2024 Chevrolet Blazer RS All-Electric SUV Review

This week I spent time in the beautiful new 2024 Chevy Blazer all-electric SUV. As I mentioned when I reviewed the Equinox EV, I really like what Chevy is doing.  Instead of coming out with all-new electric vehicles, they are taking popular vehicles, continuing them with a gas engine, and adding an electric variant.  If you are on the fence about a new Blazer for instance, you can compare the gas and electric side-by-side, drive both, and make a true comparison.  This makes a ton of sense, and cuts the cost of developing an all-new body and chassis.

Exterior

My test vehicle is the sporty RS version, which falls in the middle-of-the-lineup.  It starts with the LT, then the RS, and finally the super-fast SS, which I am not sure is available yet.

It has sharp looking body lines, beautiful 21” machined aluminum wheels, a rear spoiler, a swooping roofline that looks terrific, and I love the Summit White paint color. This SUV emits a very sporty look, and you’d likely never know this was an electric car.  To me, if Chevy ever decided to make a Camaro SUV, this would be it.

Powertrain

The Blazer EV is powered by an 85-kWh Lithium-Ion battery rated at 288-horsepower.  My tester is the all-wheel drive version, so it has electric motors in the front and the rear, a dual motor setup.  Range is always the big question and this one is rated at 279-miles, and I drove it enough to take the battery down to 10% remaining charge twice, and both times range had topped 300-miles. In one stretch I achieved nearly 320-miles of range.  Bear in mind, I was not driving gingerly, and the outside temp was at or near 100-degrees, and the A/C was blasting.  It is the first electric review I’ve done that the vehicle exceeded the stated range.

You can opt for a single motor two-wheel drive version that will up the range to 320-miles, and I suspect more. On the gasoline side, you can get a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo, or a 3.6-liter V6, if you decide to go that way.

Interior    

Inside the Blazer RS it has Evotex (man-made leather) & Suede two-tone seats in black and red with red stitching, and red accents throughout the cabin, including the door panels, across the dash, and surrounding the center console.  The interior layout is stunning upon first glance.

As soon as you enter the cabin, you will notice a huge 17.7” touchscreen that looks awesome, especially for an SUV in this price range.  In front of the driver are the 11” digital gauges which give you your speed, your battery range, the time, temperature outside, which gear you are in, the day and date, and your odometer. Gauges are easy to read and colorful.

The remainder of the big screen operates the stereo, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi hotspot, the Google maps navigation system, and a huge group of apps including Alexa, drive modes, and a charging app which you can use to direct yourself to the nearest of 174,000 public chargers that are available.  The center console has a couple of cup holders, a center glove box, a wireless phone charger, and the air conditioning controls sit just above that.

Also from the screen, you can choose drive modes including normal, sport, snow/ice, and My Mode, which is my favorite.  As you drill down into the My Mode page you can adjust the steering feel, braking sensitivity, acceleration, and motor sound that is piped into the vehicle, giving you a little more of the sensation of a gas-powered engine.  Blazer EV also benefits from over-the-air updates.

The use of Google Built-in is pretty neat.  Google Assistant lets you get hands-free help to call or text friends, listen to music, set reminders, or even control the temperature. Just say “Hey Google,” press the Google Assistant icon or press the PUSH-TO-TALK button to get started.  Google maps gives you all the trip information you need – such as live traffic updates and charging station locations, and Google Play allows you to easily download some of your favorite apps, music, podcasts, audiobooks and more, directly through the touchscreen for an in-vehicle experience that’s easier and safer to use than your phone. 

Moving to the back seat, there is a surprising amount of leg room and good headroom, and it has USBs, air vents, and a 110-volt power outlet for charging your devices. Cargo area is very good at 59.8-cubic feet of cargo area with the two back seats folded down, 30.5-cubic feet with the back seat up, and there is additional storage under the load floor.  This is also where you store the charging cable and adapters depending on how you are charging the Blazer EV.

Standard Equipment  

Standard equipment includes remote start, power driver’s seat (8-way), power passenger seat (6-way) heated & air conditioned front seats, rear seat reminder, heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, power liftgate, Teen Driver, an Auto Hold button, and LED headlights and taillights.

Safety

On the safety front, you get lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian and bicycle braking, safety alert seat, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, reverse automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and HD surround view rear camera that works great!

