Chevrolet Blazer: A Look Back At One Of The Longest Running Nameplates In GM's History

I’m a week late on this one. I recall not too long ago I wrote one a “Where Are They Now” piece on the Kia K900 and the next month a refreshed version was sitting at the New York Auto Show. I had a similar piece in the works on the S-10 Blazer because I absolutely love the design of it, but I never published it due to some complications at my job. Sure enough a week later, Chevrolet debuted the 2019 Blazer, and once again I am thinking that I’m psychic. Maybe my next “Where Are They Know” should be about the Buick Roadmaster? Cadillac Catera anyone? Oh! The Vauxhall Calibra, that could work!

Well, Chevy has decided to resurrect the Blazer name and put it on a mid-size crossover. Four doors, automatic only, not body-on-frame. I can hear the clacking of the keys as the comments start flying in from the traditionalists, but to that I say that the Charger has been around now for twelve years, and might be one of the only reasons that Dodge is still alive and relevant, the other being the Challenger.

IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY CHEVY FANBOYS!

So I thought we’d take a look back through the history of the Blazer. It’s a name that lasted a mighty long time in Chevy’s lineup.

1st Iteration: (1969-1972)

The first generation Blazer came to the market in 1969 to duke it out with the likes of the Ford Bronco (More on that later), International Scout, and the legendary CJ Jeep. The biggest engine you could get in a Blazer at the time was a small-block 350, rated at 175 horsepower and 290 lb-ft, this engine would remain a staple of the Blazer up until 1991. The Blazer could also be had with a pair of straight-sixes and a 307 cubic inch V8. Transmissions were either a three-speed manual, four-speed manual, or a Turbo Hydromatic three-speed automatic. In stock form, the Blazer had eight inches of ground clearance. Blazer sales were a rough start with 1972 being the best year at 44,266 sales, which is more than the Blazer sold in the three years before that, combined.

2nd Iteration 1973-1991

The second generation Blazer debuted in 1973 amidst the oil crisis. With the new generation came a new engine, a 400 cubic inch V8 rated at 185 horsepower and 300 lb-ft. The 1991 model shown above shows the smooth transition from Blazer to Tahoe. Sales for the second generation peaked in 1979 at 90,987 examples sold. The 700R4 (later named the 4L60) four-speed automatic was introduced in 1982 as well as a 6.2 Detroit Diesel V8 rated at 135 horsepower and 240 lb-ft. The 350 received throttle body fuel injection for 1987 and became the standard Blazer engine, rated at 210 horsepower and 300-lb-ft. Ground clearance dropped from eight inches to seven inches throughout the second generation.

3rd Iteration 1982-1994

This is where things start to get interesting. The S-10 Blazer was introduced alongside it’s big brother Blazer for 1982, and was much smaller than it’s full-size counterpart. The S-10 Blazer was eight inches shorter than the full-size Blazer. The full-size Blazer was also fourteen inches wider than the S-10 Blazer. The full-size Blazer stood nine inches taller than the S-10 as well. The S-10 Blazer didn’t offer a V8 either. The base engine for generation of Blazer was a 2.0L four-cylinder engine producing 83 horsepower. Varying other four cylinders were offered including the famous Iron Duke 2.5L. A pair of 2.8L V6s were also offered on the Blazer, one was carbureted, the other featured throttle-body fuel injection. The carbureted engine was also featured in the Jeep Cherokee until 1987. In 1988, GM ditched the carbureted V6 as well, in favor of a 4.3L V6 based on the small-block 350. This V6 produced 160 horsepower and 235 lb-ft. This was also the first time the Blazer name adorned a four-door SUV. Ground clearance for these Blazers were dropped to six inches thanks to the S-10s lower body.

4th Iteration 1995-2005

The fourth iteration of the Blazer debuted in 1995 no longer holding any relation to the Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Door, which used the Blazer name until 1995. The Blazer continued to be built on the S-10 chassis until 2005. Power figures for the sole engine, the 4.3L V6 rose to 190 horsepower and 250 lb-ft. The Blazer also debuted a higher end trim level, The TrailBlazer until 2002, when it became it’s own model. Ground clearance was back to a respectable eight inches and was offered as a two or four door until it’s production run ended in 2005.

