While half the reviewers of the online automotive community haggle over the specs of the sporty RS trim for the 2021 Chevy Blazer, it seemed more interesting to wonder about the top Premier trim for Chevy’s midsize SUV. The Blazer of the past might have been one to rock the sporty side of SUV performance, but the 2021 Blazer is definitely a pavement-hugging machine. If nothing else, the nod to Camaro styling should be an indicator that the 2021 Blazer desires to be buffed in the driveway and driven down long strips of road so everyone can admire its shine.
With all of that said, those Camaro elements of the 2021 Blazer show up in the front fascia and the dash most prominently, and it gives the Blazer a prominent presence. Against the many bland silver SUVs in the parking lots, the Blazer will certainly draw your eye. However, if you want to get the perfect mix of performance, style, and features, then you need to be looking at getting a Blazer Premier. The Premier trim starts at $42,500 without any further additions, but there is still a lot of room here for you to customize your ride with options like the available all-wheel drive.
Tow Away With Two Engine Options
An SUV like the 2021 Chevy Blazer serves as more than just eye candy, even if it isn’t necessarily a vehicle you want to take off-roading. It does have towing capability, so when you want to take a weekend off for a fishing trip or tow your ATVs out to a trail, you have enough towing power to handle the job. Surprisingly, the Premier trim doesn’t come standard with the optional 3.6-liter V6 engine. It does at least come with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which makes 227 hp with 258 lb-ft of torque. If you stick with that four-cylinder, you only have 1,500 pounds of towing capacity, but opting for the V6 gives you up to 4,500 pounds of capacity with 308 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque.
Add the towing package to gain hitch guidance that includes a hitch view on your rearview camera for the upper trims, plus heavy-duty engine cooling and trailer sway control. The extra expenditure is worth it if you plan to tow even occasionally. Other gear you get standard includes 20-inch machined-face aluminum wheels, which are fitted with all-season tires. You have the choice of several other wheel types if you prefer the look of other options. These larger wheels may increase road noise, especially on highways, but they will offer better performance on snow or in mud.
Hot Inside and Out
The 2021 Blazer is a vehicle made for cruising with paint names like “Red Hot” and “Cayenne Orange Metallic.” When you choose the Premium trim, you get to enjoy nine paint colors for the exterior, and you can add chrome or black accents to accentuate either the bling or the sporty side of your Blazer. Deep tinted windows in the rear are standard, as is the Premier signature grille, which features both chrome accents and a header with black horizontal lines to match the appearance packages you might add. Silver roof rails are standard and look spiffy with shiny new paint, as do the bright tips of the dual exhaust outlets that are flush with the rear fascia. Overall, the Blazer’s aggressive front end, shapely sidewalls, and tidy back end are pleasing to the eye.
On the interior, leather seats are standard and can be either jet black or jet black and maple tones to lighten the interior somewhat. The option to add a panoramic sunroof is a choice only the Premier trim gets to enjoy, so that could lighten it up inside if you feel the need for a brighter interior. Aside from the Camaro-inspired dash, the upper trims also gain ambient lighting to lend a little more expensive flair to the interior. In general, the overall look of the 2021 Blazer is sharp, muscular, and masculine, and there is no light or airy option. The Blazer is a dark and brooding type.
Surprising Conveniences
When you spend more than $40,000 on a vehicle, you want the conveniences to match. A vehicle isn’t permanent like a house, so this is basically money you know is going out without a return. Having features like an automatic heated steering wheel wrapped in leather, powered lumbar in the front seats, and remote starting are features you get for the money on the Premium trim. Actually, you get quite a few standard features that are welcome conveniences in the 2021 Blazer, though some of the features that can only be added for extra cash seem like they should be included for the price of this top-tier SUV.
On the outside, having heated auto-dimming wing mirrors with integrated turn signals are part of the Premium trim’s equipment, so you won’t have to hack at those mirrors when they ice over in winter. You get the hands-free powered liftgate, too, which is convenient when you have armloads to carry to the trunk. Most of the conveniences are on the inside of the Blazer, like having USB charging ports in front and back, enjoying the ease of the advanced voice recognition of the infotainment system, and having built-in navigation. Such amenities as heated seats for front and rear passengers and ventilated seats in front are standard, too. Stream up to two devices with Bluetooth using the eight-speaker Bose system, and you also get a 4G hotspot included in the Premier trim. All this is well and good, but there are a few surprises in the features list.
One nice surprise is the driver’s seat memory feature that saves settings of the seat, wing mirrors, and powered steering wheel for two drivers. Not so nice is that the safety alert seat feature is extra, not included. It’s also great to have an auto-dimming rearview mirror, but not so great that the rearview camera mirror is extra. Having an HD rearview camera is fantastic, but paying extra for the HD Surround View seems like a feature that should be included in the price.
Other features like wireless charging and adaptive cruise control seem like they should be included, too, but aren’t. It’s not enough to have standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across all trims. The auto market is crazy with tech these days. On the bright side, Chevy does have some useful in-vehicle apps like the online Marketplace, which does bring on the convenience when you’re out and about and want to order items or food and pay while you drive. So, while the Premier may not include everything Chevy has to offer at the base price, it still includes a lot of desirable features and maintains a relatively low starting point for a top trim.
Safety First and Last
Safety is often first on the minds of many consumers who really want those driver-assisted safety features, and Chevy has made it a point to include several desirable safety features on most of the upper trims of the 2021 Blazer. Some of these available features include Front Pedestrian Braking and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning. For the upper trims, including the Premier, a few extras like Rear Park Assist and a Following Distance Indicator are added to the standard equipment. All in all, the 2021 Chevy Blazer earns itself a 5-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA.
Should You Get the Blazer Premier?
The 2021 Blazer provides an excellent option for SUV lovers who want a sportier look to their vehicle, and the Premier offers the best that this model has to offer. Buyers attracted to the fierce exterior of the Blazer on the outside are likely to find they will be safe on the inside. You may need to add features to get everything you want in the top trim, but the Blazer Premier is made for buyers who want beauty over comfort without sacrificing safety.
