2019 Chevrolet Blazer Review

2019 Chevrolet Blazer RS

Price as tested: $51,000

Engine: 3.6 Liter V6

Horsepower/Torque: 308 // 270

0-60: 6.2 Seconds

MPG: 16 in mixed driving as observed

Text: Yousef Alvi

What’s in a name? Well it depends on the name…silly. But seriously a name can carry heritage, purpose and history all in one fail swoop. Commanding names like Mustang, Hellcat, Corvette, and Viper (American companies are great with names) immediately elicit an emotional response from an individual. Harking back to a renowned nameplate on a new car can be a tricky thing…that vehicle needs to live up to those lofty expectations. So that brings us to this…the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.

Now mention Blazer to most car people, it will flood their memories of a brawny, body on frame ute made to take on the likes of Jeep in wilderness. Well times have changed and this Blazer is a crossover designed to take on not just your average Jeep…but rather the entire freakin world! Let me explain.

This Blazer is a midsize crossover….you know the best selling category of automobile in the history of humankind (i’m being sarcastic but seriously look around you). In that battle royale you have competition from truly great SUVs like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ford Explorer…and literally 18 more to choose from! To help break out from the pack, some automakers shove a third row into their midsize SUV, some lean into fuel efficiency, whereas some just lean into to price. Regardless of which, most of them are just boring vehicles, boring performance, with boring looks, for boring people to do boring stuff…all the boring time. Chevrolet, on the other hand, knew they had to do something different and they did.

Now it’s one thing to slap a name on something dull and say ‘have fun and go sel!’. It’s another thing to actually to make it look desirably and give it performance to match! The Blazer (thankfully) does that. Let’s start off with the styling. Holy poop on a stick this thing looks great! Every midsize crossover is a snooze fest of boring lines…the Blazer is anything but. It looks truly like a 21st Century vehicle instead of the obligatory bar of soap.

So how does it drive? It drives like it’s screaming red paint implies…athletic. Powering the Blazer is a 3.6 Liter V6 making a healthy 308 horsepower and 270 ft/lbs of torque mated to a 8 speed auto and AWD. All of that helps propel the Blazer get to 60 in about 6.2 seconds. Making it one of the fastest in its class! Handling wise is where the 2019 Blazer really shines. The steering is direct and actually some level of feedback! Does it dance like a Miata in the corners? Well no…but driving at 5-7/10ths it’s quite good. Which is fine, that is what most (average) people find fun anyway…so mission accomplished.

So how is the interior? Well packaging wise it’s excellent. The second row has a flat floor helping to actually fit 3 full size people back there. It also tilts and slides to offer either more legroom or more cargo room. I fit a forward facing and rear facing car seat with absolutely no issues. So as a family vehicle is pretty damn excellent.

Things that annoy me or could be updated? I’m not a fan of the front seats. They could use additional bolstering and padding, proximity unlock needs to be better, and the interior is a bit plasticky.

So what do I think of the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer? Adding up its styling, performance, and the fact it’s a midsize crossover with a personality…makes the new Blazer one of the most appealing choices on the road today. Bravo Chevrolet!