ok so what are you really complaining about with GM Motor Cars?

You must be talking about a different Blazer/Jimmy then what i'm thinking because the old Blazer/Jimmy's where appalling off-road, the torsion rod IFS the vacuum activated 4x4 where constantly breaking/needed adjustments or just plain breaking the steering rack bolts, the rear ends with the LSD had a rather big habit of blowing up due to locking at the wrong times etc, only once you fixed everything that was wrong with it did it make a great off-roader. I.E solid front axle usually out of a jeep of some kind, new rear-end, usually a different motor especially in the earlier year models, different 4x4 system a.k.a dumping 15-20k into it before it was reliable and ready for even over landing let alone anything serious...i think Chevy is following the Blazer quite closely to its original good/okay daily and on road use, very limited off-road use.

Perhaps, but they could've done it without turning it into yet another vanilla glorified minivan.

Not in this day and age...with people wanting pre-runner/baja style trucks instead of SUV's to go off-roading i doubt the Blazer could be anything but what they turned it into...

Dude. This is Chevy. 'Vanilla' is what entry level brands are about, albeit this wagon's design is quite contemporary with its zest.
No, this is not a minivan, but wagons are in ascendancy right now, so why not bring back a classic hauler nameplate?

Point is just that. There was lots you could do to make it what you wanted. Quite the way people do V8 swaps on the S-10. It really was the Jeep (or the lego kit of the auto world) of the brand. This new little monstrosity is no different to me than say the Saturn Vue. Its not possible to do any sort of mods to it what so ever.

The jeep of their brand still wasnt a jeep...and building as S-10/S-15 was still way more expensive and time consuming them building a jeep and for a not so arguably worse off-roader... And thats the point for the new blazer its supposed to be a small suv meant to be a commuter for a family not a solid axle V8 swapped rock crawler.

I'm trying really hard to figure out what gen Blazer you're talking about here. Sounds like you're describing the early S10/S15 trucks, but those didn't have steering racks. I'm also curious about the limited slip locking problems.

I was talking about all of them in no specific order. You buy any of the model years and itll most likely have any of those issues i listed unless you change those parts that have issues supper early...

It's kind of difficult to talk that generally about a truck that was manufactured for over 30 years. The K5 was a solid axle V8 truck with a removable top and manual locking hubs and the most recent examples were compact SUVs built to ride comfortably and fill a gap between the Tahoe and the Malibu. Not exactly an apple to an apple.

I ask again because I'm genuinely curious...what is the issue you mentioned about limited slip rear ends locking at inopportune times?

Im not talking about the K5, i'm talking about the S-10/S-15's, the s-10s/15's and the K-5 where around at roughly the same time being 82'-91' the S-10's came in later, being the K-5 was around sense '69 but were still plagued with problems even at the end of the s-10 model years the early problems still where there being the vacuum 4x4 and torsion bar ifs. From what i've read the K-5 is super sturdy and the after market even now is almost as good as a Jeep.

So...are you talking about "all of them in no specific order," or are you only "talking about the S-10/S15?"

And what is that limited slip locking issue you mentioned? I can't find any info on it.

I looked it up and holy shit... The more I read about how it works the more I kept thinking, "That's not how a locker is supposed to work!"

Good work, GM. *single clap*

Im only talking about the S-10s/S-15's because i only own an S-15 and thats the only one i did extensive research and digging on given i wanted it for overlanding...imagine my surprise when i found out it was a giant pile of trash and i should have just gone with a jeep X3

I also wouldn't overlook the 4Runner if you don't mind Asian iron.

As long as it works i dont hate X3

The 1987 model even has a removable top.

its basically a pick up for the short search i did X3

*Pontiac Aztek has some of the highest customer-satisfaction ratings of any car ever. Yes it looks like the space buggy from Lost In Space, but the people who actually bought the thing seem to have nothing but praise for it.
*There was a Nova in the 80s..? Are you sure..?
*Final-gen GTO was one of the greatest sleepers of all time, but because it was not an homage car to the '72 Judge, the Baby Boomer auto-fashionistas who were clamoring for the thing in the first place, threw major wet-diapers tantrums and so that was the end of that.
I have no problems with the new Blazer. The Camaro dash is interesting. And wagons are what's selling right now (right, Ford?) so what's the big problem.

