2020 Chevrolet Blazer Gets Noticed
When I sat behind the wheel of the 2020 Chevrolet Blazer and pulled out of the driveway, I wasn’t thinking about the midsize SUV’s revival. But when the guy at the drive-through of the Mansfield Panera said, “Wow! I haven’t seen a Blazer in a long time. You must take really good care of it.” The statement threw me off for a second and then I remembered: I hadn’t seen a Blazer since sometime in the late 1990s. I replied, “It was delivered to me this morning. It’s a new 2020 model. I’ll let you know more about it next time I’m through here.”
Looking up the history of the Chevrolet Blazer, I came to find out that the model had been discontinued in 2005 with the shutdown of Blazer’s fourth Generation, which had been introduced in 1995. It had indeed been a long time since I had been in one of this once very popular model, which had been created in 1969 to compete with the Ford Bronco and Jeep Cherokee.
The Blazer danced back into production in 2019. I say danced because this new Blazer, to me, seems very agile with good torque, braking, cornering and an all-around zippy personality. The 2020 model Chevrolet provided me to test drive boasted 6 cylinders, 308 horsepower and 270 ft. lbs. of torque (@5000 rpm). The nine-speed automatic transmission helped to boost the fuel economy to a respectable 18 mpg in the city and 25 during highway driving. The EPA reports that the average one should expect under normal conditions would tally in at 21 mpg.
New & Improved
I liked the setup of the driver-centric interior,and felt the design reflected the Blazer’s snappy personality. The kids took note of the red trim around the big round air vents, but I’m still a little unsure about using them to adjust cabin temp. It seems Chevy has improved the HD rear camera for even more clarity, especially helpful when navigating school parking lots. If you plan on towing with your Blazer, be aware towing maxes out at 1,500 pounds with front-wheel drive and either engine. Models equipped with the V-6 and AWD can tow up to 4,500 pounds.
The new Blazer is comfortable – one might even say that it has more than a touch of luxury with a lot of options that made the week with it quite enjoyable. The seats were supple. Its controls are very intuitive and the design was such that no one “knocked their head against the roof” when getting in or out of the vehicle (not the case with many other vehicles I have driven or ridden in lately).
Blazer Features & Pricing
Since the hundred-degree weather suddenly disappeared from North Texas, I found the heated seat and steering wheel feature a must during early morning drives. And whenever I arrived at my destination, I appreciated the rear seat alert. This technology is helpful in remembering leftovers, groceries, children and pets. Not that I’ve ever had a quiet pet or child in the backseat.
Blazer’s RS trim adds 20-inch wheels, blacked-out grille, dual exhaust tips, hands-free liftgate, a heated steering wheel, a navigation system, ambient lighting, USB and USB-C ports, an upgraded driver information display, and an adjustable cargo management system.
The beginning MSRP for my RS all-wheel-drive lists at $43,500. Options on my test model came to $4670. A final destination charge of $1195 brought the overall suggested price to $49,365. Use your own judgement as to what the out-of-pocket might actually be in this automotive buyers-market. If this sounds good to you, I would recommend a test drive so you can make your own educated decision.