Options

My review vehicle has only one option, but it is a must-have.  For $2,820 you get the Convenience and Driver Confidence package, which includes:  a terrific head-up display, adaptive cruise control, HD surround vision camera, a rear camera mirror, heated rear seat, enhanced emergency braking, reverse automatic braking, rear pedestrian alert, and side bicyclist alert. That is a terrific suite of options for the money.

Ride and Drive

The Blazer EV surprised me with a super quiet interior and zero road noise.  It has good acceleration, a great ride, and responsive steering.

Cool Features

One feature I really enjoyed was one-pedal driving.  Some people don’t like it, but when you get good at using it, you’ll only hit your brakes in emergency situations.  The Equinox immediately starts to slow down when you take your foot off the gas.  The friction from the deceleration sends a charge back to the battery to extend the range.  When the one-pedal driving system brings the SUV to a full stop, the Auto Hold brake comes on until you hit the accelerator again.  I spent the entire week using the one-pedal driving.

The other thing I liked, which was a first for me, is when you get in the driver’s seat with the key in your pocket or purse, the vehicle comes on by itself.  This was weird at first, but then I grew to really like the fact there was no start button.  Being electric there is no sound, but the entire huge screen comes alive.  When you put it in park and let your foot off the brake, it turns itself off or there is a button on the screen to manually turn the vehicle off.  This was a really neat feature and cuts out the step of hitting a start button every time you get in or out of the SUV.

There were more cool features I discovered while studying this SUV such as the power tailgate.  You can open it from inside the vehicle, by the key fob, with a pushbutton on the tailgate itself, OR if you have the key on you and stand behind the tailgate for a few seconds, it will open by itself.  How handy would that be with your hands full?   Also, it has a rear camera washer, something usually found on SUVs that are twice this price.

One other feature of note is the door to open the charging port.  Located on the left front fender, there is a place to press your finger and the door electronically opens and gives you access to the charging port.  It’s a little slow to open, but still looks better than a manual opening door like a gas cap cover, plus it is a bit of a novelty.

Charging 

Charging times are good.  With a DC fast charger, you can get 80-miles of range in 10-minutes, so in 35-minutes you can get real close to a 100% charge.  With a level 2 charger as I have in my garage, you pick up roughly 40-miles of range per hour.  With a 110-outlet, like your wall plugs at home, it’s a long process, days actually. As I always say, get a home charger if you are going to have an electric.

MPGe and MSRP

Fuel economy, in terms of electric miles per gallon is terrific at 103-MPGe in town and 88-MPGe on the highway, a combined of 96-MPGe.  MSRP on this top-of-the-line, super loaded SUV with everything except a moon roof is $54,595 before the $7,500 federal rebate.  The least expensive Blazer EV starts at just $48,800 before the $7,500 federal rebate.

Verdict 

If I have a complaint, it is that there are too many normal operations that are controlled from the touchscreen, I would rather see buttons for some of these.  This is a minor complaint considering the touchscreen is so fast and intuitive.     

Electric or gas, this is an outstanding SUV.  However, if you are not a high mileage driver, and you have another vehicle for long trips, this would be one you’d want to consider going electric.  This is an incredibly enjoyable SUV to drive, and it is easy to see why MotorTrend named it the SUV of the Year.  If you are going to make the transition to electric, this one has to be at the top of your shopping list.

Special Review Note: 

This review was a little different than usual.  I was getting a number of questions on the Blazer EV, and asked my DFW Chevy Dealer, Classic Chevy in Grapevine to let me borrow one.  So, this review vehicle is actually for sale and can be bought or leased.  I asked them for the Car Pro price because I knew someone would want to know.  Here is the pricing and lease payments for this exact vehicle, but they have other similar vehicles in a variety of colors.

Sale Price:  $44,095 after the $7,500 rebate.

Lease numbers:  $449 per month on a 24 month lease with $1,000 down plus first payment, so total down of $1,375.  10,000 miles per year allowed.  With approved credit, of course.  This is an excellent low cost way to see if an electric is right for you.

If you want to step down to an LT version, it’s $39,695 after the $7,500 rebate on a purchase, and on a Lease it’s $299 per month with just $1,200 cash down or trade, plus first payment.

 Also, be aware there are other incentives for purchase and lease you could be eligible for, including CostCo members get $1000 rebate, sign up for a GM credit card and get another $500, first responders, military, and educators get $500 more, and if you have a Chevy lease now there is another $1,500 rebate.  

For more details, speak to Peter Reese at Classic Chevy:  preese@classicchevrolet.com or 817 421-1200.  Tell him you are a Car Pro listener.  Incentives based on Texas residency and will vary for people out of state.