Automobile USA – June 2019

56

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Chevy’s

new Blazer

isn’t for

hardcore

fans, but

it’s more

of what

the larger

market

demands

Camaro Crossing

To be clear, the new Blazer is no alternative to the

enthusiast’s Camaro, and for now there’s no Blazer SS in

the pipeline. Rather, the Blazer could be considered an

alternative to the automatic-transmission-equipped, non-

SS versions of Chevy’s pony car—especially in the Blazer’s

top-tier V-6-powered trim levels. Both models are fashion

accessories, antidotes to automotive appliances, and they

share similar design cues. Note the Camaro-style round

HVAC vents highlighting the Blazer’s dashboard.

CHEVROLET FANBOYS WILL have to get over the fact

the Blazer sport utility is now a car-based, transverse-

engine soft-roader and instead think of it as a Camaro

crossover. Psychographically, to use a modern marketing

term, the 2019 Blazer, like the Camaro, is an empty nester’s

car, the sort of vehicle you buy if you’re bored with your

fifth overly reliable Toyota or Honda sedan or if you’re

tired of lugging around a three-row SUV or minivan after

the kids have left home.