Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-06)

DRIVING

38 June 2019 _ PopularMechanics.com

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MUSTANG GT WITH

PP2 PACKAGE

Serious track rat,

almost-Shelby.

↓ROAD TESTED

/BY EZRA DYER/

The Blazer Returns

Well, the name anyway. The new Blazer isn’t a truck,

but it likes to have fun. Just like the originals.

NISSAN

ROGUE SPORT

Rogue, but a

little smaller.

BEETLE FINAL

EDITION

Farewell,

round mound

of nostalgia.

Base price: $29,995

The base 2.5-liter four-

cylinder: Makes 193

horsepower. You want

the V-6.

Best version of the

previous Blazer: Glad you

asked. It’s the 2005 ZR2

two-door, with low-range

4WD and 31-inch tires.

YES, THEY SLAPPED the hallowed Blazer name on a cross-

over. So what? Just as the original K5 Blazer was a product of

its time (namely, giving Chev y a Bronco competitor), so is this one.

Which means it’s more car than truck, a tall wagon bred with a few

strands of Camaro DNA. Hey, the real Blazer purists gave up when

GM killed the full convertible top in ’76.

I can’t speak to the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder Blazer, but the

all-wheel-drive V-6 model makes 308 horsepower, sounds mean,

and provides enough acceleration to at least pace your midlife cri-

sis. The dual-clutch all-wheel-drive system is the real deal, too, with

the ability to send torque side to side across the rear axle—the sup-

plier, GKN Driveline, provided the rear end for the Ford Focus RS,

if that tells you anything.

The Blazer also looks cool, providing yet another example that

bombastic huge grilles can work when a car is designed around them,

but aren’t a great retrofit (see: every Lexus that had the spindle grille

forced upon it late in a product cycle or the current Camaro). It’s a

simple aesthetic strategy: big wheels (up to 21 inches), aggressive

front end, high beltline.

The Blazer isn’t all about peacocking, though. Despite its car-

like mien, it can tow a decidedly truckish 4,500 pounds. One other

thing the new Blazer has in common with its classic K5 brethren:

Those trucks can now sell for more than $50,000. Guess what? So

can this one. Old or new, Blazers aren’t cheap.