It's a shame that every brand is fine with only expensive EVs but I suspect that GM knows they can't build that many so they might as well be high margin to recoup R&D costs.
@@davidmccarthy6061 makes sense! But I can say that I completely agree with the EV6 GT pricing, that thing is crazy fast and is really comfortable to ride in on the daily
I'll withhold full judgement until detailed reviews but we're a split household (1 Android 1 iPhone) and being able to seamlessly switch between Android Auto and Apple CarPlay wirelessly is a huge plus for us with the Mach-E. Losing on screen prompts and being forced back into Bluetooth streaming for Apple music services will likely be a deal breaker for us. I appreciate what GM is trying to do but it's gonna cost them at least some amount of customers.
Yeah I'll need more time to play around with it but I agree, having to pull out my phone in order to switch from a podcast to music for example, and not even being able to shuffle a playlist on-screen is unappealing to me, as is being fully dependent on voice commands when the iMessage app allows me to sift through unread texts based on thread, etc. I realize that especially for the music I'm in a tiny minority that don't stream, so very few will have those issues as least. I'm gonna keep an open mind but if I wanted an Ultium EV I'd probably just go Prologue.
Where is all of the length being used? The wheelbase is an inch longer than Tahoe yet the rear seats have a very average amount of space and the rear storage area isn't that large either. I get that wheelbase does not equal length but it does usually equal passenger space.
I drove the Blazer EV today. It absolutely feels like a discount Lyriq. The interior could easily be any other Rental Car. The large displays are nice, but at these prices, all of these EV should come standard with heated/ventilated seats up front and heated rear seats. The main options should be AWD, the moonroof, Super Cruise and wheel/tire upgrades.
No matter how you slice it, the Blazer is $56,000 - $70,000. That's a "LUXURY CAR". Hopefully the Equinox's pricing will be more closer to the Model 3 and Model Y. At the price Tesla sis selling Model 3 and Y, it's impossible to compete.
I agree. I will not buy a car without it. My current EV has AA/Carplay, and when my lease is up, my next one will have it too. So, that means Chevy is not a consideration when shopping around.
Execution looks spot on and I'm wondering what the lease deals will look like especially for the LT models. Oh also idk why people don't use one pedal driving. Your losing part of the EV experience and losing the ability to extend range.
One pedal driving doesn't usually extend range, coasting is usually the more energy efficient thing to do, and you still do regen with the brake pedal when you actually need to slow down.
@@lewiscross7603 I understand what you're getting at, but various tests have shown that using less regen and more coasting typically will use less battery than constantly switching between accelerating and braking with a max regen setup, because regen doesn't recapture 100% of the energy put out during the accelerations, and in a max regen setting the cars have to accelerate more frequently to regain the speed lost while braking.
@@AdamJakowenkoknew that, just curious as to the timing. Typically the embargo’s are lifted before dealers have anything on the lot, but not in this case. I was watching dealer reviews of these vehicles already over a week ago 🤷🏼♂️
On older EVs including Teslas up here in Canada, at -20 C and below, that can often be more than half of total announced range cutoff by Old Man Winter. No bueno, I'll keep my '13 NA V6 AWD sedan... that does slay Winter and has no range impediment.
But it doesn't matter if you can charge at home and if the temp hits zero or below you'll want to leave it plugged in overnight anyway so the pack can keep itself warm if it wants to. The stats haven't changed and the majority of people drive less than 30 miles a day. With more people working from home it could be 30 miles a week.
@@davidmccarthy6061 My commute is 60 km one way, so 120++ per day and I am far, far, very far from having the longest commute in Ontario much less Canada. Show a link to those bogus stats of yours. Home owners have it good, try owning an EV while renting in a condo tower... the logistics are just a disaster. Very poorly adaptable, and very much still emerging tech. Doomed in the long run.
Eh, living with a Volt in Minnesota we saw a 25% hit from EPA. At most we saw 35% below 15F. They're not difficult to live with in the winter. Mild winters see minimal range loss, currently beating EPA combined figures on average with temperatures between 25F to 40F to include frequent wet roads and rain.
i like the idea of a BEV but we are still 5 to 10 years away from having a real choice financially between this and a hybrid or a plug in hybrid. $60k and what will it be worth in 3 years? maybe $30k, these first generation BEVs loose value much faster than a comparable hybrid vehicle
After seeing your review I do like this vehicle more. Maybe the color choice my dealer has (white and grey) doesn't do this car justice like the red color does. I wish this had a $50,000 MSRP starting for the RS AWD model pre any tax incentives. Great review Matt.
