Here and there — and probably not for long — you can still find a new vehicle that at least offers something larger than a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Chevy's Blazer RS is one such.
It's available with the same 3.6-liter V6 that that's standard in the Camaro — and there are other commonalities, too.
What It Is
The Blazer is a midsize, five-passenger crossover that's similar to lots of others, with one exception:
It is still available with a V6 engine — the same basic engine that powers the Camaro sports coupe.
Others in the same size/price range, such as the Toyota Highlander and Subaru Ascent, are now four-cylinder only.
The Blazer's base price is $35,400 for the 2LT trim with front-wheel drive (and a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine). All-wheel drive is available as a stand-alone option. If you want it, the MSRP climbs to $38,100.
A top-of-the-line Premier trim with AWD lists for $45,700. This one also comes with the 2.0-liter engine.
If you want the Camaro's V6, it's standard in the $42,800 RS. A performance-minded torque-vectoring AWD is also available optionally. So equipped, the Blazer RS's MSRP is $45,700. The RS Blazer also comes with more aggressive 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires, an upgraded Bose audio system and unique-to-this-model blackout trim.
What's New for 2024
Heated seats are now standard in all Blazer trims.
What's Good
You can still get a V6.
Many "advanced driver assistance" features are optional — and so avoidable.
Back seats have almost as much legroom as front seats.
What's Not So Good
You can't get the V6 in any trim other than the RS (and it's a $7,000 price bump to get the RS instead of the base 2LT).
No third-row option. (Several in the class, including the Highlander, offer that.)
Lane Keep Assist is standard — and so unavoidable.
Under The Hood
The Blazer's standard engine — a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder — is similar to the engines that are becoming standard in almost everything. The reason for that being that a turbocharged 2.0-liter four is just large enough (and just powerful enough) to adequately power most vehicles, but don't emit too much gas (CO2) to cause problems for the manufacturer with the government.
The Chevy's 2.0 four produces 228 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque at 1,500 rpm. This is enough to get the 3,918-pound Blazer to 60 in just over seven seconds. A nine-speed automatic is standard. This combo rates 22 mpg in city driving and 29 mpg on the highway.
The four-cylinder-powered Blazer can pull a 3,200-pound trailer.
If you want to be able to pull more (5,000 pounds) and haul (0-60 in just over six seconds), you'll probably be more interested in the Blazer RS, which comes standard with a version of the 3.6-liter V6 that's also used in the Camaro sport coupe. The Blazer's version makes 308 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 rpm (versus 335 horsepower and 284 foot-pounds of torque at 5,300 rpm).
On The Road
If you look at the Blazer RS, you'll get an idea about how it drives before you drive it. The resemblance to the Camaro is more than stylistic. The Camaro's V6 is part of the story, but so also the lower ride height (and roofline) versus other crossovers in the class.
The RS sits a relatively low (for a crossover) 7.5 inches off the ground, and its roofline is just 67 inches off the ground. A Kia Telluride (which is a crossover styled to look more like an SUV) rides 8 inches off the ground and stands just shy of 2 inches taller (68.9 inches) than a Blazer RS.
Being lower to the ground, as the Blazer is, helps it to hug the ground — around the curves — better than the typical crossover. And the V6 gives it the power to exit the curves in Camaro-like fashion.
You can use the manual shift control function to prevent a premature mid-corner upshift and hold second or third as you exit the corner and run the V6 up to about 6,500 — at which point the rev limiter prevents it from spinning any faster. Drop a gear and do it again. This is the kind of fun you can still have in a crossover with a Camaro's V6.
The Camaro-like 20-inch wheels and thin-sidewall sport tires that are part of the RS package also deliver a firm, Camaro-like ride as well as quick-feeling response to steering inputs.
Just be careful about curbs and potholes as these short-sidewall tires are more vulnerable to damage (and so are the wheels, which are expensive to replace when damaged).
At The Curb
We've already delved into the Blazer's Camaroesque looks (and driving feel). Now let's look at one of the consequences of those good looks.
Like the Camaro — though not as severely — the lower roofline costs back-seat headroom. There's a comparatively low-slung 38.6 inches for the back-seaters, which is about an inch and a half less headroom than in the back seats of more formally styled crossovers like the Kia Telluride (which has 40.2 inches of back-seat headroom, slightly more headroom than the 39.8 inches of front-seat headroom in the Blazer).
It might not matter if you and those who will ride in this vehicle are under 6 feet tall. But for those who are taller, it could be a problem. This is one of those things you have to try and see for yourself, as vehicles are a lot like clothes and you can't really know whether it's a good fit until you try them on.
The Rest
Chevy does not offer a third row in this vehicle, and total cargo capacity — 64.2 cubic feet — is significantly less than is available in the Toyota Highlander (84.3 cubic feet), which also offers a third row and seven-passenger capability. But you can't get a V6 in the four-cylinder-only Highlander. The Kia Telluride (and its Hyundai Palisade cousin) are probably this Chevy's heaviest competition. Both come standard with a third row and a V6 — and each have a total of 87 cubic feet of cargo space with their second and third rows folded down.
The Bottom Line
A standard V6 in a midsize crossover used to be as expected as floor mats in an economy car. Soon, a V6-powered midsize crossover could be as exotic as a V12-powered ultra-luxury sedan was just a handful of years ago.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Chevy Blazer RS this week.
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