Spying: Chevrolet Blazer Fills the Gap Between Equinox and Traverse

25 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

The GLE is totally impractical,  but I'm oddly attracted to it..it's sort of a personal luxury coupe of CUVs... 

Well, I won't hold it against you then.  

Coupe CUV's versus traditional CUV's are kinda like facial hair, you like it or you don't. To each their own and I hold nothing against someone that loves their Coupe CUV, for me Coupe CUV's are Meh, pass. I want a real SUV with plenty of space for whatever I might do down the road.

And who cares about MPG.

4 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Coupe CUV's versus traditional CUV's are kinda like facial hair, you like it or you don't. To each their own and I hold nothing against someone that loves their Coupe CUV, for me Coupe CUV's are Meh, pass. I want a real SUV with plenty of space for whatever I might do down the road.

And who cares about MPG.

The way I look at coupes--whether 2dr, 4dr, or 5dr hatchback CUVs---they are about style more than function.   There is room in the world for both.   My next vehicle is going to be a coupe of some sort, I think...

7 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Coupe CUV's versus traditional CUV's are kinda like facial hair, you like it or you don't. To each their own and I hold nothing against someone that loves their Coupe CUV, for me Coupe CUV's are Meh, pass. I want a real SUV with plenty of space for whatever I might do down the road.

And who cares about MPG.

Well you only like the largest of SUVs and they have to be BOF. 

Aren't you all about EV and their efficiency? Now who cares about mpg? But you require the largest SUV in order to not talk trash about SUVs? 

28 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Well you only like the largest of SUVs and they have to be BOF. 

Aren't you all about EV and their efficiency? Now who cares about mpg? But you require the largest SUV in order to not talk trash about SUVs? 

Your Too funny, Yes I love my full size SUV's, Yes I care about our planet and would rather drive an EV SUV. Sadly I have tried to do my part with CNG, but in the end, I do not care about the MPG as long as I have the room, safety and comfort of the SUV I drive.

"these "raked" SUVs are too small"

*in love with the Bolt*

Make it, sure it would sell, but please don't call it a Blazer..........

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

"these "raked" SUVs are too small"

*in love with the Bolt*

You do realize that those things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive right?

7 hours ago, smk4565 said:

CUV buyers don't really care about space, they care about sitting higher up and having the image of driving an SUV.   Toyota is going to sell 450,000 RAV4 this year, and it isn't like the Rav is winning any cargo capacity or hip and leg room competitions.  

The top 3 sellers are the most spacious compacts though IIRC (CRV, RAV4, Rogue).

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

"these "raked" SUVs are too small"

*in love with the Bolt*

3 hours ago, surreal1272 said:

You do realize that those things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive right?

Especially considering that their is more room in the Bolt for a big guy like me than in these rakes CUV's.

On 8/25/2017 at 9:40 AM, surreal1272 said:

He made a clear distinction that they are not good for big people, not that they shouldn't be sold at all.

 

My bigger issue with them is the compromised cargo room in the back and the tall car look that is simply boring to look at and honestly, fairly unoriginal at this point. 

The common public misconception is that crossovers have all this space but if you measured the length and width of many crossover cargo areas, they are smaller than many sedans.  They may have more height....but even the crossovers with the most upright rear glass still have converging roofs, and don't forget many crossovers have very high load floors as well.  We had a taurus x that had more of a minivan floor.  Most llike the above, even if the roof is higher on the vehicle, the load floor is quite a bit higher than a sedan as well.  

Basically i believe people have gone to crossovers because they don't have to bend down to get in and out, and they like the higher seating position.  And seating is more comfy because its more chairlike.  the illusion of additional storage is that people can fold a seat and there is no obstruction from the sloping rear window a sedan has.  Why i like minivans is you actually do get more space due to the low load floor.

Look the newest Acadia.  Even with its trucky rear end it doesnt have any big cargo area advantage over similar sized vehicles like i posted photos of.  The Edge actually has a fairly big cargo area (but only 2 rows of seats).

The Dodge magnum was a great setup.  Long and wide cargo area, fold down seats, and the hatch hinge was further back into the body.

On 8/25/2017 at 10:59 AM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Like the Merc GLE 'coupe'...damn sexy, but not as practical as it's upright GLE sibling... though I can imagine a GC 'coupe' could be fun... 

