2019 Chevrolet Blazer Review

Nothing about the new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer makes much sense to me. The name, the design, the price, and the mission are all out of sync with what is actually presented: a reasonably competent crossover.

I get that “reasonably competent crossover” isn’t going to sell many cars, but that doesn’t prevent many aspects of the new crossover from feeling a little disappointing.

Complaining about classic names being applied to cars that don’t live up to our expectations is old hat nowadays (way to go, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross), but my complaint extends past “Bah, this isn’t a K1 Blazer! Bah, Greta Van Fleet doesn’t hold a candle to Zeppelin! Bah, things were better in the good old days!” Because, as the original K1 Blazer was an enthusiast SUV based in spirit (and in chassis) on a pickup truck, this is supposed to be an enthusiast SUV based in spirit (but very much not in chassis) on the Camaro.

I can make that mental leap and I don’t even think it’s an especially bad idea. Sports SUVs are hip, and anyway, this is a crossover so why try to be a truck? But this Nissan Rogue-looking crossover has so little in common with a Camaro that it’s like when scientists try to convince you that whales actually share more in common with bears than fish. OK, I guess, but when’s the last time you saw a whale with its flipper in a pot of honey?

First of all, I can see out of the Blazer, which means it’s nothing like a Camaro — and that’s a good thing because seeing while you drive is, well, important. More to the point, the grille is supposed to look like a Camaro’s but looks more like a Lexus’. The hood is supposed to look mean and bulging but mostly looks like a shirt that got ironed wrong. And the wide bulging wheel wells (coming as the result of a 44-mm track-width expansion over other crossovers on the same platform) just looks like any other dreck on sale today.

But “looks are only skin-deep,” says Chevy! “We tried real hard to make this perform like a car.” With MacPhersons up front, the above-mentioned 44 mm track width expansion, and the cross-axis ball joints to make more lateral grip and for a more enjoyable experience, a lot of old-fashioned engineering has gone into making the Blazer RS run like a Camaro, (or so says Chevy).

Some new-school tech helps, too. The AWD system on the RS and Premium use a twin-clutch rear differential. That means that the Blazer can send up to 80 percent of the torque going to back wheels to the outside wheel. Not only do you get brake-on, air-quotes “torque vectoring,” but there is legitimate power-on torque vectoring, too. According to Chevy, that means considerably higher corner speed and more predictable cornering.

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And I believe, with all of my heart, that Chevy did all of those things. But I can’t in good conscience call the Blazer “sporty.” It drives like a crossover. It drives like a good crossover, but it still leans away from corners like the heavy-topped 4,300-pound crossover it is. It’s not the Camaro that Chevy says it is. And that’s OK, but they shouldn’t have said anything about the Camaro in the first place.

It does at least it make some power. With the 3.6-liter V6 pumping away at an impressive 11.5:1 compression ratio (despite running on regular gas), it makes 308 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque, which are good numbers. But I couldn’t help wondering what all the V6’s power was good for when I drove the 2.5-liter I4 (193 hp, 188 lb-ft) hooked up to the same 9-speed transmission. Despite making 100 fewer horses, it feels very nearly as urgent off the line. Sure, the V6 has more grunt in the mid-range, but it’s not a wild departure.

Now, this is a testament to the I4’s quality as an engine and to the 9-speed’s ability to keep an engine in the power band, but it also makes you wonder why you’d pay nearly $20,000 more for the “sporty” RS when the base Blazer feels pretty good (and the RS still feels like a crossover).

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Yes, you get a few more knick-knacks and more towing capability, but if you give up the knick-knacks (not a big ask) you can spend that $20K on a boat that weighs less than 1,500 lbs (the I4’s towing capacity) and be the envy of all your neighbors.

Admittedly, the fancy-pants Premier’s interior is nicer than the base model’s. You get leather seats, a liberal attitude towards the use of leather, and extra safety equipment, but it’s not all that much better. The chrome looks plasticky, the leather feels cheap, and the infotainment screen is the same size (8-inches) across the range. Sure, you don’t get nav or GM’s digital rearview mirror, but trust me when I tell you, you can do without those things.

The only things you’re likely to miss are the lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and their associated safety features — items I do not care for, but which smart people tell me are big selling features. Are they worth $20,000, though?

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By far the biggest mystery about the new Blazer is the price. With MSRPs opening at around $32,000, things seem to start out reasonably enough. But prices rise quickly from there until you’re paying nearly $50,000 for a well-appointed Premier edition.

I know that cars are just getting expensive these days, but that puts this in among some genuinely premium competition. You’re up among the lower-end Audi Q5s and Cadillac XT5s. And I get that that was deliberate. GM wanted the Blazer there because it competes pretty directly with the Nissan Murano and the Ford Edge, price-wise, but it isn’t as nice as the Murano and it isn’t as cheap or as powerful as the Edge. It doesn’t off-road like the Grand Cherokee and what exactly was wrong with the Traverse?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the Blazer is bad. The driveline is good, the steering is fine, the interior is spacious, and the tech is solid. It’s a good all-rounder. I understand that there’s money to be had in going premium, but other brands are doing it better for less. I also understand that there’s money in performance crossovers, but this really isn’t that.

Chevy says that the Blazer has three distinct personalities: the sporty Blazer RS, the luxurious Blazer Premier, and basic Blazer (there are more trim levels than that, but those are the big three). The only one that really works for me is the basic one.

I can only conclude that Chevy has recognized, along with the rest of the industry, that there’s money in crossovers, no matter how beige. And that’s fine. Carmakers need to make cars that sell and ultimately the Blazer is OK. But its attempts to go above and beyond OK just don’t work out.

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