Blazer DOHC: SUV that will pamper your family

Nitza Arbi and Zatni Arbi, Contributors, Jakarta

Americans, or those who have spent some time in the U.S., will immediately recognize "Blazer" as the name of an American SUV. Interestingly, when this car first entered the Indonesian market, it was introduced as an Opel Blazer, while Opel is more widely known as a European car.

It did not make any difference, actually, as both Chevrolet and Opel, as well as others such as Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Holden, Hummer and GMC, all belong to General Motors, Corp., one of the three largest automakers in the U.S. Recently, General Motors Indonesia (GMI) changed the name Opel Blazer to Chevrolet Blazer, apparently to give the car the image of "a tough American car".

Looking back, the first batch of Blazers that arrived here were reportedly not very successful in keeping their owners happy. Its poor quality and reliability led to the cars' poor resale value. Other SUVs, such as Nissan Terrano, still commands a high price in the used car market.

GMI claims that they have worked hard to improve the quality of their workmanship, and the result can be enjoyed in their new Chevrolet Blazer DOHC.

At first glance, the new model did not seem it deserved to be called a new generation of Blazer, however, because except for the new grille design and new fender flares, there was not much else that distinguished the Chevrolet Blazer visually from its Opel predecessor.

A test drive was needed to see how it compared. Luckily for us, we got the chance to test drive this Rp 215 million SUV for three days, courtesy of GMI. We decided that one day would be enough.

We were told that the reporters before us had taken our test car through some rather rough terrain. They might have been misled by the picture that GMI used in its ads, which portrays the Blazer parked atop some rocks in the middle of nowhere.

That was a mistake, in our opinion. With no 4-wheel drive capability, it should have been clear that the Blazer was not an off-road vehicle. Taking it to places where it would be forced to forge its own path would push it beyond what it was designed to endure. Fortunately, our test car did not seem to have been victim too much abuse when our turn for the test drive finally came -- it was still a handsome, dark blue Blazer with hardly any scratches.

The powertrain was a 2.2-liter Chevrolet Dual Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) engine, which GMI calls its GM Family II engine. The company rates the output at 138 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, with a maximum torque of 195 Nm at 3,400 rpm.

For our test drive, we chose a route that we believed to be the intended purpose of this car: A round trip drive to Cipanas, complete with Sunday morning traffic along the way.

What did we like about this car? Quite a few things, to be honest.

To begin with, it had a spacious cabin with cushioned seats both in the front and the rear. The cloth-upholstered seats were comfortable for the all-day trip. There was also ample headroom, too. Unless you hit a really deep pothole at very high speeds, there would be little chance that you would hit your head on the ceiling and sustain a neck injury.

The steering wheel was adjustable, and the driving position was good. Visibility was also great with negligible blind spots around the car. The stick shift was very easy to use, and the clutch was so smooth that we never felt any jerkiness when changing gears.

The cargo area was very roomy, although there was no way we could fit in the third-row seats. The spare tire was mounted underneath the back of the car, so if you happened to have a flat tire on the way to the airport, you would not have to unload your suitcases to get to it. You would still sweat, though, as the oversized tire must be pretty heavy. The jacks and all other necessary tools were kept in a compartment on top of the left rear well.

The glass hatchback opened upward. Unfortunately, the tailgate was a bit too high and it had a plastic trim -- not exactly right for a tailgate party. Elsewhere inside the cabin, there were plenty of cup holders and other amenities, including lighted vanity mirrors behind both front seat visors. The overhead console had a digital temperature display, but, strangely enough, we could not find any digital clock on the dashboard.

The ride was quite comfortable for a car with leaf springs on its rear axle. GMI told us that this Blazer was mounted on a ladder-type frame, which enabled it to carry up to one ton of cargo load without causing a truck-like ride. GM really did a good job on this. Small bumps in the road were nicely absorbed by the suspensions.

As we ascended the winding Puncak Pass road, body leans were well within acceptable limits, and there was always enough power to climb steep paths in first gear. The brake system, which featured an ABS on the rear wheels, was very effective. We went down a steep dirt road off the Cibulan area with confidence, knowing that the brake would be able to stop the heavy car at any time.

The trips to the villages in Cipayung also demonstrated the maneuverability of this model. Despite its size and weight, we did not have any problems taking very sharp turns, thanks to its small turn radius.

At highway speed, no wind noise was noticeable. Road noise was also absent, although this was perhaps due to the fact that all four tires were still new. At revolutions of above 2,500 rpm, the engine had plenty of passing power, and we had no problems overtaking other cars while climbing, as long as we were driving at least 30 km per hour.

We started our trip with a full tank. After the drive to Cipanas and back, along with detours to a few villas along the way, the tank was still three-quarters full. While this might have had something to do with the way we drove the car -- no flooring of the accelerator, etc., it was clear that GM had made this car pretty fuel efficient.

GMI informed us that the gas mileage for city driving is around 7 km to 8 km per liter, while for highway driving, the mileage can be as efficient as 8 km to 10 km per liter.

Acceleration tends to be on the leisurely side, which is completely understandable given the 2.2-ton weight of this car and its relatively small engine (the U.S. version of Chevy Blazer is equipped with a 4,200 cc engine).

We did not do the 0 to 100 km test, as this car only had 1,400 km on its odometer. The biggest annoyance for us was the engine noise, which was more pronounced inside the cabin than we would have liked. The engine noise turned to a roar when we pushed the car beyond 120 km per hour.

Another idiosyncrasy of this car that we discovered was its very sensitive steering. It took some time even for an experienced driver to get a feel for the machine, as the car fed the bumps in the road surface back to the steering wheel. So, one warning is in order here: Do not try to send an SMS while driving this car down a bumpy road!

You will also want to be careful when checking the engine. The grille is attached to the hood, and you will conk your head on it, if you are not careful.

Strangely, the brake, clutch and power steering fluid reservoirs are not made out of transparent materials. Unlike most cars today, you cannot check the fluid levels just by glancing at the reservoirs, and you must open the reservoir covers one by one to check whether it is time to add more fluid. No electronic circuits were visible, so we were unsure as to whether the car would register an alert if the brake or clutch fluid levels fell below the minimum limits.

Speaking of the dashboard, the controls for the headlights were all located on the right end of the dash. Given the sensitivity of the steering system, we would have preferred the Japanese design that places all these controls on the turn-signal switch, so we could reach them easily without taking our hands off the steering wheel for too long.

The car has a high ground clearance of 20.5 cm. While this is very desirable during the rainy season, it makes getting in and out a struggle, especially for women in traditional dress. We believe that GM should make running boards a standard feature of the Chevrolet Blazer.

Servicing a flat tire will be a challenge, too, given the weight of this car and the location of the spare tire. In a city like Jakarta, where crooks frequently spread spikes on the roads, this could be a minus point for solo female drivers.

Despite our wish list, we should admit that the Chevrolet Blazer DOHC can be a great family car. It provides a lot of space for five passengers with a lot of cargo. Once you get a feel for it, handling the car should pose no problem. Its small turning radius really makes parking a snap, even in a tight space. It is not a gas guzzler, either, as long as you do not drive as you would on the Autobahn.

The macho-looking Chevrolet Blazer is actually a fairly popular car in Indonesia, and even has its own fan club.

The new-and-improved model may finally strengthen the Blazer's position as a popular family SUV.