Test drive Chevrolet Blazer K-5: There was a time in America
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Test drive Chevrolet Blazer K-5: There was a time in America

Chevrolet Blazer K-5: There was a time in America

Fall meeting with the smallest of the once-large Chevrolet SUVs

Before leaving Europe, Chevrolet was introduced here mainly in small and mid-size models. The impressive Blazer K-5 reminds us that cars from this brand have long been part of the American dream.

Complete silence. There is a hint of rain in the cool air. It surrounds you from all sides - just as you sit on the lowered back cover of this monstrous machine. Around you, the meadow is strewn with reddish-brown leaves, and between them the grass is already turning yellow. Birch and poplar trees rustle in a light wind. You can almost believe that you can hear screams and howls from the nearby football stadium. The expanses of Texas seem to pass you by, framed by these slim beige faux-leather front columns. So, here it is - a true sense of freedom.

Chevrolet's smallest full-size SUV

When this Blazer started riding its first owner in 1987, this man probably didn't have any freedom in mind. For him, the big Chevrolet was just a part of everyday car life. He must have taken him to work or on vacation. Off-road or off-road, it has little to do with the Blazer with its dual drivetrain.

Produced in three generations from 1969 to 1994, the Blazer was a hit with the public from the very beginning. It was Chevrolet's smallest full-size SUV and was part of General Motors' C/K light truck family. Over the years, Chevrolet employees have changed almost nothing about it. At long intervals, he received differently shaped headlights and new engines. The only major change was the roof - until 1976 it was a mobile hardtop, which, in good weather, made it possible to travel somewhere between a pickup truck and a convertible. From 1976 to 1991, the rear part of the roof could still be removed - in the so-called Half Cab variant. Models from the last three years, before GM renamed the Blazer Tahoe in 1995, had only a fixed roof.

The car shown on these pages has a half cab and towers before you in all its gigantic grandeur and series of two-tone clothing. And you got off one Dacia Duster ... The width is more than two meters, the length is 4,70 m. The cover over the engine is at the height of the roof of an ordinary car. Approach carefully, open the driver's door and climb into the cab. You relax in the padded seat behind the thin hard plastic steering wheel and catch your breath. Between the steering wheel and windshield is a dashboard littered with gauges and gauges with chrome and leatherette details. The two largest instruments immediately come to mind - this is a speedometer and next to it, instead of a tachometer, a fuel gauge in the tank.

6,2-liter diesel with a power of 23 hp / l

Where the radio is, there is a hole where some wires are twisted. Between the front seats is a lockable storage box large enough to swallow an American soccer ball deep inside. You start the engine and the 6,2-liter unit speaks diesel to you.

All you have to do is turn the lever next to the steering wheel to position D and you're done. Responsive and without much fuss, the Blazer hits the road. The rumble of a diesel engine is heard quietly, but clearly. Its 145 hp According to DIN, they effortlessly tow an almost two-ton giant at a top speed of 3600 rpm, steering two axles, but the front one only when desired and over slippery terrain.

Diesel is a late innovation

It wasn't until 1982 that Chevrolet discovered diesel as a powertrain for the Blazer. Prior to this, only petrol engines were offered, ranging from a 4,1-liter inline-six to a 6,6-liter "big block". Today, gasoline engines are considered the best in terms of durability and smoothness because, in the past, Americans simply had more experience with them. However, in terms of consumption, diesel fuel is in first place. While the petrol version can barely manage less than 20 liters per 100 km, the diesel version is content with 15 liters. Quite a significant difference in today's fuel prices. However, well-preserved diesel engines are rare, most of them from army fleets - because from 1983 to 1987 the US military used an olive green or camouflage Blazer, but always with a 6,2-liter diesel engine.

But when you sit like a throne high above other road users, the air conditioner blows pleasantly warm air, and your right hand activates the cruise control button, you don't think about trivial things like fuel consumption or maintenance costs at all. In Germany, the Blazer is in the higher tax category, but you can register it as a truck. Then the tax will fall, but the rear seats will also fall.

