M has released a handful of EVs in the last two years, including the GMC Hummer SUV and pickup truck, the Cadillac Lyriq, and the Silverado EV pickup truck. However, none of them have enjoyed the same level of popularity as the cheaper, smaller Chevy Bolt, the wedge-shaped all-electric hatchback that debuted almost eight years ago.
To suggest GM and the new Chevrolet Blazer EV—a car built to satisfy Americans’ never-ending thirst for SUVs—are under siege is an understatement. The weight of GM’s EV success does not lie just on the all-electric midsize SUV; the next Chevrolet Equinox EV, GMC Sierra pickup, and Cadillac Escalade IQ, all of which are scheduled to arrive in 2024, will also bear some of the load.
Nonetheless, the Chevrolet Blazer EV is an important test piece for GM and Chair and CEO Mary Barra’s Ultium platform, the new electric architecture and accompanying Ultifi software that was initially introduced in 2020 and serves as the core of the automaker’s EV aspirations.
Eltrys traveled to San Diego recently to test the Chevrolet Blazer EV. The end result? The Chevy Blazer EV strikes a number of high notes, from its outward appearance and interior touches to its infotainment system’s user interface and well-planned driving. There are no severe errors, but some may argue that the removal of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto falls into that category. And, happily, Chevy has developed and manufactured a completely regular SUV, which is a nice reprieve from the slew of novelty EVs that have hit the market in recent years.
The major oversight is the higher-than-expected price tag. While Chevrolet has said that the base model, the front-wheel-drive LT trim, would be priced around $50,000, the other trims begin at $56,715, $60,215, and $61,790, with the most costly SS variant not yet mentioned.
That price range leaves me with this punchline: despite all of its victories, the Blazer EV, which is aimed at the mass market, is just too pricey for what it provides.
First, the specifications. The Chevy Blazer EV will be available in three trim levels: LT, RS, and performance SS. The Chevy Blazer EV RS variant with all-wheel drive is already being manufactured at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico. According to the business, the LT all-wheel drive and RS rear-wheel drive variants will go into production in the “coming weeks,” with others following later in the year.
You’re correct if this seems to have a lot of options. Chevrolet has several possibilities. A customer may choose between three trims: luxury (LT), rally sport (RS), and super sport (SS), as well as two different 400-volt battery pack sizes and front, rear, or all-wheel drive.
The huge unknown is whether this will excite or overwhelm customers.
In contrast to Tesla, which has grabbed the EV sales lead with a less-is-more business approach, Chevrolet has couched the mind-boggling amount of variations as a competitive advantage that buyers would react to. From the outside, it seems like Chevrolet is providing all of these alternatives because it is unclear what buyers want. If that’s the case, I anticipate those options will become more constrained in the future as Chevrolet focuses on what customers purchase.
The press drive in San Diego placed reporters behind the wheel of the Chevy Blazer EV RS trim in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations.
The RWD RS has an EPA-certified range of 324 miles with a powerplant that produces 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. The RWD variant, which has greater pep and a longer range, begins at $61,790. The RS AWD is priced at $60,215.
A word about the all-wheel-drive powertrain, which is dubbed eAWD. A 90-horsepower induction motor powers the rear axle, while a 241-horsepower permanent-magnet synchronous motor powers the front wheels. That back motor isn’t always operating. Customers should think of this as an auxiliary motor that kicks in if the roads are slick or when they press the accelerator.
Chevy Blazer EV: I like, love, and despise it.
Chevrolet, or more accurately, its parent company, GM, made a strategic move with this midsize SUV when it gave it the Blazer badge. After all, the gas-powered Blazer lineup remains and will share the same dealer floor space. With the exception of having almost identical lengths, the similarities cease with the name.
From then on, everything diverges. The Blazer EV has a 121.8-inch wheelbase, which is approximately 10 inches longer than the ICE model, and it’s also somewhat broader. These specifications, along with a lower roofline and athletic stance, offer the Chevy Blazer EV a more streamlined look than its gasoline-powered counterpart.
The Chevy Blazer EV has a lot to appreciate and even adore. Loathe? Only one or two products made it onto my list.
Opinions on the outside will undoubtedly differ; it’s reasonable to say that some people dislike it here at Eltrys. But GM deserves credit for giving the Chevy Blazer EV flair with some distinguishing outward characteristics that protect it from seeming like just another bland Vitamin E pill-shaped chunk. The Blazer EV is available in eight colors, with “radiant red metallic” and “galaxy grey metallic” being the selections that best emphasize the vehicle’s curves and edges.
Notably, the company does this without making the Blazer EV seem like a novelty vehicle. With a few exceptions, the edgy-without-being-silly feel extends into the interior, where the car really shines.
Chevrolet makes use of the Blazer EV’s broad stance, giving the driver and passengers plenty of space, including 59.8 cubic feet of rear load capacity. The chairs themselves have a big, expansive feel to them. While the chairs were not the most comfy I’ve ever sat on, they were obviously built to accommodate people of all sizes and shapes.
Customers entering the Blazer EV will notice the enormous 17.7-inch central touchscreen and the 11-inch instrument cluster located right behind the steering wheel. A car with a huge touchscreen does not imply that the software is functional or that it is simple to use. Thankfully, the Blazer EV, Chevrolet’s first car using the Ultifi software architecture, does the majority of the heavy lifting.
Let’s begin with UX, or user experience. Along with that huge ol’ touchscreen, the Chevrolet Blazer EV offers a variety of traditional knobs and buttons. Chevy strikes the perfect mix between these choices, with enough overlap for individuals who simply want to utilize the touchscreen to control the HVAC and other amenities.
My favorite characteristics are: a huge physical knob (similar to the knob on the Ford Mustang Mach-E) is mounted to the touchscreen, and symbols on the far left of the screen operate as shortcuts to one-pedal driving. There are a handful of these shortcut symbols grouped together, but the one-pedal driving icon is far and away the most handy.
Many people, including Ford CEO Jim Farley, have chastised GM for forsaking Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which both project a user’s phone on the center screen. My previous driving and passenger experience had made me less cautious.
Google Built-in, which runs on Google’s Android Automotive operating system and directly integrates Google services like Google Maps and Google Assistant into the car, is a feature of the Chevy Blazer EV. There’s also the Google Play Store, YouTube, and third-party applications like Spotify. This equates to rather seamless user operations and a significantly better experience than many other quirky infotainment systems provide. It should be mentioned, however, that at the start of my journey, I had to transfer cars owing to a software fault that prevented access to any of those capabilities. This should be resolved with a software update and should not be a recurring problem.
The stock’s action to shift into neutral, drive, and reverse is cumbersome, and the “sport” mode is, well, not really sporty. Despite a few additional horsepower off the line, there didn’t seem to be any difference from the standard drive choice known as “tour.” Because the Chevy Blazer EV RS lacks controlled or active suspension, changing modes has no effect on the ride. The steering sensation in the RS was similarly uninspiring.
Given all of the vehicle’s victories, that may seem to be a little fussy. Expectations should be high for any car priced over $60,000.