 

 

Thinking outside the box, if Chevy wants to get in on the CUV 'coupe' market, how about a sporty, 'personal' luxury fastback version of this new Blazer, name it Monte Carlo?  Now that would be fun... 

as you suggest here, i think Chevy should move the Impala nameplate over to a 2 row, sporty fastback crossover.  Large in size, comfortable, but something evoking some of these newer designs like the GLE etc.

8 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Most cars are fluff over function, crossovers of all shapes in particular, LOL. 

If all you're looking for is function and little fluff, the best value in this segment is actually the Mitsubishi Outlander. 

just that it sucks apart from that LOL

we could always go back to these

I miss our red Aztek often but our minivan helps us fend off crossover lust.  LOVE having a van in the house.  Wife found a patio table and chairs on craigslist a couple weeks ago. We stowed the second row, folded the third and went and picked it up in one trip. Aztek was a 3/4 scale minivan (literally).

VVVVV DOESN'T LOOK SO BAD THESE DAYS DOES IT  VVVVVVV

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

 

Especially considering that their is more room in the Bolt for a big guy like me than in these rakes CUV's.

Context can be a challenge for those looking to just antagonize others. This why actual user experience trumps paper experience. 

1 hour ago, regfootball said:

just that it sucks apart from that LOL

we could always go back to these

I miss our red Aztek often but our minivan helps us fend off crossover lust.  LOVE having a van in the house.  Wife found a patio table and chairs on craigslist a couple weeks ago. We stowed the second row, folded the third and went and picked it up in one trip. Aztek was a 3/4 scale minivan (literally).

 

VVVVV DOESN'T LOOK SO BAD THESE DAYS DOES IT  VVVVVVV

 

The Outlander will get you into an AWD 3 row crossover for $26k MSRP, $31k MSRP gets you a V6 and leather...and we all know you can do better than MSRP at a Mitsubishi dealership. For that price they are not terrible if you're not looking for fluff and just need that sort of functionality. Plus they have as long a warranty as a Kia.

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

 

Especially considering that their is more room in the Bolt for a big guy like me than in these rakes CUV's.

The Bolt's packaging makes it much larger inside than it is on the outside. 

Bolt Bolt

Chevy Version of a Beep Beep

All 6'6" 280lbs of me comfy in the Bolt!

i would have had the go ahead from wife on the Chevy Volt last time around if it hadn't been so small.  Bolt is still too small.  But at least it has more headroom and better seating for larger, taller dudes.

Rather than rehash an Acadia into a new Blazer, maybe Chevy should take a Malibu sized platform and make a sexy plug in hybrid crossover that handles like a fine sedan.

59 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The Outlander will get you into an AWD 3 row crossover for $26k MSRP, $31k MSRP gets you a V6 and leather...and we all know you can do better than MSRP at a Mitsubishi dealership. For that price they are not terrible if you're not looking for fluff and just need that sort of functionality. Plus they have as long a warranty as a Kia.

The Bolt's packaging makes it much larger inside than it is on the outside. 

You could not give me any Mitsubishi. 

9 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

 

The Bolt's packaging makes it much larger inside than it is on the outside. 

So it's like the Tardis...cool.

9 hours ago, dfelt said:

Bolt Bolt

Chevy Version of a Beep Beep

All 6'6" 280lbs of me comfy in the Bolt!

So you didn't have to remove the front seat and sit in the back to drive..

They could do a Buick version of the Blazer in a coupe-like SUV.  There is a lot of space size wise between the Envision and Enclave.   And a coupe-like crossover that is Blazer size could fetch Enclave prices, they could even call it Riviera.  2.0T base and 3.6 liter optional, then you get the Regal and Regal GS powertrains in a coupe crossover.   Then when LaCrosse dies, you still have 5 products over at Buick.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

There is a lot of space size wise between the Envision and Enclave.

There's actually not. We don't need a CUV/SUV for every 10 inches of overall length from 160" to 210".

Besides, you just said on the last page that people don't buy CUVs for utility- hence no need to have tweener categories of CUVs.

No, it's more like

THAT ALSO!

80% of GM's sales are crossovers and trucks.  By math, if Buick has 2 sedans, they should have 8 crossovers.  8 would be crazy, but Buick could add a Blazer/Acadia/XT5 size vehicle easily, but it would have to be a coupe style crossover, since they already have 3 crossovers that size.

I'd build more Cadillac crossovers first though, they need crossovers and go where the margin is.

23 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

80% of GM's sales are crossovers and trucks.  By math, if Buick has 2 sedans, they should have 8 crossovers.  8 would be crazy, but Buick could add a Blazer/Acadia/XT5 size vehicle easily, but it would have to be a coupe style crossover, since they already have 3 crossovers that size.

