At Least One Chevrolet Blazer Ekes Out Better Mileage for 2021

The mild content changes coming to Chevrolet’s midsize Blazer for 2021 were the talk of the town last month, though it’s entirely possible people were talking about Blazer for a very different reason…

Regardless, one of the changes not talked about by either the public or General Motors is something first aired by the EPA.

Noticed by GM Authority, the 2021 Blazer gains upgraded EPA fuel efficiency ratings for 2021, though only when outfitted with the uplevel 2.0-liter four-cylinder. At least, so far as we know. The agency hasn’t gotten around to testing all ’21 Blazers.

The base 2.5-liter FWD model stays put at 21 mpg city, 27 highway, and 23 combined, and the jury’s out on the 3.6-liter V6 models. Last year saw V6 Blazers rated at 21 mpg combined for both front-drive and all-wheel drive, with the highway crown going to the FWD model. (The top-rung Premier trim adds a FWD option for ’21).

As for the 2.0L (230 hp, 258 lb-ft), an engine that appeared as a mid-level offering one year after the model’s MY2019 debut, models so equipped can now go further on a gallon of gas. The EPA rates the 2021 FWD 2.0L model at 22 city, 29 highway, and 25 combined. AWD 2.0L models earn a rating of 22/27/24.

These figures are both up 1 mpg on the combined cycle when compared to 2020 models. The reason for the MPG upgrade isn’t clear, as the engine and nine-speed automatic carry over for the new year. Perhaps a change of rubber? We don’t know for sure.

Regardless of the cause, Chevrolet’s Blazer isn’t going anywhere. Positioned strategically between the Equinox and Traverse, the two-row midsize donned a name and a manufacturing locale that angered Americans, but that didn’t stop them from buying more than 58,000 of them last year. In the first half of 2020, 41,870 Blazers rolled out of dealers — more units than the popular Chevy Colorado.

[Image: Image: © 2019 Chris Tonn/TTAC]