Introduction
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Chevy's Blazer was introduced as an all-new model in 1995, with a host of features
that made it far more like a passenger car than its original version that was brought
to market in 1983. It still has the heartbeat of a truck, but now has the flexibility
to ferry your family, tug a trailer and stash your cargo -- all with a more comfortable
ride and a little luxury along the way. The S-designation was dropped, but the Blazer
is mechanically similar to the GMC Jimmy and the all-wheel drive Oldsmobile Bravada.
The Blazer comes to '96 showrooms riding largely on its laurels from last year which
included Consumer's Digest's "Best Buy" award, Motor Trend's Truck of the Year award,
as well as winning the 1995 North American Truck of the Year award. It's not a
surprise that it garnered recognition in the industry since GM redesigned this SUV and
gave it a new outside, a new inside and new suspension packages. But its best
feature is its price. Here it outpaces its chief competitors--the Ford Explorer and
Jeep's Grand Cherokee--by a good margin. The original Jeep Cherokee, however, is
priced less.
What's new for the Blazer is a shot of adrenaline to its horsepower, improved
performance and reduced emissions, new extended maintenance schedules, and an optional
all-wheel drive. The Blazer comes in five models: two-wheel drive (available in
two-door and four-door), four-wheel drive (available in two-door and four-door) and
full-time all-wheel (available in four-door only). Trim packages are base and uplevel
LS on all versions and an LT package on 4-door models only.
Competitors in this ever-growing compact sport utility segment other than the Explorer
and Cherokee models are the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Passport and
Isuzu Rodeo. Not to be discounted are the recently introduced Kia Sportage and
Toyota's new RAV 4.
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