And that might be the biggest tragedy of the Aztek; deep down, it's a pretty good SUV, but it was so damned ugly that many people would never know.

The '80s Nova was a rebadged Toyota Corolla. GM renamed it the Prizm when they started Geo.

The last-gen GTO was the right car five years too late. If it had been released as planned, it could've really made waves in the market, but the retro Mustang killed it before it hit the streets.

But... weren't Geos rebadged...Isuzus..? Daihatus..?

Ironic thing about that final GOaT: the original GTO was also a mere trim option on the workaday Pontiac Tempest. But you are right, that the retro Mustang started the whole homage pony car thing that is still going today, so to make a 2000s GTO that was not a blatant callback to something sold during Viet Nam killed its chances. And a shame, that.

Geos were all rebadged cars; mostly Suzukis, but a couple Isuzus and the lone Toyota as well. After Geo (and eventually the Chevy Prizm) died, that factory produced the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix.

The GTO may have done much better if it was released close to or alongside the Holden Monaro it was based upon. But the Monaro came out in 2001, with a design dating from 1997; the GTO didn't make it over until 2004, by which point it looked outdated, and it ended up costing about $9,000 more than originally planned. And all of that comes without even considering the Mustang.

Teach!

Sorry, my nerd is showing.

*looks around*
And I see nobody complaining. That's shit I didn't know.

Something went fuck-o with the edit button, so sorry for posting again.
Most likely why GM/Chevy did not remake Blazer as the Jeep-fighter it once was, is that they have all their extra-cost truck and SUV packages on that flank now.

I like the interior. But outside... it just looks very vanilla. Reminds me a little of the outgoing Ford Explorer.

Then again, I've seen some cars in person that looked far better than they did in photos. Perhaps the new Blazer is one of them.

My thoughts exactly. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the interior, I think the interior on most new cars are downright awful, but this one doesn't look too bad. That front end is fucking ugly as ass though.

Your second observation is incontrovertible wisdom.
I lost count long ago, of the vehicles for whom press photos did no justice.

FCA did the same thing with the Cherokee. The Blazer even looks remarkably like the current gen Cherokee.

Much as I would love to see truly off-road capable sport utes make a comeback it just isn't practical. As high grossing as the Wrangler is, the pressure has been on for years to eliminate the solid axle setup to appease the soccer moms and businessmen who buy them solely because it might snow. Doing this would poison the heart and soul of the Wrangler but the vast majority of owners would welcome the change.

That was my thought when I first saw it. And to add to what you said about the Jeeps. I remember when I was a kid and the went away from the round headlights to rectangles. The Jeep faithful flipped out and made such a stink about it the company decided to make that look as short lived as possible. I guess my hope there is the Jeep faithful would rise up again if they dared change anything that made a Jeep a Jeep.

Again though Chevy is going forward with the mid engine Vette, and I know there is going to be a group of Vette faithful who will snub it. No front engine, no pushrod, no way kind of talk. While many will welcome the change with open arms ;P

Yeah, they've been talking about making them unibody for years now too. They also have a regular radiator support like a liberty now instead of a real front clip. Jeeps have been dead since 06. The newest ones are even more polished and streetable, it's sickening. Lol have you been inside one? You see literally no metal. My '83 CJ7 has a row of gauges drilled into a body colored steel firewall instead of a dashboard. The new ones are so plush it's sad. The whole 4 door thing has to stop now too. They've sold out so bad it's appalling. If you want a roomy comfortable leather covered shiny thing, a wrangler isn't the vehicle for you. They should come out with a rag-top grand Cherokee like that ugly convertible Nissan Murano to appease the soccer moms that want to take the top off.

I tend to pay more attention to the hardware that makes it off-road capable. I honestly don't have a problem with the luxury options as long as the electronics are water resistant. As for as the 4-door, the long wheelbase makes it more stable going straight up or down hills. I've been to plenty of events packed full of novice off-roaders with their new JK Wranglers that just want to see what their Jeep can do off road. Seeing how much fun they have and how much they leave loving the brand and the hobby that makes it well worth it. Without those nice creature comforts, they might not have bothered with their purchase and the off-road hobby wouldn't get as many new faces.