Love the review Matt. Your energy is always so positive. Beautiful ride. My only question for these EVs, and this one of course is how much is the battery if something happens that the warranty doesn't cover and you need to replace it?? There is at least one case where an owner of an EV had his warranty voided (unreasobaly) and the battery was more pricey than the car itself. Just curious if people know about incidents like this. Cheers, M
Batteries certainly aren't cheap, but with the 100k mile warranty nothing should be voided unless the buyer damages it themselves, in which case insurance should kick in to cover it.
Or, more to the point on batteries, how many owners actually own the car past warranty/100K miles and plan for battery replacement? My guess, small fraction. Nobody wants the $20-25K bill, and that bill comes in between 100-250K miles. Full stop. None of that nonsense with ICE cars. EVs will make TURRRIBLE used cars... and who buys used cars? People will less disposable income than new car owners. This has used market disaster written ALL over it. Signed, an RCAF aero engr w/ 21+ years in. EVs will fail.
Looks just like my dad's! He likes it. Since he lives in central MN there are plenty of Chevy and Ford dealers but not much else, this was important for him. I will be staying with him over the holidays and will be driving it myself. I am kind of pumped about it 🙂 The looks of this vs something like a Model Y is so, so much better!
When I got in the Blazer EV, I was thrown off by the lack of a on/off (ignition) button. It's more a put your foot on the brake pedal and the car turns on. It's a little off putting.
I understand what Chevy is doing with the infotainment. I bought a new Volvo recently with an Android/Google system. I was a firm believer in Waze through my phone, and I have completely ditched it in favor of the cars built in nav. It's just better, and better integrated. My car DOES have Carplay. And I still use it daily. However, the only reason for it is to have the highest quality audio via USB (Volvo doesn't have wireless carplay yet) for the B&W audio system I optioned. If I had the lower audio system, I wouldn't connect my phone at all outside of bluetooth.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Google built-in! I'm a loyal Waze user for highway trips and don't think I could give up its variety of alerts, but at least with the Play store you can still run Waze natively.
I wouldn't care for the long dashboard. I would think apple car play would be important for many consumers. Thank you for very good review. I will not be surprised if this one does not sell well, however I think it was Motor Trend vehicle of the year.
That red interior is super sharp! They're taking a pretty big gamble on the no CarPlay move, especially in something that is supposed to embrace technology. Hopefully it works out in their favor, because this seems pretty decent and the SS sounds exciting.
I have seen one of these here in Ottawa a while ago, and it was an SS trim. I can honestly say it was/is one of the best looking Crossovers I have ever seen. I just wonder how these vehicles will do in terms of public reception and sales...there is a growing shift in opinion that EV's aren't all they were promised to be. The interior of that vehicle is really decent too. It seems in the last 3-5 years GM has obviously gotten tired of being criticized for old fashioned, cheaply constructed interiors, because they have really stepped up their game (So has Dodge with their trucks and some of their cars).
The only reason is doesn't have CarPlay or AA is that they wanted to have sole propriety over the data information that the car collects. That is a valuable thing that they didn't want to just give away anymore. They wanted to be able to sell your car data themselves.
Bhahaha you guys must make 500K+ annually, otherwise those shall not be Needs. They're petty Wants to the average guy. Consumerism has shifted 3rd gear, it shows. 🤣
@jacquesc3166 nah depending on bonuses if any, our combined salary is right around 90k. We just don't live outside of our means in terms of housing, credit card debt or wasting money on constant luxuries. Treating our selves once in awhile in moderation. Also every budget oriented car in the states has android and Apple capabilities. So to expect a much better system than any oem isn't really a tall order. GM probably just doesn't want to pay the licensing for it
@@dillonsrt Whatever works I guess, to me having a new car period is a "constant luxury". I have 21+ yrs in the RCAF, make 135K as an aero engr (Maj) and am still driving a 2013 daily with AWD and 192K on the clock through Canadian Winters full of road salt. Never had a brand new car in my life based on the financial sin that is depreciation, got on the housing market in 2011 from working class parents who still rent today. Different priorities, and I'm teaching them to my 6 yr old girl.
