Chevy Blazer EV SS — CleanTechnica Review

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We recently spent a week with a Chevy Blazer EV SS. It’s the sporty, high-performance version of Chevrolet’s electric midsize SUV. The following is a final video summary of our thoughts on the Blazer EV SS, and then our normal written review of the electric car broken down by:

• Exterior
• Efficiency & Range
• Interior
• Infotainment
• Charging
• Driving Experience
• Overall

Enjoy the review, and let us know if you have any other questions or thoughts about the electric SUV.

Exterior

Despite being a midsized SUV, the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS has a very sporty design that makes it look lower than it is and more like a car than an SUV at times. There’s a trick at play with the colors, but it works well and looks good. Along the bottom of the vehicle body, it is black instead of the reddish orange (“Habanero Orange”) of the main part of the body. The framing around the windows on the upper portion of the vehicle is also black, which again makes it look shorter and slimmer than it is.

Additionally, where the orange part of the body and the black parts meet aren’t flat, straight lines. These are curvy borders that again add a cool, sporty look. Then there’s the sharp, sort of cat-like grille and headlights, the black claw-like design elements toward the front of the Blazer approaching the front wheels, and the very cool and futuristic taillights, which have a fun rolling effect when charging.

The headlights also have a very cool rolling effect while charging, as shown in this video.

We had a lot of people smiling with enthusiasm and intrigue when they saw us with the Chevy Blazer EV SS. Everyone seemed to have a positive response to the eye-catching vehicle.

Efficiency & Range

I didn’t do any detailed, independent measurements of the electricity used per mile driven, as I prefer to review vehicles from a “normal person’s” perspective. However, I was actually shocked by how well the Blazer EV SS retained range and how long it went before needing to charge. We charge our 2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+ every couple of days. With the Blazer EV SS, though, we went a week before needing to charge it! Even then, it didn’t really need to be charged, as it was at about 40% state of charge. I just charged it up because the guys who drove it over from the other side of Florida for us were coming to pick it up and were hoping I’d charge it up for them so that they wouldn’t have to stop at a fast charger.

I used the Chevy Blazer EV SS every weekday to bring my younger daughter and wife to elementary school/work, then bring my older daughter to middle school, and then pick them all up in the afternoon. We also drove 20–30 minutes (11–14 miles) north to an ice rink and then back twice in our time with the EV, including some time on the Interstate. Then there were also the normal grocery store runs, tennis practice, etc. We did quite a lot of driving. Nonetheless, starting with a full charge just above 300 miles, we didn’t have to charge for a week.

Also of note: the vehicle was not parked in a garage at all. It was parked in the sun in Southwest Florida. This heats up the vehicle, of course, requiring more air conditioning and battery cooling. If our Tesla was parked outside the garage for a week, we would definitely see a range hit. I’m still a bit shocked at how much the Blazer EV SS held its charge.

Oh, regarding range: I fully charged the Chevy Blazer EV SS right after receiving it and the display behind the steering wheel showed a range of 303 miles. A week later, when I charged it up to 100% again, it showed 320 miles of range. It appears the vehicle software must come up with its range estimates based on recent driving — how efficiently you were driving. And it makes sense that it would thus show much less range after the delivery guys had been driving the Blazer EV SS at high speed for a few hours across the state than after I had been driving around doing daddy duty with it in the suburbs for a week.

Interior

The interior was nice, with the seats being a mixture of faux leather and some kind of soft, sporty material. They were ventilated as well, which is always nice in hot and steamy Florida. My kids liked the extra legroom and higher seating position in the back seat of the Blazer EV SS compared to our Tesla Model 3. Overall, I think it’s just what you’d expect from a midsized EV — nothing super special, but nothing to complain about.

Naturally, as you can see very clearly in the pictures and videos, the seatbelts were orange, as well as some stitching. We liked the fun color accents. We have a friend whose favorite color is orange and he was very into it.

There’s also a red option — you can compare in the images below — if you are very into red.

We liked the grey and black with orange accents….

The front center console was fine, though not my favorite layout and orientation. The air vents were wonderful — we loved those, and greatly prefer them over the AC bar thingie we have in our Tesla Model 3. It was much easier to have the air blowing nicely on my chest without blasting air into my eyes. And I thought they looked very cool too, including at night when the ambient lighting was on.

There’s practically unlimited color choice for that ambient lighting.

Overall, I loved the front interior layout. The only thing I was a little turned off by was the cheapish plastic in a few places, like the glovebox. Though, I guess that’s the difference between a Chevrolet and a Cadillac.