I'd build more Cadillac crossovers first though, they need crossovers and go where the margin is.

Cadillac needs the XT7 and XT3 (think Encore and Enclave sized) STAT!

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

By math, if Buick has 2 sedans, they should have 8 crossovers.  8 would be crazy, but Buick could add a Blazer/Acadia/XT5 size vehicle easily, but it would have to be a coupe style crossover, since they already have 3 crossovers that size.

• Your math is not a business case.

• Have you never looked at the -for example- BMW so-called 'coupe crossover' sales numbers vs. conventional CUVs?? July '17 X4 sales were 336 (down 16% YTD). Same month X6 sales were 362 (down 8% YTD). Why would any competent OEM pursue a dead-end market niche like that??

• Buick only has 3 CUVs, each in different size classes/overall size: 168", 184" and 202". XT5 is 190", or the same envelope the Envision is in- it would be pointless to add a 2nd CUV the same size as one they already have. You really have some bizarre product planning suggestions.

49 minutes ago, balthazar said:

• Your math is not a business case.

• Have you never looked at the -for example- BMW so-called 'coupe crossover' sales numbers vs. conventional CUVs?? July '17 X4 sales were 336 (down 16% YTD). Same month X6 sales were 362 (down 8% YTD). Why would any competent OEM pursue a dead-end market niche like that??

• Buick only has 3 CUVs, each in different size classes/overall size: 168", 184" and 202". XT5 is 190", or the same envelope the Envision is in- it would be pointless to add a 2nd CUV the same size as one they already have. You really have some bizarre product planning suggestions.

GM has bigger holes to fill than crossover coupe, which I myself think is a dumb body style, but crossovers are what people want.  I would look elsewhere as I said, but I am just saying Buick could do a 4th crossover, but it would have to be different than the 3 mid sizers GM already has.

There are a dozen companies with a crossover at 181-184 inches long and another around 190-192 inches long.  Mercedes, BMW and Lexus being 3 of them.  Cadillac will soon be one of them, and I bet they want something under XT4.

Jeep has 6 SUVs between 166" and 191" and they make it work.  They could have like 8 in the space that Buick does Encore to Enclave if they get the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in production. 

46 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

GM has bigger holes to fill than crossover coupe, which I myself think is a dumb body style, but crossovers are what people want.  I would look elsewhere as I said, but I am just saying Buick could do a 4th crossover, but it would have to be different than the 3 mid sizers GM already has.

There are a dozen companies with a crossover at 181-184 inches long and another around 190-192 inches long.  Mercedes, BMW and Lexus being 3 of them.  Cadillac will soon be one of them, and I bet they want something under XT4.

Jeep has 6 SUVs between 166" and 191" and they make it work.  They could have like 8 in the space that Buick does Encore to Enclave if they get the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in production. 

• If you think 'crossover coupes' are dumb, and accept that 'no one buys them' per my example, why did U advocate for Buick to build a number of them? Having 8 examples of a vehicle type and 4 of them don't sell is a terrible idea for an OEM to pursue. Further, the opposite; you think CUVs all always sell, so why not suggest Buick build 15 or 20 CUVs? I mean, get realistic at least.

BMW has 5 CUVs but only 3 of those sell, so it's basically 3 CUVs. On about 300K sales /yr.
Buick has 3 CUVs on 216K sales/yr- so they are ahead of BMW, if you want to look @ it that way.

• It really doesn't matter if there's a Cadillac CUV the same size that Buick wants to build. 'GM' is not a brand and has never had mass singular models across the corporate board.  

• Jeep is pretty unique in the segment. Demand for the brand is very high- they are a go-to for off-road (and the perception thereof) vehicles. Buick or lexus or MB are not in that same 'buzz' category.

Lexus sold 100,000+ RX crossovers last year and 40,000+ NX crossovers last year. This year maybe more. Not bad for non upright / coupey rakish roof crossovers

instead GM wants to sell vehicles in 2018 that evoke their badgegasm of trucky offerings from 2005

Wheelbase is a better measure than overall length...GM currently has CUVs with these wheelbases:

subcompact:    100.6  (Trax and Encore) 

compact:          107.3  (Equinox, Terrain, Envision*)

midsize:            112.5 (Blazer (presumably), Acadia, XT5)

full size:            120.9  (Traverse, Enclave)

and in a parallel reality, they have the full size BOF SUVs.

