the problem is, that car had a base price of $94,595 in 2008, which was three times more than the SS. Yes, you could have a trio of Trailblazer SSs on your drive for one Cayenne Turbo.
The Trailblazer SS Could Leave The More Expensive Cayenne S In Its Dust
Closer to the SS is the 2005 Cayenne S, with a non-turbocharged 4.5-liter V8. But this car was still way more expensive, costing $57,115 in 2005. This Cayenne needs 6.8 seconds to get to 60 mph, at which point the SS will be long gone. That's not to say the Cayenne shouldn't be considered if you are after a quality, fast SUV. The Trailblazer SS was the bargain of the 2000s, then, and it is still cheap to buy now. Read on to find out how much a Corvette-engined SUV will cost in 2025.
Buying A Chevrolet Trailblazer SS Today
Prices For Used Chevy Trailblazer SS Models
- 2006 Chevy Trailblazer SS: $8,924
- 2007 Chevy Trailblazer SS: $7,650
- 2008 Chevy Trailblazer SS: $11,235
- 2009 Chevy Trailblazer SS: $11,736
Source: Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price
The Corvette-powered Chevrolet Trailblazer SS is dirt cheap in 2025. The 395-horsepower Trailblazer SS was built between 2006 and 2009, and 26,441 units were produced, according to The Chevy Trailblazer SS Forum. Kelley Blue Book's Fair Purchase Price for a 2006 model SS is $8,924, but, interestingly, the 2007 model year SS is even cheaper, with a price of just $7,650 – that's not a lot of money for a heck of a lot of SUV. For 2008 the price increases to $11,235 and sits at $11,736 for 2009, the final model year. The Cayenne's price has slid even more. The price for a V8-powered 2006 Cayenne S? Just $4,732, according to the KBB Fair Purchase Price.
2025-03-14T08:04:33Z