Infotainment

I was quite impressed by the infotainment screen. It was large but not overwhelming. The UI was great, quite intuitive most of the time. The visuals were clear and well designed. It was easy to find most things, and even when it took a little while, the nesting was indeed logical — it was just something to get used to. The navigation system was superb, and the width of the screen really helped with that.

I liked the HUD (head-up display). You can customize what is included there, how bright it is, and where it is shown. It helps to not take your eyes off the road to check the speed limit — which is actually something you need with how quick and quiet the Blazer EV SS is. If you don’t like the HUD, you can also just turn it off. The only time I think I would turn it off is while driving at night, as it was too bright and distracting for me then.

The rearview mirror has a camera option instead. Initially, I found it really hard to use — my eyes would feel crossed and my head would hurt trying to look at it, but I figure that is because of some kind of difference in depth perception and brain wiring, because I got used to it after a day or two and then preferred it most of the time! It was so clear and made it much easier to see things behind you. Again, the one time I found it was worse was at night, when the cars behind me were basically blinding it with their headlights. But it was super easy to turn it off and use the normal rearview mirror, as you can see in the video below.

I absolutely loved the bird’s eye view on the backup camera, which can also be displayed at any time. This is definitely a feature I wish I had on my Tesla.

Overall, the infotainment options were really good. The only things I could really wish for would be integration with YouTube, ESPN+, Disney+, Netflix, etc. Maybe in future years. Oh, yes, and some video games would be nice.

Charging

I actually don’t have much to say about charging. It’s easy. Charging is normally easy. At home, on a Level 2 charging station, it charges … plenty fast enough. I mean, I really can’t even play here and attempt to compare charging speeds for different EVs. It takes a few seconds to plug in and a few seconds to unplug. The convenience of home charging is a massive advantage for electric cars, and that goes for the Chevy Blazer EV SS as well as other EVs. Whether the Blazer EV SS charges faster or slower than our Tesla Model 3 or other EVs, I have no idea, because it doesn’t matter — I don’t stand outside the car watching it charge. You have to get into some kind of extreme edge case for home charging speed, especially on a Level 2 charger, to matter.

As far as fast charging, I did not test this out. However, the vehicle’s max charging power is reportedly 190 kW, able to add up to 78 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes in good conditions. That’s a world of difference from a decade ago, and it’s plenty fast for most normal use.

Driving Experience

There are various drive settings you can use to find just the right drive feel for you. I personally like a sportier drive quality, strong regenerative braking (to a full stop, which the Blazer EV SS allows), and a silent powertrain (no fake engine sounds). I like driving a sedan — my Tesla Model 3, for example — and am not drawn at all to driving the beasts of the road that are so popular now (large SUVs, mega-large SUVs, and pickup trucks). Getting to test out a sporty midsize SUV, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. Would I like it, or would it just feel big and clunky? Is it worth trying to make a midsize SUV quick and sporty?

Well, yes, I loved it! It drove much more like a car than I expected. For sure, it is not a sedan, but the acceleration and handling were better than I expected from an SUV. It was super quick — to the point that you really need to watch the odometer — and that was both fun and useful at times. But it still felt controlled and capable.

The vehicle was smooth and quiet, as one would expect from a well made electric SUV. It was comfortable, and I really can’t think of much to say in terms of nitpicking. If this is the style of vehicle you prefer and you have money in the bank to spend on the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, you should buy it. You’ll love it.

If you’d rather the car do the driving for you, GM’s Super Cruise feature is available on certain roads. I found it worked on the Interstate near me, and it worked quite well. It stayed in the lane well, followed traffic well, and changes lane well. It doesn’t drive you from parking lot to parking lot, of course, but it does drive well on its own on the highway.

Overall

This section is hard. I feel like I’ve said everything already. I recommend watching the summary review video above (and also below), the first impressions video below, and the videos on the vehicle’s tech features and drive quality that are above.

Overall, what I can say is that it’s a great overall EV with a lot of strong suits, cool and useful features, and the right balance between size and sportiness. You can get a midsized SUV and all the space that comes with that, while also being able to truly enjoy the drive quality of the vehicle and the fun of a seriously sporty vehicle.

I guess the downside is that it’s not cheap. the Chevy Blazer EV SS starts at $57,595. Start adding options and the price can go up several thousand dollars of course. But, hey, if you’ve got the money, I’d say it’s worth it!

Of course, if you’re considering getting one of these right now, do it ASAP! Get the car before the end of September 30 and you can benefit from the US EV tax credit before it expires.