However, at the moment, this does not bother you at all - sitting behind the wheel of it, you prefer to let your thoughts wander freely. As you walk through the tunnel, the roar of the motorcycle makes you shiver. Suddenly the car approaches the tunnel wall menacingly; you tense up, concentrating on the steering wheel and the road. With Blazer, it's not enough to go in the desired direction once. The power steering, which combines easy travel and lack of road feel, requires constant adjustments. The rigid front axle with leaf springs has a life of its own that cannot make you happy. At every bump in the road, it shakes restlessly, pulling on the steering wheel and straining your nerves.

Excellent review

Several people stand by the road, smiling and raising their fingers in approval. It's also part of the experience with this combed colossus - at least outside of the United States, where it's a non-trivial part of the road landscape. Many look after him, most often with admiration or amazement, sometimes incomprehensibly or reproachfully. When he stops somewhere, not much time passes and several onlookers have already gathered around him.

Fascinated, they watch you slip your blazer millimeters between two parked cars. They do not suspect that with this colossus this is not a manifestation of skill at all. Blazer is a miracle of a good review. At the front, where the fully horizontal torpedo descends steeply, the car itself begins to end in a large, rectangular rear window. With a relatively small turning circle of 13 meters, it can turn onto a country road (well, a little wider). When you come to a stop at full speed, it gets stuck in place and only shakes slightly after that. He doesn't bother you. What more could you want from a car?

This is the case, at least, if no more than two people are traveling. The backseat is easily accessible for children, but for adults trying to slip past the front seats requires caving skills because the Blazer only has two doors.

Giant interior and cargo space

If you take out the back seat, then there is enough space in the trunk of this American to transport a small European family. The suitcase is simply lost in the trunk, even with rear seats. To access the cargo area, first remove the rear window from the driver's seat. Alternatively, it can be opened with an electric motor from the back cover itself. Then open the lid, being careful not to drop it, because it is very heavy.

As you return to the driver's door, your eyes fall on the Silverado sign. In the Blazer, this still means a higher level of equipment; later, in 1998, large Chevrolet pickups began to be called that. But until then, the Blazer is about to be reborn into another generation (from 1991 to 1994). It will also drive generations of Americans, first as a new car and then as a classic car. He will become part of the American dream, starring in films and country songs. Just like that, you can sit on the back cover and dream of great freedom and the vast expanses of Texas.

CONCLUSION

Brennis Anouk Schneider, Youngtimer Magazine: While the Blazer is far from the usual European dimensions, it can be a great everyday car and open up completely new perspectives for its owner.

Indeed, everything about it is big - the body, like a child's drawing, the height of the seat and the maintenance costs. But he communicates very well with him. This is an example of a good view, and you have to put up with fuel consumption. Many modern examples have been redesigned to run on LPG, which is unfortunate because they cannot be registered as veterans.

TECHNICAL DATA

Chevrolet Blazer K-5, proizv. 1987

ENGINE Model GM 867, V-90, water-cooled diesel engine with gray cast iron cylinder heads and 6239-degree cylinder bank, swirl chamber injection. Engine displacement 101 cm97, bore x stroke 145 x 3600 mm, power 348 hp. at 3600 rpm, max. torque 21,5 Nm at 1 rpm, compression ratio 5: 5,8. Crankshaft with XNUMX main bearings, one central camshaft driven by a timing chain, suspension valves operated by lifting rods and rocker arms, camshaft Injection pump. Delco, engine oil XNUMX l.

POWER TRANSMISSION Rear-wheel drive with optional front-wheel drive (K 10), 2,0: 1 cross-country reduction gear (C 10), rear-wheel drive only, three-speed automatic transmission, three- and three-speed variants, four-speed manual transmission.

BODY and chassis made of sheet steel on a support frame with closed profiles with longitudinal and transverse beams, front and rear rigid axles with leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Ball screw steering system with hydraulic booster, front disc, rear drum brakes, wheels 7,5 x 15, tires 215/75 R 15.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT Length x width x height 4694 x 2022 x 1875 mm, wheelbase 2705 mm, net weight 1982 kg, payload 570 kg, connected load 2700 kg, tank 117 l.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSUMPTION Maximum speed of about 165 km / h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 18,5 seconds, diesel consumption 15 liters per 100 km.

PERIOD OF PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION 1969 - 1994, 2nd generation (1973 - 1991), 829 878 copies.

Text by Berenice Anuk Schneider

Photo: Dino Eisele

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