[SmithR]

Senior lead designer at General Motors Steve McCabe spoke with Entrepreneur.com and shared some interesting insight on how they wanted the Blazer to stand out with its design.

Are there any design cues from previous versions?


None at all. We were very cognizant to steer this vehicle’s design away from “retro” and into more of a modern/progressive persona.

There are so many crossover SUVs on the road. How does the Blazer differentiate itself?

Styling. It’s a pretty conservative field, and the new Blazer really stands out from the crowd. The base model offers a great foundation, and then we built on that, by offering two very distinct personalities in the Premier and RS. The Premier caters to a more formal/luxury-minded buyer who appreciates traditional bright-work/accents and a more upscale look, with body-color matched trim. The RS will attract someone looking for something a little more sporty/aggressive, with its black chrome accents, and gloss black trim work.

Would you say that it’s a Camaro in SUV clothing?

The Blazer answered a question asked by our leadership: “What would a Camaro SUV look like?” When we started with the Blazer, we leveraged the already iconic styling DNA of the Camaro, and injected that into a great SUV package. It’s got the aggressive appearance that Camaro fans love -- the grille, dynamic line work, sculpted surfacing -- but the versatility and functionality that most of today’s customers need from an SUV. We feel we have found a great balance with the Blazer in that regard. It offers all the functionality, but without the compromise on styling that can often happen when moving away from a sports car and into an SUV.

Personally I really like that Chevy didn't try and recreate the Blazers of the past because there's so many ways it could've gone completely wrong. I love the bold approach they took with drawing inspiration from the Camaro.

 

[BlueOx]

First Blazer I ever saw was neighbors purchased a brand new 1969 turquoise and white Blazer. I thought it was very cool as a kid. They replaced an old International Scout with it. My dad purchased an S-10 Blazer circa 1984. He loved it. I purchased a new 1995 Black 4 door Blazer. Loved it.

Yes, this new Blazer is not body on frame design, with its origins of off road capabilities. That said, I like the new design and am not offended by it. I understand the unhappiness with the Blazer name being applied to essentially a cross over vehicle.

 

[Mike.redhotRS]

I say goodriddance to the old Blazer. I like the new one. It appearsto be much better built. I like the styling and love the practicality. The idea of a Camaro inspired CUV is, I feel, a good one. I did shop the Camaro before the Blazer but was put off by how impractical it was at anything. I do resent the design team allowing a 30 hp detune of the same engine as in the Camaro. I only just beat a Grand Cherokee in a stop light contest. I want my 30 hp back!

 

[SmithR]

I say goodriddance to the old Blazer. I like the new one. It appearsto be much better built. I like the styling and love the practicality. The idea of a Camaro inspired CUV is, I feel, a good one. I did shop the Camaro before the Blazer but was put off by how impractical it was at anything. I do resent the design team allowing a 30 hp detune of the same engine as in the Camaro. I only just beat a Grand Cherokee in a stop light contest. I want my 30 hp back!

Yeah it would be nice to get that extra horsepower back. But there was no way Chevy was going to have the Blazer have the same amount as the Camaro. If you really want that power back I'm sure you can get the engine tuned.

 

[trailblazer]

IMO, the only thing to actually like from the old Blazer is how much lighter it was. Prior to knowledge of a Blazer-esque CUV (Trailblazer.. yeah its my username too) being en route sometime in the next year or so I didn't like the Blazer as much. Now it clear where it fits in.