[ROCK MUSIC]
DAN FRIO: This is the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
Chevy's brought back the iconic name for its new midsize SUV.
But this is a very different car than its predecessors.
Is it worthy of the name?
We're here to find out.
[ROCK MUSIC]
For starters, this new Blazer has four doors.
Now, sure, some of the earlier Blazers also had four doors.
But talk to any Blazer purist, people who know the SUV,
Blazers only have two doors.
That's not to say this isn't a good SUV.
But it's made with a very different philosophy
from those earlier Blazers.
While those old truck-based Blazers
were prized for their rugged off-road ability,
this new Blazer is more about comfort, convenience,
technology, and even a little bit of sport.
And while today's Blazer does offer
an optional sophisticated all-wheel drive
system, about the toughest terrain this Blazer is
likely to see is in the Costco parking lot.
One of the endearing qualities of those old Blazers
was the thick, blocky styling that just looked
like it could take a beating.
So this new Blazer got this big wide grill allowed engineers
to widen the suspension track for sportier handling.
It's got these thin lights, these creased hood lines.
And it's got this window line that rises toward the back--
kind of gives it a street tough look inspired by the Camaro
rather than an off-road tough look.
On sale now, 4-cylinder based-trim Blazers
start around $30,000.
Moving up the line gets you the 3.6 liter V6.
The red RS we just looked at starts at 42.
But the premier level, which I'm driving now,
starts around $44,000.
The 3.6 liter V6--
that makes 380 horsepower.
And the first thing you notice about this engine
is just how smooth it is.
It accelerates smoothly-- appears
to have plenty of power, especially on the highway
or in these kind of winding canyon roads
that we're on right now.
The Blazer's handling is pretty impressive for what
is, otherwise, just a general mid-sized SUV.
The suspension on this is a wider track.
So it allows for flatter cornering and less body roll,
so say the engineers.
But actually when you're driving it in practice,
you can kind of feel it.
It's not a sport SUV, but you can definitely carry
a little more speed into the corners
than you might with another midsize SUV.
The steering on the Blazer is right down the middle--
a little light, if anything.
But we'll take that in an SUV of this size.
But, overall, it's got good, sporty confident feeling
in the steering.
Thankfully, we haven't needed to panic-test the brakes out
on the freeway.
But here in the canyon, they feel great.
Brakes engage easily.
There's no grabbiness to them.
There's a real smoothness to this SUV's dynamic character,
overall.
Chevy's tend to have this solid build
feel from behind the wheel.
And you notice it in the Blazer in that there's not
a lot of road noise or wind noise that's
coming into the cabin.
There's a little tire hum, and there's a little rush
of wind over the windshield.
But it's nothing that would impede a conversation.
It's nothing that I think would fatigue you over a long drive.
This is a nice, quiet cabin.
From the driver's seat, I feel very comfortable.
I've got plenty of elbow room on both sides.
Seats are nice and wide.
It's not too much bolstering here.
So you've got plenty of room to kind of move around.
Good power adjustments, good lumbar support.
It's easy to find a good driving position in the Blazer.
In this trim, the premier trim that we're driving,
there's also a power telescoping steering column.
So that helps you dial in a good spot, as well.
One thing you notice right away from the driver's seat--
there's not a lot of room to look out the back.
The exterior design uses a Camaro-like window line
that rises up.
As such, it compromises your view at the rear corners.
It's not a huge deal.
There is blind spot monitoring on this trim.
But it's something to consider.
One thing about the Blazer's ride quality
is that it does a good job of suppressing harsh impacts
and jolts and keeping them out of the cabin for the most part.
On the other hand, there's a bit more bounce up and down
than you might expect.
It's not a deal breaker, by any means.
But it's something you want to consider, though,
and something you will notice on rough roads.
Right now, we're in the RS trim of the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
You can tell it's the RS trim by some of the red accents
around the vent rings here in the shift lever.
Otherwise, today's Blazer comes with about everything you'd
expect of a family crossover.
It's got this 8-inch touchscreen.
It's got in-car Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto,
six USB ports, wireless device charging.
It's got about everything you need
to keep your family connected and happy.
I like this instrument panel.
It's pretty clean.
You've got a row of hard buttons here for the climate control.
One of the highlights of this updated infotainment system,
which Chevy is calling Infotainment 3,
is this ability to set user profiles.
And it can store preferences for everything
from your favorite audio preferences
to climate control, even entry and exit seating position.
One of the things I really like about this new touchscreen
is just how crisp the graphics are.
The icons are really sharp, really clean.
And there's this great camera with multiple views--
bird's eye view, front view, view
to the side, view of the back.
It's really helpful.
Two adults can sit comfortably in the back.
Taller passengers may lack some headroom.
But sliding and reclining seats will help.
Two vents, two USB ports, and a 120-volt plug
round out the offerings.
So is this new Blazer the retro omage that we had hoped for?
Not quite.
But since truck-based SUVs don't sell
like they once did anyways, our expectations
were pretty tempered.
But with this new Blazer lacks in backwards ruggedness,
it makes up for with a strong V6 engine, a roomy cabin, a cargo
area, and a pretty slick technology interface.
We're taking one of these back to the office,
so stay tuned for more on the new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
For more on the new Blazer and other crossovers,
please subscribe to our channel, and go
to edmunds.com when you're looking for your next car.
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