Blazer DOHC: SUV that will pamper your family

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.