Until they make a Wrangler that's less capable than it's predecessor, I won't fault them for their design choices.

A longer wheelbase is good for stability during hillclimbs if they have a gradual crest, but if the hill drops off abruptly on top you're more likely to hang up- the longer your wheelbase is makes you that much more likely to bottom out over obstacles. It's much worse for rock climbing, going over logs in the forest, etc. So unless you're thrashing it on some dunes, the same rules apply that do on my Suburban. Despite being lifted, I keep the damn thing off the trails cause it's useless for anything other than wide open trails and fields or a little mud.

I hear you, but I still think that if someone wouldn't have gotten into the sport without creature comforts then they're getting into the wrong sport. There's nothing comfortable about being getting stuck and climbing out into waist deep mud, or having to drive 100 miles home with a shattered windshield and no exhaust. Offroading is a pretty rugged experience, and if you can't stand to do it unless you have electric heated leather seats and a backup camera, then you'd be better off driving around a mall parking lot. And they may still be capable mechanically, but all the plastic and shiny bits are going to completely fall apart with any hard trail riding. God forbid you have a little misshap and slide down a hill into a tree or rock your front end is gonna cave in, you're not able to just bolt a new grille and call it a day, you'll need to go to a frame shop and have the whole front end un-tweaked. The axles and tranny might still be strong, but there's the whole tough rugged utilitarian aspect that's gone once you make them too plastic and give them a nice fit and finish like regular cars.

It actually looks pretty neat save for the typical amounts of Plastic everything...

Except, are those are the headlights in the middle of the front with LED "eyebrows" like the recent Jeeps have done?

Meh, I'm not a fan of modern post bailout "real people actor" Chevys... I'll stick to the old 90s Buicks that last forever and aren't just re-badged OPELS. A 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon with the corvette 350 V8 is one of my favorite wood sided sleeper cars and they will not die.

The LT1 in the Roadmaster and Caprice was actually substantially different that the LT1 in the Vette. Still a great engine, i'm looking at buying one one to put in my truck, but hardly a vette engine. It had different heads than the LT1 that was found in the early 4th gen Camaros, and even those had different cams and fuel injection that the ones from earlier Corvettes. Still a great engine, but hardly a sleeper. In such a heavy car and with those terrible cylinder heads etc, they weren't really fast by any means. They could get out of their own way, but nothing over the top either.

The Blazer looks like a Cruise SUV

Yeah totally agree. i've seen the new blazer, it looks like a freakin Honda CRV and every other SUV today! automakers no originality anymore. Of course back in the 1920s-30s all cars looked the same as well so all cars looking the same isn't anything new.

They're trying to market it as a range rover sport type thing. I'm not a huge fan either, but in a world where cars are purchased based on how big the tv screen in the dash is or how good the bluetooth connects to an iphone, are you really surprised? People don't want real trucks anymore. I miss the old full size K5 blazers, despite having owned 2 S10 blazers over the years, I've always resented the use of the nameplate on anything other than a full size truck. And FWIW, despite the lackluster styling, the 04-06 GTO was an amazing car, but once again they shouldn't have tried to call it a GTO. They're just really bad at re-using names (like every american car company is, for example the new Jeep Renegade, or the dodge Daytona from the 80's/90s, your Nova example is perfect).

That looks more like its supposed to be gms answer to some land rovers to me it kind of reminds me of there vehicles for some reason.
You see the new ranger raptor that will be coming to the US soon?

Azteks are coming back. I think they're a hipster car now. Hipsters love cars that failed the sales gauntlet.

Chevy has always taken weird risks and have done weird things. That Blazer looks like a Rav4. I mean, I like the modern Rav4s. I guess if someone wanted a Rav4 to look meaner, they can get this one.

Yeah. Not so much on the blazer.

I know this isn't quite on topic, but what if Chevrolet brought back the Nova as a sort of compact RWD sports car? Even better, what if the top-trim one had a V8? Yeah... "V8 Compacts". Let's hear it for this next decade's sports car genre!

The real question though is are they gonna drop the LT in it and make an SS version?

I thought the GTO was pretty neat.