Chevrolet's New 'Blazer' is Approaching Its True Form
After numerous sightings in the wild, clothed in deceptive padding to hide the bodywork, Chevrolet’s midsize SUV is approaching its final form. Sharing a platform with the newly downsized GMC Acadia, the latest incarnation of the vehicle looks a little more like an upscale crossover and a lot less like the rugged Blazer from which it draws its rumored moniker.
Slipping into the Chevy lineup between the Equinox and Traverse, the relaunched Blazer should target other family crossovers in the Goldilocks segment — competing with the likes of the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano, among others. Spotted as a pair of test vehicles, the Chevrolets were reportedly sporting the Acadia’s 2.5-liter LCV inline-four and 3.6-liter LGX V6.
Automotive News alleges the new crossover may include a three-row option, which would set it apart from its primary competition, but that was not immediately evident in spy shots of the crossover. What was evident, however, is that General Motors abandoned some of the Traverse styling cues seen on earlier versions of the vehicle.
The grill keeps the wide slats of the previous test units (and all new Chevys) but GM has replaced the high-mounted headlights with what looks to be LED strips. Its bodywork has also become much more sculpted, giving the crossover a contemporary appearance.
The two Chevrolet prototypes were photographed testing in two different trim levels. A lower-tier unit features significantly smaller wheels and dual circular exhaust tips, while the upmarket model carries larger chromed rims and angular exhaust tips molded into the rear bumper.
The Blazer is anticipated to go on sale sometime next year as a 2019 model.
[Image: General Motors]
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My father in law was driving a second gen Blazer when I met my wife. I am not sure what trim level. Pretty cool looking 2 door, black with a black leather interior with tinted windows. 5 speed manual, manual transfer for the 4 wheel drive. Hauled his boat and gear (in the boat) and his wife and 3 almost grown kids with no issues for either the shore or camping. I personally thought it was decent enough vehicle that met his needs, and since he bought it used, was a good value. He meticulously maintained it and didn't want to get rid of it, but he began consulting on projects (he's an attorney specializing in real estate appraisal and eminent domain) for a company that had job sites all over the Mid-Atlantic, so he wasn't towing as much. He bought a 1997 base-spec manual Cavalier for a song so that he could save on fuel and extend the live of the Blazer. The lack of usage (with all the kids out of the house) in the PA winters led to the rust monster getting into the frame pretty quickly, as his wife's daily driver and Cavalier took the garage spaces. He was very sad to see it go. He'd buy a vehicle this size with a similar set up again, but this new Blazer is a unibody, and probably not offering small truck like capabilities, and certainly not a manual. Of course, the Tahoe replaced the Blazer, but that's WAY bigger than the size he is looking for. Which is why he now drives an Xterra Pro4X.
Sounds like this is a direct counterpart to the Cadillac XT5, which is a two-row crossover smaller than the extended-midsized Acadia and the full-sized Enclave and Traverse.
@Hummer: "At the end of the day any good quality BOF SUV with a solid axle and a V8 is going to be a desireable vehicle that’s going to hold its value and boost a brands image. " ...as long as that brand is Toyota. Anyway: tell me again why this isn't just a rebadged Buick Envision?
Clicking the links you can see that the two vehicles are NOT variations of the same vehicle. One is larger than the other, and one appears to have the blacked out A pillar style like a Kia Soul, while the other does not. Look at the shape of the driver's door window frame. NOT the same vehicle.