So there is some room to add more CUVs for all the brands if they wish.   Cadillac is getting a compact (XT3) and a full size (XT7) I believe....

(disturbingly, the Envision is listed as 108.3 in some sources..why the 1 inch descrepancy?)

There will be disappointment aplenty for those expecting Chevrolet to match the new Bronco with a Blazer... maybe GMC will get a Canyon-based BOF SUV that will be pitched to people who want authenticity, towing power and ruggedness in a midsize SUV.  People were, and to some extent still are... angry at Chevrolet for re-imagining the Impala and Malibu as FWD...

I like the current Ford Edge.  I understand people love CUV's right now.  Heck, I own one currently.  But... isn't anything sacred?

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Wheelbase is a better measure than overall length...GM currently has CUVs with these wheelbases:
subcompact:    100.6  (Trax and Encore)
compact:          107.3  (Equinox, Terrain, Envision*)
midsize:            112.5 (Blazer (presumably), Acadia, XT5)
full size:            120.9  (Traverse, Enclave)
and in a parallel reality, they have the full size BOF SUVs.

So there is some room to add more CUVs for all the brands if they wish.

Where is there "room"?  R U advocating CUVs on wheelbases of 103", 109" and 116"???
101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 116, 121?  Madness.

The CUV segment is completely covered @ GM with the 4 WBs you post above. In fact, I would advocate merging the compact & mid-size at 110" and distribute that 4th CUV's funding into the other 3 to improve them individually.

14 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Where is there "room"?  R U advocating CUVs on wheelbases of 103", 109" and 116"???
101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 116, 121?  Madness.

The CUV segment is completely covered @ GM with the 4 WBs you post above. In fact, I would advocate merging the compact & mid-size at 110" and distribute that 4th CUV's funding into the other 3 to improve them individually.

No, I mean room with the existing wheelbases/platforms...Chevy is going to be pretty full with the Blazer, but there is room for a subcompact and full size at GMC (the latter of which is more likely to happen), a midsize at Buick, and a compact and full size at Cadillac (which is likely to happen)....whether or not they need them or they would sell, is another story.    (There is also room for coupe versions ala the Mere GLC and GLE coupes, should they decide to jump on that ultra-niche bandwagon... in today's CUV-mad market, I could see that happening--let your imagination run wild..)

35 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

There will be disappointment aplenty for those expecting Chevrolet to match the new Bronco with a Blazer...

I like the current Ford Edge.  I understand people love CUV's right now.  Heck, I own one currently.  But... isn't anything sacred?

No one said they are matching the Bronco with the Blazer..this Blazer is an Edge competitor. 

Gothcha, but disagree to some extent. 1. the "coupe CUV's" don't sell in numbers worth spending the billion to develop, and 2. 'whether they sell' is the ONLY reason to develop these models.
I don't have a problem with an appropriate Cadillac XT4 compact, but frankly I find the sub-compact Encore-class offensively small and completely out of character for Cadillac.

I don't see a need for a subcompact Caddy either, considering that they have given up on selling in Europe and other markets that prefer small vehicles.   Getting into the coupe niche would be purely a style and trendy play---I don't see it happening, but a sleek XT5 variation could be interesting....

Stylish? OK. Trendy? Nope- not enough buyers to make it a trend. Pass.

I mean, I've yet to see it published, that the -per my example- BMW has utterly flopped with the X4 and X6. 300-some units monthly, as a CUV?? Porsche Macan is the near exact same MSRP, is not as 'coupe-y', has almost half the number of dealers and is selling 1800 unit/mnth. Full scale consumer rejection.

My idea for Cadillac: XT4, XT5, XT7, Escalade, done. The brand's volume & character doesn't support any more than that.

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

 

My idea for Cadillac: XT4, XT5, XT7, Escalade, done. The brand's volume & character doesn't support any more than that.

XT3 seems like a better name than XT4, though....keep them all odd numbers...4 would be inconsistent....3,5,7.  ---plus this leaves room for coupes at 4,6,and 8...

Whatevs- as long as it's not Encore-class.
Now; stop it with the 'coupe CUV' thing!

58 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

No, I mean room with the existing wheelbases/platforms...Chevy is going to be pretty full with the Blazer, but there is room for a subcompact and full size at GMC (the latter of which is more likely to happen), a midsize at Buick, and a compact and full size at Cadillac (which is likely to happen)....whether or not they need them or they would sell, is another story.    (There is also room for coupe versions ala the Mere GLC and GLE coupes, should they decide to jump on that ultra-niche bandwagon... in today's CUV-mad market, I could see that happening--let your imagination run wild..)