@@jacquesc3166 The issue is that those maps and apps are continuously updated while the built-in maps historically never get updated, or you have to take it to the dealer to do it for a couple hundred bucks. The cops no longer let us print out directions from Mapquest to read while we're speeding down the road.
I rented a Volvo C40 in Norway this year. It had both Google Maps and Apple Car play. They should offer both. It's possible to do. Sometimes it's more useful to use Waze instead of Google Maps.
The lack of Car play is smart as long as they can perfect their interface. Way less limitations. Now that huge motirized charge port cover, there's a waste of resources!
It looks good and has good range. Can't wait to see and drive one in person. Need to hear more about how it compares driving and handling wise with the Model Y/Mach-E/Ioniq5/EV6. Why did Chevy go with an unusual setup where the dual-motor, AWD has LESS power than the single-motor RWD? That's opposite of like every other EV on the market. What really kills this Blazer EV is the starting price of ~$60k, that's too much IMO. Chevy is going to have a hard time selling these, esp. now with the EV market slowing down.
Phone apps for route planning aren't exactly easy to use. This philosophy does offer real world, real time, instant range calculations for everyone to use. They just need to get rid of those useless GOM (guess o meters) range calculations. We were all fine with a small FULL to EMPTY gauge, keep it simple.
I have the new gas Silverado and they touted the Google integrated maps, it’s a limited trial and you have to subscribe monthly to have the integrated maps be of any use, making Google integration useless. I think it’s through onstar
🥸 Still to expensive! Need to bring BYD, NIO, Xpeng, Huawei, etc to the US. We need more competition for better innovation and competitive pricing without the $7500 and $2500 tax credit that ALL TAXPAYERS are paying!
Yes! Fortunately we don't need a BEV for 4-5 years and by then I hope there are a selection of cars from China here. But I'm sure Congress will make them double the price.
$60k for an RS trim is absurd when you can get a much faster Kia EV6 GT for the same price
It's a shame that every brand is fine with only expensive EVs but I suspect that GM knows they can't build that many so they might as well be high margin to recoup R&D costs.
@@davidmccarthy6061 makes sense! But I can say that I completely agree with the EV6 GT pricing, that thing is crazy fast and is really comfortable to ride in on the daily
I drove a Kia EV six GT line. I didn’t like the amount of room. Or headroom. Plus the Chevy gets the $7500 tax incentive.
@@dennisknehans3206 that’s true, I didn’t mind the headroom in the EV6 tho
Yeah and get a lot more miles per charge
I'll withhold full judgement until detailed reviews but we're a split household (1 Android 1 iPhone) and being able to seamlessly switch between Android Auto and Apple CarPlay wirelessly is a huge plus for us with the Mach-E. Losing on screen prompts and being forced back into Bluetooth streaming for Apple music services will likely be a deal breaker for us. I appreciate what GM is trying to do but it's gonna cost them at least some amount of customers.
Yeah I'll need more time to play around with it but I agree, having to pull out my phone in order to switch from a podcast to music for example, and not even being able to shuffle a playlist on-screen is unappealing to me, as is being fully dependent on voice commands when the iMessage app allows me to sift through unread texts based on thread, etc. I realize that especially for the music I'm in a tiny minority that don't stream, so very few will have those issues as least. I'm gonna keep an open mind but if I wanted an Ultium EV I'd probably just go Prologue.
Matt do a review on the old blazer like 2003 blazer or GMC Jimmy
Ones in good condition are rare these days but I'd like to review one if I can find a nice one to film!
No fwd model for USA? I worked on them when I was doing development work at GM.
Chevy says the FWD one is coming soon.
Where is all of the length being used? The wheelbase is an inch longer than Tahoe yet the rear seats have a very average amount of space and the rear storage area isn't that large either. I get that wheelbase does not equal length but it does usually equal passenger space.
Yeah, it's a good question for sure.
I drove the Blazer EV today.
It absolutely feels like a discount Lyriq.
The interior could easily be any other Rental Car.
The large displays are nice, but at these prices, all of these EV should come standard with heated/ventilated seats up front and heated rear seats.
The main options should be AWD, the moonroof, Super Cruise and wheel/tire upgrades.
