2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS review | Car Reviews

Auto123 evaluations the 2020 Chevrolet Blazer.

Among the 4×4 die-hards, the unique Chevrolet Blazer is a genuine icon. Fantastic-condition types relationship from the late nineteen sixties market for a veritable fortune these times. And so, as we have found a number of situations in new a long time, the enterprise logically asked alone, Why waste powerful model recognition? Considering that last year Chevrolet has thus brought again the Blazer title, this time trapped on a crossover the enterprise has parachuted into its already-effectively-stocked SUV lineup in involving the Equinox and the Traverse.

Predictably, some see the appropriation of the Blazer title as sacrilege other people rejoice at the return of a familiar title to a lineup that involves not just significant ‘utes but the very small Spark and the electrical Bolt as effectively.

See our Comparison of the 2020 Chevrolet Blazer vs 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

Regardless of what aspect of that individual fence you sit on, irrespective of whether you are an outraged nostalgist or a curious forward-looker, the Chevy Blazer does essentially fill a will need in the automaker’s lineup. It will appear to siphon off income from the likes of the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano and Honda Passport, which may possibly be simpler mentioned than accomplished.

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2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, profile

Luckily, contrary to most of its rivals, the new Blazer is a somewhat sporty affair, in particular in its RS incarnation, which borrows visible elements from the automaker’s muscle car division. This is in particular so in front, with the dominant grille and the skinny daytime managing lights.

Not the Blazer we after realized
People familiar with the Blazer of outdated will know ideal off the bat that the Blazer of new has completely nothing at all in widespread with previous generations – apart from the Chevy badge and the title alone. Contrary to previous types, this SUV sits not on a good outdated ladder body, but on a unibody architecture, the exact 1 GM already makes use of for the Cadillac XT5, for 1. The simple fact that the Blazer is outfitted with a 6-nut hub confirms the relationship with the brand’s other SUVs.

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, front wheel

The style also serves to differentiate the product from them, thoughts you. When previous Blazers had stretched truck-like roofs, the newby normally takes inspiration from the Camaro to set alone apart from the herd of appear-alike SUVs at the moment on the current market. In fact, stand it subsequent to its competition and the new Blazer appears to be like a little bit of a undesirable boy, in particular the RS. That version sporting activities details like black exterior elements like the grille, the headlight housings and the twenty-inch wheels. What’s additional, with the white end on my tester, the contrasting influence of the floating roof is nicely amplified. Can you convey to I discovered the Blazer RS to be a looker?

Shades of a activity sedan?
The fact is, of training course, that regardless of its Camaro schnozz the Blazer does not manage on the street quite the exact way as the muscle car. Nevertheless, just after a couple several hours on the street – which was essentially a obstacle what with the Covid-19-induced confinement measures this spring – I felt like I was at the wheel of a motor vehicle with sharper driving dynamics than the normal product in this section. The rigid chassis, agency suspension and additional-responsive steering (on the RS product only) give it a surprisingly nimble really feel for a utility product.

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, inside

What’s additional, the Camaro-inspired dashboard with its substantial spherical local weather control vents and the slim fenestration presents the front half of the Blazer’s inside the really feel of a sporting activities car. At the wheel, you don’t get the impression you are driving an SUV, even with the increased floor clearance of the product. In other terms, the Blazer RS is conscious of captivating to people for whom driving pleasure matters.

A phrase pertaining to the powertrain, which unsurprisingly is already in extensive use across the GM lineups of automobiles. The trusty three.6L direct-injection, in a natural way aspirated V6 after all over again provides all over 300 horses (308 in this article, to be exact), while torque maxes out at 270 lb-ft at 5,000 RPM. The only transmission on offer is a 9-pace computerized, which has proven in extensive use alone because its introduction in GM automobiles.

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, 3-quarters rear

The Blazer RS is no light-weight, pretty much talking, but it acquits alone effectively throughout intense accelerations. Like other GM SUVs, the Blazer can be pushed in many configurations: FWD, AWD, Activity, Off-Highway and Towing. I discovered myself gravitating again to Activity, which sharpens the reactions of the V6 by stretching out the gears in the ideal scenarios.

I would not thoughts at all if Chevrolet included a pair of paddle shifters on the again of the steering wheel to further more liven up the driving encounter. Probably in the around-potential? Nonetheless, in Activity method accelerations are additional than appropriate. It would not hurt the motor to be additional expressive in performing so, the Blazer may possibly then have a additional convincing argument to make to skeptics.

Just one of the drawbacks of the SUV’S sporty bent is that you can assume to pay back additional at the pump, in particular if your driving tends to be intense. My normal was all over thirteen.0L/a hundred km, increased than the formal Canadian EnerGuide determine. I would wager that keeping the motor vehicle in FWD method and taking it straightforward on the gasoline pedal would cut down the variance involving people figures.

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, front

The last phrase
The significant takeaway for me in this article is that the 2020 Chevrolet Blazer constitutes a enjoyable surprise, even however it is quite large and features frankly atrocious rear visibility (however that is barely exclusive amid SUVs that attempt to be sporty). The midsize utility product displays probable that I just cannot say I previously observed in GM SUVs. I even believe the rigid chassis of this product could manage and benefit from a additional-muscular motor. No perception in dreaming, having said that, due to the fact frankly GM has other fish to fry ideal now than to attempt and get over a handful of functionality nuts.

Then there is the double-choose-inducing pricing of the RS variant I drove. At $fifty three,768, when the choices are factored in, it is no deal, and I would if getting the new Blazer likely opt for a considerably less dressy version. At this selling price, there are some quite juicy choices out there on the current market that may possibly tempt me additional. In fact, believe tough adequate about it, why not just go for the Chevy Camaro for some real driving pleasure?

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, rear

We like

The muscular appear
The sporty really feel
The successful computerized transmission

We like considerably less

Rear visibility
The asking selling price (RS version)
No paddle shifters on the steering wheel!

The competitiveness

Ford Edge
GMC Acadia
Honda Passport
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Nissan Murano

2020 Chevrolet Blazer RS, grille, badging

Authorities

Customers