Holden Trailblazer Xtreme SUV on the cards

The Holden Trailblazer SUV could soon follow in the tracks of the new Holden Colorado Z71 Xtreme dual cab ute.

CarsGuide can reveal that Holden’s engineering team is working on a Holden Trailblazer Xtreme model, which is expected to brandish a lot of the same gear fitted to the dual cab ute upon which the SUV is based.

While senior engineers were not willing to “comment on future product”, it is expected all the work that has gone in to the Xtreme version of the ute will be almost directly transferred to a more hardcore version of the diesel seven-seater.

That could mean a Trailblazer Z71 Xtreme fitted with a lot of the same gear as the ute: a winch bar with a 10,000-pound (4535kg) Warn winch, uprated front springs, a bonnet bulge, tubular black steel side steps, 18-inch wheels with Goodyear All Terrain Wrangler tyres, a roof platform system, and a tow bar with wiring, plus a recovery kit.

There’ll likely be Xtreme decals, too, but don’t expect a steel rear step or soft tonneau cover.

“Trailblazer and Colorado have a lot of commonalities, but things like the suspension have some differences,” a Holden engineer told us, before indicating the work hasn’t been completed just yet for uprated front springs.

“Just like you can accessorise a Colorado as you want it, you can do that for a Trailblazer,” he said.

Importantly, the winch bar doesn’t impact on the brand’s safety score (ANCAP five-star, tested 2016), and the safety systems all still work with it: front parking sensors remain intact, plus the forward collision warning and lane keep assist fitted to the flagship Z71 remain in tact.

The Colorado Z71 Xtreme model lists at $69,990 drive-away, with Holden claiming it boasts about $19,000 of additional extras. It is not yet clear what sort of price a top-spec Trailblazer with all the goodies could cost.

Aside from being more capable, the Trailblazer needs something to help it improve its performance on the sales charts. The Holden seven-seater has fallen behind its main rivals so far this year, with the Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner all outselling it convincingly.

Would you like to see an Xtreme version of the Trailblazer? Tell us what you think in the comments below.​