Despite the lack of Apple car play, I still think this would be my pick for a regular EV. Love the looks and the interior.
Great review!
Thanks!
No matter how you slice it, the Blazer is $56,000 - $70,000. That's a "LUXURY CAR".
Hopefully the Equinox's pricing will be more closer to the Model 3 and Model Y. At the price Tesla sis selling Model 3 and Y, it's impossible to compete.
Looks good on the outside and they let you down on the inside...typical GM. The lack of AA/Carplay is just stupid.
I agree. I will not buy a car without it. My current EV has AA/Carplay, and when my lease is up, my next one will have it too. So, that means Chevy is not a consideration when shopping around.
No CarPlay? Hard Pass, I have yet to use a native infotainment system that doesn’t suck 3-5 years later.
Execution looks spot on and I'm wondering what the lease deals will look like especially for the LT models. Oh also idk why people don't use one pedal driving. Your losing part of the EV experience and losing the ability to extend range.
One pedal driving doesn't usually extend range, coasting is usually the more energy efficient thing to do, and you still do regen with the brake pedal when you actually need to slow down.
@@MattMaranMotoring One pedal driving helps maximize Regen. You need max regen to help extend range.
@@lewiscross7603 I understand what you're getting at, but various tests have shown that using less regen and more coasting typically will use less battery than constantly switching between accelerating and braking with a max regen setup, because regen doesn't recapture 100% of the energy put out during the accelerations, and in a max regen setting the cars have to accelerate more frequently to regain the speed lost while braking.
These have already been at some dealers for weeks, surprised the UA-camrs are just now blowing up my subscriptions?
It's called an embargo, reviewers are prohibited from talking about it until a certain date
@@AdamJakowenkoknew that, just curious as to the timing. Typically the embargo’s are lifted before dealers have anything on the lot, but not in this case. I was watching dealer reviews of these vehicles already over a week ago 🤷🏼♂️
Yeah it's odd the way Chevy had this drive so late. I'm guessing they just wanted to make sure there was some inventory out there?
Zero interest in electric vehicle's........ Especially in cold weather, cuts the range by almost half
On older EVs including Teslas up here in Canada, at -20 C and below, that can often be more than half of total announced range cutoff by Old Man Winter. No bueno, I'll keep my '13 NA V6 AWD sedan... that does slay Winter and has no range impediment.
But it doesn't matter if you can charge at home and if the temp hits zero or below you'll want to leave it plugged in overnight anyway so the pack can keep itself warm if it wants to. The stats haven't changed and the majority of people drive less than 30 miles a day. With more people working from home it could be 30 miles a week.
@@davidmccarthy6061 My commute is 60 km one way, so 120++ per day and I am far, far, very far from having the longest commute in Ontario much less Canada. Show a link to those bogus stats of yours. Home owners have it good, try owning an EV while renting in a condo tower... the logistics are just a disaster. Very poorly adaptable, and very much still emerging tech. Doomed in the long run.
Eh, living with a Volt in Minnesota we saw a 25% hit from EPA. At most we saw 35% below 15F. They're not difficult to live with in the winter. Mild winters see minimal range loss, currently beating EPA combined figures on average with temperatures between 25F to 40F to include frequent wet roads and rain.
Black fender trim needs to go.
Every new car has that now, ugly af
Headrests will be get so gross over time.
that is the clunkiest infotainment system i've seen in a long time. how much did they pay you to say those nice things about it?
I’m always 100% honest unlike some others out there. What is clunky to you? I complained about the iPhone integration already.
i like the idea of a BEV but we are still 5 to 10 years away from having a real choice financially between this and a hybrid or a plug in hybrid.
$60k and what will it be worth in 3 years? maybe $30k, these first generation BEVs loose value much faster than a comparable hybrid vehicle
Especially since the models next year are likely to include SuperCruise.
After seeing your review I do like this vehicle more. Maybe the color choice my dealer has (white and grey) doesn't do this car justice like the red color does. I wish this had a $50,000 MSRP starting for the RS AWD model pre any tax incentives. Great review Matt.
How did they manage to make this dashboard so long and still not make a front trunk? What’s inside the dashboard or under the hood?
Love the review Matt. Your energy is always so positive.
Beautiful ride.
