2001 Chevrolet Blazer Review: Exterior

All Blazers are powered by a 4.3-liter Vortec V6. This 90-degree V6 has a cast-iron block and head and overhead valves, and runs happily on 87 octane gasoline. Although redlined at 5600 rpm, it reaches its peak 190 horsepower at 4400 rpm. And, with a very useful 250 pound-feet of torque at 2800 rpm, there's little need to rev it into the red. GM's four-speed electronic automatic transmission is standard on four-door Blazers, although a five-speed manual transmission is available on the two-door models.

The four-wheel-drive Blazer LS comes with push-button Insta-Trac, which allows shift-on-the-fly between 2WD and 4WD. The more sophisticated Autotrac four-wheel-drive system is optional on the LS and standard on LT and TrailBlazer. Autotrac combines the best of full-time and part-time 4WD by adding an "Auto 4WD" button. In this mode, the transfer case remains in 2WD until wheel slip is detected. An electric servo then shifts the transfer case into 4WD until prop shaft speeds are equalized, and then returns it to 2WD. If multiple "slip events" are detected, the transfer case remains in 4WD for a longer time. Autotrac also has a transfer case neutral position for towing behind a recreational vehicle.