Off-road capable SUVs produced in the heyday were had a Spartan feel with minimal creature comforts from factory. Think of the old Broncos, Wranglers and Blazers that were designed for performance in mind before the new bells and whistles were added.
Some like MotorWeek do enjoy looking back SUVs past and they’ve uploaded an old review of the 1989 Chevrolet Blazer last month.
A 5.7-liter V8 cranking out 210 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque may not seem like much these days, but the blazer was straight forward about what it is; a big four-by-four that doesn’t pretend to be a luxury vehicle or a car with sedan-like drive feel. A four speed gearbox came as standard with an optional 4-speed automatic transmission offered.
What may interested some is the 0-60 mph acceleration time the Blazer was capable of with the automatic transmission, a short 9.7 seconds. Not bad for such an old model, especially if you take into account the car’s power to weight ratio.
When this Blazer came out, it was the era of simple and off-road capable vehicles including the Ford Bronco and the Dodge Ramcharger. It didn’t even have cup holders in the cabin! There are clear gauges that are easy to read and everything you need is within easy reach aside from the floor mounted shifter.
The new Blazer will of course have all the comforts that modern vehicles have, but it’s interesting to see how far Chevrolet has come.