Chevy Blazer faces stiff competition in midsize SUV class

Solid midsize SUV outclassed by many competitors

Roseville, Calif.- Sleek and stylish, the 2022 Chevy Blazer draws comparisons to the iconic Chevy Camaro, one of the original muscle cars when it came out in 1966.

Personally, we don’t see any major similarities between the modern-day Blazer and the Camaro. While we like the exterior look of the Blazer that includes a large front grille, it doesn’t have a real physical likeness to the Camaro and certainly doesn’t drive like one.

Despite its sporty design, the Blazer is an average five-passenger midsize SUV. And that’s no knock on the Blazer, just confirmation that the midsize SUV class is fiercely competitive and loaded with high-quality vehicles.

There’s plenty of history regarding the Blazer. It first debuted in 1991 and lasted through 2005. Chevy relaunched the Blazer in 2019 and one wonders why it didn’t do so under a new name. Afterall, the company also has the Trailblazer SUV and it’s easy to confuse the two.

For the record, the Trailblazer is not an off-road version of the Blazer like many believe. The Trailblazer is a subcompact SUV that measures about a foot and a half shorter in length than the Blazer. Like the Blazer, the Trailblazer disappeared from the Chevy lineup for more than a decade before coming back in 2021.

AT A GLANCE – 2022 CHEVY BLAZER

• Performance: turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, 228 horsepower; 3.6-liter, V6 that produces 308 horsepower
• Mileage estimate: 22-29 mpg; 19-26 mpg
• Price estimate: $33,500 to $44,100
• Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles; drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles; roadside assistance: 5 years/100,000; corrosion: 6 years/100,000

Performance

To ensure more performance, the Blazer arrived this year with a new turbocharged base engine, dropping the previously sluggish four-cylinder. Chevy also did away with the Base L and the 1LT trim models. It now has four trim levels (2LT, 3LT, RS, Premier). Other than that, the Blazer remains part of the 2019 generation.

One of the knocks against the Blazer is an inability to go off-road, a quality it possessed back in the day. Today’s Blazer is designed primarily for regular use and receives praise for its refined ride quality. However, there are some noticeable road and tire noise in freeway driving.

Safety Assistance

Standard driver safety assistance features include rearview camera, lane departure warning and lane assist, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, forward automatic emergency braking, and teen driver settings.

The new Blazer engine is a turbo 2.0-liter, four-cylinder that generates 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. There’s a more powerful optional engine, a 3.6-liter, V6 that produces 308 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The V6-powered Blazer goes 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds.

Front-wheel drive is standard in all models and all-wheel drive is an option. An all-wheel drive Blazer with the V6 engine can tow up to 4,500 pounds, an average load for a midsize SUV. Fuel economy is 22-29 mpg for the four-cylinder and the V6 gets 19-26 mpg.

Inside

The Blazer cabin is well-designed, yet does utilize some hard surfaces that takes away from the overall appeal. It has an 8-inch touchscreen and among the standard features are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, Amazon Alexa, six-speaker stereo, and satellite radio.

While the front seats are comfortable and spacious, due to its sloping roofline, the head room for back seat passengers can be an issue for taller folks. Rear seats will not be roomy enough for three adults, but fine for three children. The cargo area is small for the class (30.5 cubic feet) and enhances to 64 cubes with the rear seats folded.

The 2022 Chevy Blazer is a solid midsize SUV overall. Yet it suffers from being outclassed by many other competitors.

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