My only question for these EVs, and this one of course is how much is the battery if something happens that the warranty doesn't cover and you need to replace it?? There is at least one case where an owner of an EV had his warranty voided (unreasobaly) and the battery was more pricey than the car itself. Just curious if people know about incidents like this.
Cheers,
M
Batteries certainly aren't cheap, but with the 100k mile warranty nothing should be voided unless the buyer damages it themselves, in which case insurance should kick in to cover it.
Or, more to the point on batteries, how many owners actually own the car past warranty/100K miles and plan for battery replacement? My guess, small fraction. Nobody wants the $20-25K bill, and that bill comes in between 100-250K miles. Full stop. None of that nonsense with ICE cars. EVs will make TURRRIBLE used cars... and who buys used cars? People will less disposable income than new car owners. This has used market disaster written ALL over it. Signed, an RCAF aero engr w/ 21+ years in. EVs will fail.
Looks just like my dad's! He likes it. Since he lives in central MN there are plenty of Chevy and Ford dealers but not much else, this was important for him. I will be staying with him over the holidays and will be driving it myself. I am kind of pumped about it 🙂 The looks of this vs something like a Model Y is so, so much better!
I definitely agree! Congrats to your dad on getting one! I'd love to hear your impressions after you've spent some time in his!
When I got in the Blazer EV, I was thrown off by the lack of a on/off (ignition) button.
It's more a put your foot on the brake pedal and the car turns on. It's a little off putting.
I understand what Chevy is doing with the infotainment. I bought a new Volvo recently with an Android/Google system. I was a firm believer in Waze through my phone, and I have completely ditched it in favor of the cars built in nav. It's just better, and better integrated.
My car DOES have Carplay. And I still use it daily. However, the only reason for it is to have the highest quality audio via USB (Volvo doesn't have wireless carplay yet) for the B&W audio system I optioned. If I had the lower audio system, I wouldn't connect my phone at all outside of bluetooth.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Google built-in! I'm a loyal Waze user for highway trips and don't think I could give up its variety of alerts, but at least with the Play store you can still run Waze natively.
Now that the Tesla Model 3 will have heated/ventilated seats, I think ALL EV should have them.
$60k for an RS trim is absurd when you can get a much faster Kia EV6 GT for the same price
I wouldn't care for the long dashboard. I would think apple car play would be important for many consumers. Thank you for very good review. I will not be surprised if this one does not sell well, however I think it was Motor Trend vehicle of the year.
That red interior is super sharp! They're taking a pretty big gamble on the no CarPlay move, especially in something that is supposed to embrace technology. Hopefully it works out in their favor, because this seems pretty decent and the SS sounds exciting.
Looks like GM is trying to copy Tesla. What concerns me is GM turning it into a subscription service.
That slow charging is going to limit their sales. It was fine in 2019 but they need better.
Im loving my 2024 EV AWD RS BLAZER.
Oh, and thanks for the Review Matt, I hope it gets a lot of traction!
Thanks, and thanks for watching!
I have seen one of these here in Ottawa a while ago, and it was an SS trim. I can honestly say it was/is one of the best looking Crossovers I have ever seen.
I just wonder how these vehicles will do in terms of public reception and sales...there is a growing shift in opinion that EV's aren't all they were promised to be.
The interior of that vehicle is really decent too. It seems in the last 3-5 years GM has obviously gotten tired of being criticized for old fashioned, cheaply constructed interiors, because they have really stepped up their game (So has Dodge with their trucks and some of their cars).
*Leaving out Apple CarPlay is going to bite them in the ass.*
It's definitely the future.
Lmao the future of Consumerism, yes. All of that equates to Wants, they truly aren't Needs. Privileged generation.
The only reason is doesn't have CarPlay or AA is that they wanted to have sole propriety over the data information that the car collects. That is a valuable thing that they didn't want to just give away anymore. They wanted to be able to sell your car data themselves.
Good review thanks matt
I love this vehicle, I’ll be getting one in November for my birthday. This will be my first EV. The test drive was so much fun.
