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The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV should make the shopping list
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We dig the Blazer EV's design, efficiency, and build quality
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Blazer EV rear seat comfort varies from person to person, and the iOS app needs to be redone
Unlike soap-bar-styled EVs that ooze that extra range the Chevy Blazer EV charts its own uniquely American approach.
I 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV sports a unique, eye-catching design surrounded by an open, well-built environment. After living with one for a week and taking it on a road trip, we found it to work wonderfully. But with a rear seat that won't fit everyone well, an uncomfortable odometer, and a terrible iOS app, it's not perfect.
Based on this extended drive, here are the pros and cons of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Pro: The Chevy Blazer EV has similar styling to the Camaro
It's as if the designers put a Camaro in the studio and said, “yes.” As in, everything. Thankfully, they skipped the greenhouse that was cracked by guns. The front is different as there are LED daytime running lights that emphasize the width of the Blazer EV. The taillights keep it in the family and are related to the Traverse and the recent Equinox. Both have light displays that can be turned on while charging. The lights on the back are charging indicators and the bars “fill up” as the battery charges. The curved front and rear fenders also show the Camaro influence. Overall, it's sharp, and unique.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Inside there is a lot going on. My father came in and exclaimed: “This is delicious! It's like the Batmobile. There should be flames coming out of the holes.” My RS tester had a red interior, and there was a lot to take in visually. There are shiny chrome bits, vents with twisty bits, a real volume knob and climate control buttons. It feels familiar in a way that fits Chevy's ICE models.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Con: Rear seat comfort varies from person to person in the Chevy Blazer EV
With the front seat well positioned on my 5-foot-10 frame I slid comfortably into the back seat without dislodging. There was plenty of leg, knee, foot, and headroom and the outer seats felt comfortable. However, my mother and wife both commented without saying that the back seat was uncomfortable. The rear seat's rear design has LATCH child seat anchorage points integrated into the lower part—rather than recessed between the cushions, as in most vehicles. This separates the lower part of the back seat and hits other people in an uncomfortable position in the lower back. My wife also found the seat belt in the back seat and hit her in an uncomfortable position on her neck. The middle back seat is sunken and narrow and won't be comfortable for anyone.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Pro: The Chevrolet Blazer EV impresses with efficiency
For large EVs like these, the best efficiency bar is 3.0 mi/kwh. Around town in a mixed driving environment the Blazer EV had no problems average 3.0 mi/kwh despite not paying attention to efficiency and just driving the way one used to. On two 200-plus-mile freeway stretches the Blazer EV averaged 2.7 and 2.5 mi/kwh respectively with the cruise control set above 70 mph, the ambient temperature hovering between High 70s, and climate control set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. . Strong wind and rain reduced the efficiency of the latter.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Con: The Blazer EV has trouble predicting its range
Pay attention battery charge status-just as you would a gas gauge–and don't put too much stock in the gauge on the Blazer EV. While previous GM EVs including the Chevy Bolt EV were good on the phone, the range seemed to be an odd guess for this Blazer EV, and consistently a display that didn't say the Blazer EV could go further than it could (this may have something to do with how it was recently driven). Interestingly, Google Maps integrated navigation recognized this and told me when I would need to charge to get to my destination—despite the range meter they said I would be.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Pro: The Chevy Blazer EV feels well built
Build quality it was solid and everything felt well put together. The panel gaps were tight, the doors closed with a solid thump, and everything I touched, clicked, and held didn't move, vibrate, or feel cheap.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Con: Chevy's iOS app feels laggy
Software-defined vehicles offer the possibility of remote control via smartphone. Chevrolet's iOS app, which is the same app as Cadillac and GMC's app with a different skin, feels like a full iteration behind what you'll find in Rivian, Lucid, or Tesla. Open the app and it will tell you when it was last updated. Spoiler: It will be a while—usually 30 to 50 minutes. That is not the current state of the car. Does it charge? Is it locked? Pull down from the top of the screen to restart the app and it will take minutes, not seconds to restore the original state. And executing a command, like starting or opening, takes seconds and feels very slow.
Chevy iOS app aside, the Blazer EV sounds like a taste of Bowtie's future. A normal and normal future that happens to be powered by batteries and not gasoline. It is attractive and should be opened Ford Mustang Mach-E again Tesla Model Y shopping lists.
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2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS AWD
Basic price: $58,590, including a $1,395 destination charge
Price as assessed: $60,710
Drivetrain: 288 hp combined, dual-motor AWD
EPA grade: 279 miles
Hits: Sharp design inside and out, efficient, solid build quality
They don't miss: Backseat comfort for others, the width meter is the guessometer, the iOS app experience