When you think of a Chevy Blazer, you think of a K5 Blazer or perhaps an S10 Blazer. Well, those days are gone. This week I bring you the sexy new 2019 Blazer, which is nothing like any other Blazer from years past.
The Blazer slots between two popular Chevy SUVs, the smaller Equinox and the larger Traverse. It has a wide stance, a bold grill, and a swooping bodyline that runs up to the floating roof, meaning it gives the appearance the roof is not attached. Dual exhaust and a rear spoiler complete the aggressive look.
My review vehicle is the top-of-the-line Premier. Priced below that is the RS, the sporty version, and there is a base Blazer that starts under $30,000.
Under the hood, there is a 3.6-liter V6 putting out 308-horses. There is a 2.5 4-cylinder available on some of the lower trim levels, but they all come with a 9-speed automatic transmission. It has cylinder deactivation that shuts off 3 cylinders at cruising speeds. My tester is two-wheel drive but all-wheel is available.
The Blazer looks great, it handles extremely well with no body roll, and is overall very balanced, yet at the same time, feels as sporty as a Camaro. Acceleration was surprisingly strong and it will tow 4500-pounds, way more than most SUVs in this segment.
Inside, beautiful slightly bolstered front seats have nice stitching and accent piping around the edges. There are bright colorful gauges and you can configure the center with all sorts of great info. I love that the multi-function steering wheel doesn’t impede the view of the gauges as in many vehicles.
The center console features the gear shifter, two cup holders, a cell phone charger, USB port, and you can change the drive modes from normal, to snow, to sport-always my favorite. In a styling cue from Camaro, there are round air vents that you turn to adjust the temperature up or down. Above that is a row of buttons for the climate control and heated and air conditioned seats.
Mid-dash is 8” color screen that runs the audio, Bluetooth, navigation system, Wi-Fi hotspot, vehicle settings, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A swipe to the left gives you more choices including apps, Onstar, climate, camera settings, and Chevy Marketplace. From there you can order food or a Starbucks in advance from your vehicle, and pay for it with your phone.
All the electronics are easy to reach and use, and are lighting fast. Two great features I love are Teen Driver, which monitors other drivers, sets parameters of travel, and gives you a report card. It also has the back seat reminder. If you put something in the back seat, when you get to where you are going, it will remind you there is something back there, like a child, pet, or other valuables.
To the right of the screen is an electronic opening glove box. Although kind of cool, I don’t know of a practical reason for it.
Moving to the back seat, three adults can fit just fine, there is lots of head and legroom, and the seat slides forward and back, and also reclines. Rear passengers get rear air conditioning vents, a 110-volt outlet, and USB ports. It will hold 64.2 cubic-feet of cargo area with the back seat down.
The Premier comes extremely well equipped with remote start, power hands-free tailgate, heated rear seat and heated steering wheel, power tilt wheel, and a terrific HD rearview camera.
There are two optional packages on my tester. The Sun and Wheels package is $2495 and gets you a panoramic moonroof and 21” aluminum wheels.
The Driver Confidence II package is $2165 and you get safety alert seat, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert with automatic braking, lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring. This is an exceptional package for the money.
Gas mileage is 20 in town and 26 highway, and MSRP as equipped is $48,555, and that’s right in line with similarly equipped competitors.
The only knock at all is it has the start/stop system that cannot be turned off. It’s not as annoying as many I have been in, but I wish GM would quit building vehicles without a disable button. There are aftermarket devices to defeat it available, and I learned that if the motor shuts off, slip it one notch down into low, then back up to drive and you will kill the system.
In summary, Chevy has a home run with the new Blazer. Just don’t have it in your head that it is similar to previous versions. The 2019 is much nicer, more refined, and much more enjoyable to drive.
Photo Credit: Chevrolet