My wife and I will not buy any vehicle that doesnt have android auto or apple car play in her case. Doesnt matter how good the rest of the car is
Bhahaha you guys must make 500K+ annually, otherwise those shall not be Needs. They're petty Wants to the average guy. Consumerism has shifted 3rd gear, it shows. 🤣
@jacquesc3166 nah depending on bonuses if any, our combined salary is right around 90k. We just don't live outside of our means in terms of housing, credit card debt or wasting money on constant luxuries. Treating our selves once in awhile in moderation. Also every budget oriented car in the states has android and Apple capabilities. So to expect a much better system than any oem isn't really a tall order. GM probably just doesn't want to pay the licensing for it
@@dillonsrt Whatever works I guess, to me having a new car period is a "constant luxury". I have 21+ yrs in the RCAF, make 135K as an aero engr (Maj) and am still driving a 2013 daily with AWD and 192K on the clock through Canadian Winters full of road salt. Never had a brand new car in my life based on the financial sin that is depreciation, got on the housing market in 2011 from working class parents who still rent today. Different priorities, and I'm teaching them to my 6 yr old girl.
@@jacquesc3166 The issue is that those maps and apps are continuously updated while the built-in maps historically never get updated, or you have to take it to the dealer to do it for a couple hundred bucks. The cops no longer let us print out directions from Mapquest to read while we're speeding down the road.
I rented a Volvo C40 in Norway this year. It had both Google Maps and Apple Car play. They should offer both. It's possible to do. Sometimes it's more useful to use Waze instead of Google Maps.
The lack of Car play is smart as long as they can perfect their interface. Way less limitations. Now that huge motirized charge port cover, there's a waste of resources!
Headlights are from Volvos (thors hammer). Taillights are from Toyota (sienna). Opinion meh
Great video, Matt. As far as EV cross-overs, no thanks. Love my ‘19 Bullitt - a real sports car.
Great review Matt & I can't wait to drive this.
The tail lights look like the tail lights from the LC 500 from 2021
That dashboard looks like the polar opposite of my '23 Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
What's with Y shape head/tail lamp design? I don't really find it good looking.
Why can't car manufacturers integrate the screen into the dash?
This Blazer is really nice. I only see one issue with it.
Its an EV.
It looks good and has good range. Can't wait to see and drive one in person. Need to hear more about how it compares driving and handling wise with the Model Y/Mach-E/Ioniq5/EV6.
Why did Chevy go with an unusual setup where the dual-motor, AWD has LESS power than the single-motor RWD? That's opposite of like every other EV on the market. What really kills this Blazer EV is the starting price of ~$60k, that's too much IMO. Chevy is going to have a hard time selling these, esp. now with the EV market slowing down.
I see they went with the Volvo headlights.
Phone apps for route planning aren't exactly easy to use. This philosophy does offer real world, real time, instant range calculations for everyone to use. They just need to get rid of those useless GOM (guess o meters) range calculations. We were all fine with a small FULL to EMPTY gauge, keep it simple.
It has a percentage gauge similar to a fuel gauges on the left side of the gauge cluster display.
I have the new gas Silverado and they touted the Google integrated maps, it’s a limited trial and you have to subscribe monthly to have the integrated maps be of any use, making Google integration useless. I think it’s through onstar
For the Blazer EV the Google Maps integration is free for 8 years.
It's about time that Chevrolet had a car that was ahead of the game somewhat. Handsome in a good way.
Shame Honda didn’t go their own way on building their own EV
Honda-built EVs are coming around 2026.
Great review
Thanks!
🙂👍
Amazing job Matt & this EV will be my daily.
Exterior design is remarkably good. The interior? Not so much. Why does GM suck so bad at interiors?
Cooled seats, above every other option and attribute, safety, fuel economy, horsepower, manufacturer, is the only thing anyone should be worried about
In the deep south it is 100% a deal breaker to not have cooled seats for a major portion of New car buyers.
@@DaRevrin lol
That's very strange because for the past 100 years that has never been a thing. Must be the global warming.
I miss my cooled seats, incredible in the summer. But I would say the same with a heated steering wheel in the winter.
@@wzDH106 wow, amazing how pampered people have become
🥸 Still to expensive! Need to bring BYD, NIO, Xpeng, Huawei, etc to the US. We need more competition for better innovation and competitive pricing without the $7500 and $2500 tax credit that ALL TAXPAYERS are paying!
Yes! Fortunately we don't need a BEV for 4-5 years and by then I hope there are a selection of cars from China here. But I'm sure Congress will make them double the price.