seemed to have just about everything I'd like to see on a sporty SUV, also looked at a SRT-8, both are appealing in their own way.

couple questions,
does the TBSS have a blue-tooth option or similar?
anyone have pics with a 285/45-20 tire on the stock wheel?

 

that i know of no blue tooth option

 

No blue tooth, but the On-Star cell phone can be connected to Verizon Wireless.

 

how does that work? I am a verizon customer

 

Jeeps have some funky issues. The misses jeep has been back to the dealer for all kinds of wierd crap. It runs good though, so I imagine the 6.1 in the SRT sure does. I am trying to convince her to let me do some stuff to her jeep but so far no go.

 

the interior of the srt8 wasn't especially impressive in terms of materials although I like the layout better, the TBSS scores better overall in my book interior wise.

exterior wise I like the srt8 better but this won't be for me anyway, the wife is in need of an ess-you and she likes the TBSS, although she has grown accustomed to having blue-tooth in her TL, maybe the OnStar won't be so bad

 

The Verizon/OnStar thing is a shared-minutes plan. You end up having to upgrade to a Family Plan with two lines, one regular and one in the truck. I didn't get it because of all the confusion that goes along with it. There is a separate telephone number for the vehicle, but no voicemail available for the vehicle's number, and no automatic call forwarding. The only good thing it gives you is hands-free for calling out, but that's it. If you gave someone your cell phone number you'd have to forward your calls to your truck every time you got into your car in order to receive incoming calls. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

TBSS Upsides - All the mods available for the LS2. If you want to build a racing SUV this is the one. The suspension is pretty good stock, though I would want to swap out the shocks if I were keeping the truck and it were not a lease. It bounces a little too much in the turns to feel safe, at least to me (the SRT is better in this area, but you sacrifice some ride quality). The potential for upgrades for the TBSS is endless.

TBSS Downsides - The vehicle is detuned in order to save the tranny, so even though it has an LS2, you end up seeing much less than that to the wheels unless you want to blow your warranty (or your tranny) with a tune. The build quality and fit-and-finish was much better with my Avalanche, even though the AV was made in Mexico and the TBSS was made in Canada. The road/wind noise is much worse so it is louder and more unpleasant to drive. It's not comfortable for bigger/wider guys, as it is not a full-size Chevy. And it gets 13-14 mpg (if you're lucky).

There are much better and more practical vehicles than the TBSS if you need an SUV. My friend just bought a Volvo XC90 for his misses, and they drove just about everything. Good luck.

 

no race SUV's here...........it will be an all stocker or nearly stocker.......

where does the wind noise come from? A-pillar?

how effective are those cup holders? seemed a bit shallow to me

 

Oh yeah, my other pet peeve - storage. Or should I say lack thereof. There is effectively zero storage space, a big 180 from the Avalanche. I set my stuff on the seat (cell phone, wallet, etc.) because there is no place to put anthing anywhere else. Then the first time I accelerate or brake everything goes flying. I hate this. The cup holders suck and you can really only use one without taking your eyes off the road - the one most aft. It is shallow.

Storage & Cup Holder grade? D-
Wind noise comes from the a-pillar and really cannot be remedied. C+
Overall grade for modification purposes? A-
Overall grade for utilitarian purposes? C-

If you are going to keep it stock and it is going to be a utilitarian vehicle, you should really look elsewhere. It is very impractical and not a lot of fun stock. If you (or the misses) are sold on the Trailblazer, then I would look at the 5.3L or even the I-6 in LT trim, which is a proven, solid performer, and much cheaper to drive and insure. My friend has one and loves it.

 

13-14mpg, thats it? That is one thing I like about the misses Jeep, even with the 5.7 it still gets 19.5-20.5 on the highway. Like 16 in town, unless you are beating it then like 11.