Rough and rugged.
Like a rock. Not just Chevrolet trucks, but sport-utility vehicles, too.
You could torture kidneys and bladder in a Blazer sport-utility just as easily as you could in a Fleetside pickup.
More bounce to the ounce, but you loved every minute of it because it was macho. Four-wheel-drive. Off-roading. What a life!
Then the interlopers arrived. People accustomed to the comfort, quiet and luxury of sedans started buying sport-utilities. Coats and ties, skirts and scarfs. Off-road to them meant where you go to wait for the motor club to change your flat.
Surprisingly, Chevy estimates that 41 percent of the folks who buy sport-utilities are moving out of the family sedan, but they want all the sedan creature comforts to move with them.
For the 1995 model year, Chevy complies with their wishes. After all, 41 percent is a huge number and a goodly amount of the remaining 51 percent aren’t that keen on bruising their butt in a macho machine when they could cushion it just as easily.
The compact Blazer sport-utility has been restyled on the outside and revamped under the skin for the 1995 model year to give it more sedan attributes. It is the first major change since Blazer arrived in 1983.
Fact is, the Blazer still looks like the Blazer, only for ’95 the edges have been rounded on what had been a box. Call it a touch of refinement. The effect is pleasant, considering there is only so much you can do to doll up a sport-utility without using decals or running boards.
Though really just a minor design change, about the only criticism of the new sheet metal is that in two-door version the new Blazer looks like the old Nissan Pathfinder. But considering Chevy’s track record with design-Caprice-even looking like an old Pathfinder has its merits.
Though styling will get heavy promotion, it’s the changes inside that are the most notable and welcome. For the first time, there’s a standard driver-side air bag in the steering wheel hub. This was long overdue in an age of safety consciousness. It’s one of the first things sedan owners wanted to take with them.
What strikes us as odd, however, is that Chevy could have tossed in a passenger-side air bag since it gave the vehicle a new dash in the redesign. But Chevy chose to go with one bag for now to keep the cost down to more effectively compete with rival Ford Explorer. It must be noted, however, that Explorer will offer a driver- and passenger-side air bag as standard for 1995. You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out that Ford is one bag up on Chevy and, pardon the pun, but for some consumers the lack of the extra bag will go over like a rock.
Perhaps to atone for only one bag, Chevy made some minor revisions to improve short or long journeys. It added specially designed ride and handling tires, beefed-up stabilizer bars and specially tuned rear shocks like those on Camaro or Corvette.Combine that with more on-center feel from the power steering and you have a sport-utility that looks like a work machine but behaves like a luxury sedan.
Blazer, in fact, is rather nimble with above-average road manners. The suspension cushions you from the harshness and roller-coastering usually associated with a sport-utility. The power steering is precise and provides immediate response to any input you give it through the wheel.
We tested a variety of Blazers and felt the 235 75R/15 Goodyear Wrangler off-road tires bite the pavement better than the standard Michelin 235 70/R15 tires. However, the Michelins are quieter.
We tested the new Blazer over a variety of roads here-smooth/rough, paved/gravel, flat/steep, straight/twisting-and the vehicle leaves you talking about one other aspect that usually doesn’t get much attention: quality of ride. Blazer is highway stable. You don’t feel as if you are traveling off-road when you aren’t.
For 1995 Blazer also gets a performance boost. The 4.3-liter, 195-horsepower, high-output, V-6 engine that had been optional for 1994 is standard in Blazer for 1995. Previously a 160-h.p. version of that engine was standard in Blazer. The V-6 is teamed with 4-speed automatic, though a 5-speed manual is supposed to be offered later in the year.
We only had to tap the pedal and Blazer climbed the local hillsides smoothly.
Four-wheel anti-lock brakes are standard and performed as advertised when simulating panic stops at 50 miles per hour.
Besides a fresh appearance and more powerful engine, Blazer got a needed interior tailoring. Width has grown by 2 inches so you feel as though you have the same leg, hip and arm room that Ford offers in Explorer and Chrysler in Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Other notable changes include slimming the door armrests so they no longer eat into hip and leg room; offering a large, yet smooth-to-operate, gearshift lever (Chevy must have borrowed that from the Dodge Ram truck); providing in-dash push-button activation of four-wheel-drive (a transfer case still is available for those who feel push button isn’t macho enough, but for ’95 the transfer lever was moved too far under the dash); adding dual cupholders in front of the center console, which offers coin/cassette holders; switching to easy-to-use rotary knobs for heat/air controls and a simple dial for fan settings.
Also, you get rear window wiper/washer; long seat bottom cushions for excellent thigh support; huge outside mirrors for great visibility; and rounded sheet metal that must have a sound deadening effect because you can drive with the windows down and talk with a passenger.
Also, for 1995 one key handles ignition/doors/rear window rather than the two keys you had to fumble with in the past (when Chevy officials announced this at the media preview there were cheers). Insert that key in the rear window lock and turn once and the window opens, turn it twice and all doors open. Base coat/clear coat paint finish is offered for the first time; full-time all-wheel-drive will be available later in the model year; and to avoid those annoying ring/fingernail scratches under the door handles, Chevy has applied a thick protective plastic liner there that resists scrapes.
Of course, there are some gripes, such as labeling the driver-side air bag in the steering wheel hub “supplemental inflatable restraint” rather than “air bag.”
Then there’s the decision to put the spare tire under the rear of the vehicle, the spot that Ford Explorer owners have found provides a haven for tire thieves. Chevy says if you provide a wheel lock, they’ll put it on for you. Sports, aren’t they?
Also, you get a choice of large composite or small halogen headlamps. We favor the composites for appearance.
Prices start at $18,145 for the two-door 4×2; $19,851 for the four-door 4×2; $19,905 for the two-door 4×4; and $21,953 for the four-door 4×4. Add $485 to each for freight.
Notes
New officers of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, which sponsors the annual Chicago Auto Show, are Lee Weinman, of Bert Weinman Ford in Chicago, chairman; Pat Fitzgibbon of South Holland Dodge, vice chairman; Ray Scarpelli of Raymond Chevrolet/Oldsmobile in Antioch, secretary; and Mike Cook of Bill Cook Buick in Arlington Heights, treasurer. Stan Mize, of Towne and Countree Auto Sales in Schererville, was named chairman of the 1995 Chicago Auto Show and Jerry Haggerty, of Haggerty Pontiac in Villa Park, was named co-chairman.
Elected directors were Fran Hoffman of River Oaks Lincoln-Mercury in Calumet City; Bill McSkimming of River Front Chrysler-Plymouth/Jeep-Eagle in Aurora; and Dan Wolf of Toyota of Naperville. Continuing as directors are Dan Feeny of Arlington Park Dodge in Arlington Heights; Steve Foley of Steve Foley Cadillac in Northbrook; Roland Gartner of Gartner Buick in Aurora; Jack Haggerty of Haggerty Oldsmobile in Chicago; Dick Ludwig of Mid-Town Toyota in Chicago; Bill Stasek of Tom Todd Chevrolet in Wheeling; Bob Van Iten of Village Pontiac in Naperville; Greg Webb of Packey Webb Ford in Wheaton; and John Weinberger of Continental Motors in Countryside.
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Monday in Business: Jim Mateja reveals why toll collectors are “shocked” when Honda Accord owners pull up.
