2020 Chevy Blazer review: Coming out swinging

Did Chevrolet actually need to jam the two-row Blazer in between the three-row Traverse and the more compact Equinox? Likely not. Did Chevrolet actually need to wedge a third motor choice in between the foundation I4 and the upmarket V6? Likely not. But consumers procuring for a two-row crossover with enough area and electric power will almost certainly be delighted the automaker did, considering that this new-for-2020 combo feels like a winner. Mostly.

Handsome from five ft

I wasn’t initially offered on the strategy of adding some sportiness to GM’s crossover portfolio, but the two on paper and in individual, the Blazer will work. The sharp angles up front play pretty very well and the rear finish even manages to snag a little bit of the Camaro’s character without the need of overemphasizing it. Toss in a sprint of ruggedness by way of the dark-gray trim all around the bottom of the entire body and boom — you have got a single critically very good-searching SUV.

The interior, on the other hand, has a couple of much more downs to counteract the ups. From five ft, the cabin looks great — the angles on the dashboard are fascinating and the little bit of leather-based on the 3LT trim’s dashboard provides a premium contact. The Camaro-like climate controls are usually fascinating, with the ring all around the front vents utilised to established the temperature. You can find a very good volume of storage in the centre console and while I appreciate the exclusive dual-stage structure of the door panel cubbies, the bigger trays are not large ample to maintain anything at all appreciable.

Go a minimal nearer, nevertheless, and GM’s familiar interior problems arise. The aluminum trim looks Alright, but it feels chintzy and accumulates smudges simply. Really hard plastics abound, whether it can be on the lower portion of the dashboard or in that satin-silver finish stuff flanking the cup holders and equipment lever. It truly is typically forgivable at lower price points, but as the Blazer’s bigger trims press nearer to $fifty,000, it can be a minimal significantly less welcoming.

Given that the Blazer slots above the Equinox but down below the three-row Traverse, there’s an enough volume of area inside. Entrance occupants have no trouble obtaining at ease, with ample width for two elbows to share the centre armrest, while 2nd-row passengers are privy to headroom and legroom in spades. Behind the 2nd row, there’s about 31 cubic ft of cargo area, which is much more than ample for a weekend excursion or a large grocery-store haul, but it lags powering just about each and every competitor, together with the Honda Passport (forty one), Hyundai Santa Fe (36) and Jeep Grand Cherokee (36).

Snug commuter

The largest Blazer update for 2020 life below the hood of my tester. It truly is a new 2.-liter turbocharged I4 — producing 230 horsepower and 258 pound-ft of torque — and it life in between the 193-hp, naturally aspirated 2.five-liter foundation I4 and the 308-hp V6 at the top of the selection. In all honesty, I do not know what you would want the V6 for, since the turbo I4 is shockingly keen. With just the front rollers clawing for traction (portion-time AWD is engaged by means of a centre console dial), way too significantly proper pedal will absolutely end result in copious tire squeal.

Blend that with a throttle that’s almost certainly way way too touchy from the factory (and a absence of auto modes makes this difficult to adjust) and the Blazer might be way too prepared to decide on up its nose and hustle to the horizon. You are going to never ever be left wanting for electric power below, that’s for positive. The brake pedal is weird, in that it can be pretty business, but it can be not as touchy as the throttle, so you might have to press a minimal more challenging than expected to shed pace.

The 9-pace automated transmission is just Alright, with clean (albeit regular) upshifts and gradual, who’s-in-a-hurry-below downshifts. If you want paddle shifters, difficult tomatoes, since they are not out there you may have to make do with the awful buttons on the aspect of the equipment lever.

Each individual excursion in the Blazer ends with me remarking about how at ease the trip is. Genuinely, GM outdid alone below, as the Blazer is rather the soft commuter. My 3LT tester’s regular eighteen-inch wheels arrive wrapped in meaty Continental Cross-Call LX Sport all-season tires, which do a great job soaking up undesirable streets in conjunction with the Blazer’s fastened dampers. Toss in some very well-sealed home windows and doors and wind noise barely exists in below — and there just isn’t significantly road noise to pay attention to, either. It truly is not Lexus quiet, but for the price, I’m amazed.

The only reason to go with the Blazer’s foundation motor is to help you save revenue, since it positive will not help you save you anything at all on your gasoline bill. A foundation 2.five-liter Blazer with front-wheel drive earns just 21 miles per gallon town and 27 mpg freeway, while the 2.-liter FWD model provides one mpg to the freeway rating. My 2.-liter AWD tester earns 21 town and 27 freeway, quantities that I discover really effortless to meet up with and conquer.

Large marks for infotainment

If there’s a single portion of the auto that Chevy has really significantly nailed for the very last few a long time, it can be the infotainment. The Blazer will come regular with an 8-inch touchscreen running  Chevrolet Infotainment 3, which incorporates Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. It truly is a great procedure, with a reasonable structure, rapid boot and reaction occasions and a design that is sharp without the need of getting overdone. It truly is almost certainly my preferred mass-marketplace telematics getup. The Blazer receives higher marks for charging, way too, with two USB ports (a single Variety-A, a single Variety-C) on the dashboard and an additional two in the 2nd row, regular.

A higher-definition backup camera is out there as portion of a $one,400 technology deal that also provides embedded navigation, an 8-speaker Bose audio procedure, a color show in the gauge cluster, a rear camera mirror and two additional USB ports in the centre armrest. Looking at the primary backup camera’s resolution is appalling, the Hd choice should actually be regular, but that’s GM for you.

Safety-related nickel-and-diming is the name of GM’s match and that story carries on on the Blazer. If you might be a lover of regular suites of energetic and passive driver-aid capabilities, you might be not heading to like the Blazer pretty significantly. Foundation trims skip just about each and every newfangled piece of tech, while center tiers get access to blind-location monitoring, rear parking sensors and cross-targeted traffic warn. If you want the very good stuff — adaptive cruise command, automated crisis braking — you may have to shell out much more than $forty,000 for the RS or Leading trims, the two of which mandate the V6 motor. I’m sorry, but in 2020, that’s dumb as hell.

How I’d spec it

My tester’s 3LT AWD specification starts at $39,000, rising to $forty one,595 together with location and the one deal on give for that trim. To be straightforward, that’s how I’d spec my ideal Blazer, way too not only do I get access to the mid-tier basic safety systems below, I also get leather-based seats that befit the Blazer’s slightly fancier nature and the AWD is good peace of mind for when the weather turns south. If I want a little bit much more design, the $one,895 Redline deal gussies up the exterior with even bigger wheels and red accents. It truly is the proper mix of creature comforts and price, in my mind.

Down to brass tacks

Big two-row crossovers are really popular these times. The Honda Passport presents a little bit much more area and will come with considerably much more basic safety systems as regular devices, while those searching for some off-road ruggedness might want to verify out the Jeep Grand Cherokee and its lots of variants, whilst a new technology is just about the horizon. The Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford Edge give other shopping mall-crawler strategies to this phase and, when again, they give a complete whole lot much more in the way of driver-aid capabilities.

The 2020 Chevrolet Blazer presents a at ease trip, handsome aesthetics and a good in-auto tech working experience (basic safety notwithstanding) that should resonate with everyone who is looking at a crossover but nevertheless would like to prioritize over and above the primary utilitarian stuff. It truly is not a star-studded standout in its phase, but it presents ample compelling material to place it higher on buyers’ cross-procuring spreadsheets.