5th Iteration 2002-2009

The TrailBlazer started life as a trim level of the Blazer until it became it’s own model in 2002. This mid-size SUV competed against the Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango. The GMT360 platform underpinned the Buick Rainier, Oldsmobile Bravada, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender, Saab 9-7X, and the Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck. The TrailBlazer printed money for GM, selling nearly 200,000 examples of just the TrailBlazer, on average per year. The TrailBlazer only came as a four-door, and could be had with a 4.2L straight six, 5.3L V8, or the mighty 6.0L LS2 V8 in the TrailBlazer SS. The TrailBlazer was also available with seven seats and a third row, in the EXT trim, which stretched the length to 207 inches (5.27 meters). That was a whole nine inches longer than a Cadillac Escalade of the same era. The TrailBlazer SS was rated at 390 horsepower and 400 lb-ft. The drop of ten horsepower was because of a different intake manifold to favor low-end torque.

6th Iteration 2012-Present

This is where things get a little strange, and only helps to further justify the Blazer’s name being brought back. This is a 2012 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. This TrailBlazer rode on the chassis of the second-generation Chevrolet Colorado, a truck that we got in the states just a few years ago. This generation of the TrailBlazer featured a 2.8L turbodiesel by VM Motori, a 2.5L diesel, and a 3.6L V6. This TrailBlazer also features seven seats, but more importantly, nine inches of ground clearance. This is due to the vehicle being designed for emerging markets, but that also makes this TrailBlazer the most off-road ready vehicle from the factory to bear the Blazer name. It also remains on a truck chassis, and the V6 makes 277 horsepower and 265 lb-ft. Not a bad choice for a rock crawler, considering the Jeep Wrangler also uses a 3.6L V6 with similar power figures.

7th Iteration est. 2019

Thus we arrive at the latest iteration of the Blazer. This latest Blazer might be one of the best uses of Chevrolet’s current design language I’ve seen yet. It’s a mid-size SUV that seats five and features a 2.5L four cylinder with 193 horsepower and 188 lb-ft. A 3.6L V6 producing 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft is also available. The C1XX platform is heavy based on the E2XX platform that currently underpins the current generation Malibu, Impala, Cadillac XT4, and Buick Regal (Vauxhall/Opel Insignia / Holden Commodore ZB). Needless to say, it’s going to drive pretty well.

It will be doing battle with the Nissan Murano, Ford Edge, Toyota Highlander, and other Mid-size SUVs. Ford has even said that the Bronco, though designed to compete against the Wrangler, will also be in this category. Where does that leave us? The same place it leaves most crossover SUVs nowadays. A lot of nameplates from a lot of companies, that spend too much money to show the vehicle out on the trails only for a handful of them to actually go and conquer them. (cough cough Range Rover Evoque)

This new Blazer is not tarnishing the Blazer name by any means, what it is doing is getting more people involved with the brand, filling a massive gap that’s been left open since 2009 when the TrailBlazer left the North American market. It will provide a stylish alternative to the rather bland styling of the Highlander, and with more than 300 horsepower and a sporty appearance, it might even give the CX-9 a run for it’s money out on the highways.

I’m excited for it. You should be too, we need more S in our SUVs, that’s just a fact. With the Edge ST, there’s plenty of room for a Blazer SS with the 335 horsepower V6 from the Camaro.

As for the name, think about the fact that there wasn’t a four-door Charger until the revival of that nameplate back in 2006, and that was offered with the 2.7L V6 out of a Chrysler Sebring. The Dart was turned into an absolute disgrace of a vehicle. The Camaro on the other hand has prospered since it’s revival in 2010. I think Chevrolet knows what they’re doing, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

What are your thoughts on this new Blazer? Should it have been named something else? Do you think it’s going to do well? Think I’m dead wrong? I’d love to hear your thoughts!