The 2019 Chevrolet Blazer has pulled a sly one over on us all. The name’s meant to make us think of a macho weekend spent off the grid. The reality? Weekends of errands and chores, from Costco to installing garage door keypads to cleaning up hairballs. (Where is the Outside magazine for that?)
With the Blazer, Chevy’s rebooted a name it used to stitch on its big truck-based SUVs. At first we were appalled. But muh heritage! Ford’s upcoming baby Bronco will probably be an Escape underneath. There’s a Jeep that’s really a Fiat. The SUV-purist train left last century.
MORE: Read our 2019 Chevrolet Blazer review
This new Blazer also fills a different niche than the two-door trucks of the past. It’s an in-between crossover below the eight-seat Traverse and above the five-seat Equinox in Chevy’s pecking order. It’s front- or all-wheel drive, has five seats, and plates up inline-4 and V-6 engines.
Chevy flew us to San Diego to see how quickly we’d get used to the new reality. Longer than we thought, for sure—because the 2019 Blazer doesn’t act like any other Chevy crossover SUV when the roads go skinny and snaky.
2019 Chevrolet Blazer
2019 Chevrolet Blazer
2019 Chevrolet Blazer
2019 Chevrolet Blazer
More Malibu than Equinox
Recent Chevy crossovers such as the Trax and the Equinox have left us wanting in acceleration, ride quality, and steering. With the 2019 Blazer, Chevy tries to mimic the groove it digs into with its better sedans.
To a degree, the good news applies even to the base Blazer. Its 193-horsepower inline-4 reads like the greek text that would fill otherwise blank space. That’s how it drives, too: It gets the acceleration job done without much sparkle, and if we’re honest most of the credit should go to the well-sorted 9-speed automatic. Don’t blame the gearbox for the Category Three noise that drones at full throttle; that’s all engine, and fills the cabin despite active noise cancellation that’s meant to snuff it out.
The 2019 Blazer hits its stride in V-6 trim, with the 308 hp it needs to overcome a base curb weight of way more than 4,007 pounds (that’s in front-drive, 4-cylinder form). The V-6 burps out power like it’s just pushed away from the table after a great meal. It responds when the 9-speed automatic cracks its whip. It doesn’t sound like it’s being chased in the opening scenes of a slasher movie.
What saves the 4-cylinder, and adds more luster to the V-6, is the new Blazer’s sweet steering and very taut ride. Like the Ford Edge, the 2019 Blazer’s set up with an independent suspension and big wheels and tires that assert dominance over the road. Its stiff springs and firm shocks rarely compromise with bumps in the road, but shy of the worst roads on the RS’ optional 21-inch wheels, it doesn’t go chattery or nervous.
Blazer RS and Premier trims have more sleights of hand at their disposal. They add more drive modes and can add all-wheel drive. The better setup packs clutches across the rear axle to vary power from side to side; RS editions get stiffer settings front and rear and quicker steering. A Blazer Premier feels suitably taut and even a little inspired in the dry scrub east of San Diego; the Blazer RS laces up its cleats and needles its way through the same roads with fluid motions that translate into great highway tracking, farther down the road.
2019 Chevrolet Blazer
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