No one said they are matching the Bronco with the Blazer..this Blazer is an Edge competitor. 

??? since the internet put out the rumor that a Blazer was returning, ppl have been placing it as a Bronco rival, now this (sort of) confirmation of what it will be... yes there will be disappointment...

7 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

??? since the internet put out the rumor that a Blazer was returning, ppl have been placing it as a Bronco rival, now this (sort of) confirmation of what it will be... yes there will be disappointment...

Maybe..there had been a rumor a while back of the Colorado-based Trailblazer from Asia coming the US also...

9 hours ago, regfootball said:

Lexus sold 100,000+ RX crossovers last year and 40,000+ NX crossovers last year. This year maybe more. Not bad for non upright / coupey rakish roof crossovers

instead GM wants to sell vehicles in 2018 that evoke their badgegasm of trucky offerings from 2005

The Honda CR-V doesn't have that rakish back (and never has) and has been a top seller for years mostly because of it's versatility in the cargo space in a small package. Personally I think offering a choice between the rakish and a more traditional box style is a good thing and GM is filling both needs. Show me where that is a problem.

3 hours ago, balthazar said:

Whatevs- as long as it's not Encore-class.
Now; stop it with the 'coupe CUV' thing!

I'll try...but now i"m obsessed with it...I wish I was better w/ Photoshop..curious what a Grand Cherokee coupe could look like..

Well here's my thing:  in the 1940's, everybody rushed to bring an automatic transmission to market... in the 1950's, it was V8 injuns and tailfins... in the 1960's it was longer/lower/wider, MO POWUH and muscle cars in the latter half... 1970's was the rush to downsize... CUV is just the latest mode of vehicular transport to catch on with the pubic.  The carmakers NEED to keep up or they'll be left penniless.

^ I dunno- it took mercedes an even 20 years to debut an automatic & 15-20 years to debut A/C after Cadillac did; they didn't "keep up" and they survived.

On 8/25/2017 at 3:54 PM, surreal1272 said:

You do realize that those things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive right?

That is correct. But, a Murano(which is what was brought up here) is larger in every interior measurement minus a 0.1 inch rear head room advantage for the Bolt. So in this case, it is just ironic that one would praise the Bolt for its space over these larger raked CUVs. 

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

That is correct. But, a Murano(which is what was brought up here) is larger in every interior measurement minus a 0.1 inch rear head room advantage for the Bolt. So in this case, it is just ironic that one would praise the Bolt for its space over these larger raked CUVs. 

The Bolt seems to be more in the size category of the Trax and other subcompact tall wagons/CUVs. 

25 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

That is correct. But, a Murano(which is what was brought up here) is larger in every interior measurement minus a 0.1 inch rear head room advantage for the Bolt. So in this case, it is just ironic that one would praise the Bolt for its space over these larger raked CUVs. 

Then you have never paid attention to what dfelt has said regarding the room in the Bolt. He fits in it just fine because of a tall greenhouse (I believe he even provided a picture of him in it as reference, on the previous page). Not sure what is so hard to understand about it, so much that a non-sensical and snide remark had to be made about it, all because you couldn't make the distinction in his comparison. 

To me it makes sense, while the badge might offend some people, this new CUV might be just the right size for our family if it is about same size as Acadia. Traverse is too big and Equinox is too small.  

21 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Then you have never paid attention to what dfelt has said regarding the room in the Bolt. He fits in it just fine because of a tall greenhouse (I believe he even provided a picture of him in it as reference, on the previous page). Not sure what is so hard to understand about it, so much that a non-sensical and snide remark had to be made about it, all because you couldn't make the distinction in his comparison. 

He's EV biased as much as smk is BMW/Merc biased and there's LESS room in a Bolt than in a Murano. 

42 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

The Bolt seems to be more in the size category of the Trax and other subcompact tall wagons/CUVs. 

I agree. I didn't bring up the Bolt. It's very spacious for its exterior dimensions. 

21 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

He's EV biased as much as smk is BMW/Merc biased and there's LESS room in a Bolt than in a Murano. 

I agree. I didn't bring up the Bolt. It's very spacious for its exterior dimensions. 

Bias has literally nothing to do with the fact that he fits in the Bolt just fine while most CUVs do not fit the same bill.

2 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Bias has literally nothing to do with the fact that he fits in the Bolt just fine while most CUVs do not fit the same bill.

It does when hes knocking the larger, roomier one saying the Bolt is much better.