The 2024 Blazer EV is the first Chevrolet vehicle on General Motors’ new Ultium electric platform, which is shared by the Honda Prologue EV and Cadillac Lyriq. We offer our first impressions of the new Blazer, including its driving dynamics, build quality, and why GM ordered dealers to stop selling it. We also discuss the future of internal combustion engines and whether or not EVs will dominate the car market in the next decade. Also, we debate whether the 2025 Toyota Camry hybrid is worth the wait, or is the recently updated 2024 Honda Accord hybrid.
More info on the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV here:
Ratings and test results on every car CR purchases and tests:
SHOW NOTES
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00:00 – Introduction
00:15 – First Impressions: 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
01:26 – Issues we encountered
02:58 – Lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
06:16 – Charging
06:40 – Interior Quality
07:08 – Driving Dynamics
10:14 – The Brakes
11:49 – Design oddities
12:35 – Controls
13:26 – Stop Sale Order
14:39 – More issues
16:43 – Things we liked
17:20 – Visibility
18:00 – Seat Comfort
19:44 – Question #1: What will be the prevalent fuel source for vehicles in the next decade?
25:26 – Question #2: Is the 2025 Toyota Camry worth the wait?
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First Drive: 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Is a Bumpy Ride
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Hybrid & EV Ratings
Preview: 2024 Honda Prologue Electric Vehicle Is Sensible and Roomy
Preview: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq Shows GM’s Commitment to Electric Cars
Car Safety Guide
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The reason they do not install Apple auto, or Google is that they want to give you the service themselves, then later, on charge subscription fees for the services!! True BS
Why WOULDN’T someone want to just use their phone?! After all, phone maps, etc. are constantly updated on your phone. If you are installing stuff in the vehicle, it seems like you were taking a step backwards. Like when I had to pay Honda to get the latest DVD map installed
This is going to be a disaster for GM. nobody even wants electric vehicles, especially when it’s overpriced it has a ton of glitches, and you don’t even get Apple carplay or Android auto. What in the hell is GM thinking.
Have you driven 1-pedal with it on Avon Mountain Road? I feel like that is a good test for modulation of the 1-pedal drive in terms of how “useable” it is at speed up and downhill due to the grade of the hill.
These are great podcasts. Very informative.
Chevy: ‘No CarPlay’…Hackers: ‘😑 Hold my beer’.
I think the real reason for having all the software built-in is so you are FORCED into a subscription for the life of the car. With CarPlay you aren’t giving them sweet, recurring cash flow.
Sadly…. This isn’t going to sell unless the government gives out tax breaks. The avg middle class family cannot afford this.
EV will become mainstream when a basic auto is 30K and gets 350 or more a charge. Until then, GM will have to idle the factory where they are made.
As with the Ford “Powershift” transmission debacle that went on for years, GM engineers had to know of all the issues (or what should have been issues, like vague steering, overly-stiff suspension, software glitches, etc.) with design and engineering of this Blazer EV, but management decided to go ahead with production and sales anyway. It does not speak well of the company. Comparisons with the upcoming Honda Prologue should be interesting. BTW, this is absolutely the best team of reviewers for these videos.
Tesla is still the best EV to buy…love him or hate him…Elon…is beating the establishment…hats off to him!
Agree that hybrids should get extra points over pure gas cars.
Their problems are mild compared to Motor Trend. They documented what happened to them. Not only did the screen conk out like it did for CR, but the car also stopped moving. It would not run. So there is a worse condition which led to the stop sales order. So far GM had only sold about 400 of them, so CR has one of the first units out. This shows you why you should not be the first to buy any redesign or totally new car. GM claims they did not want to use Apple Car Play because it was less safe than GM’s new system. It is because GM wanted the money not because it is safer, and the fact it does not work, they cannot even sell it. Good job GM. This goes 280 miles – the old Bolt on the older tech went 250. So glad the new battery goes 30 miles further.
Seems to me GMs heart is just not in to EVs why else would they let the most basic details go past them. Don’t think GM wants to build vehicles anymore just hand everything to the Koreans.
Thank you guys for this great podcast. Excellent value information.
You have to ask how did GM screw the Blazer car launch so badly?!?! You’d think they would have done some pre-production run and examined the vehicles?? Also, it weighs 5200lbs! Seriously
Blazer EV 😂 I thought only Tesla had “quality control” this bad 😂
So, not even two minutes into the 2024 Blazer EV CR assessment and the first glaring issue is the touchscreen interface closely followed by hardware and software glitches (that’s not distracting at all). Wait, didn’t GM talk up the interface for the Blazer and all GM EVs going forward as a safer and better user experience than Android Auto or Apple CarPlay which GM removed. This sounds to me like GM has gotten so far out of its lane that the entire GM EV initiative is suffering because GM wants not seamless and safer but rather to microtransaction customers with subscription services, that even at their best, likely will only poorly mimic Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The Stop Sale notification not a good look either. No worries GM not planning on spending my money on a half-baked vehicle. Looks like Ultium architecture is thinly veiled code for ultimate failure – again. GM do better…
They lost me at $60,000!!!! What is going on?!?!? Why didn’t GM simply refine the Bolt EUV and increase its reliability (at $30K). I’m old enough to know that buying anything from Chrysler is a non-starter, from Ford a fingers-crossed proposition, and from GM a crapshoot. This is the crappiest shoot I have ever seen. Mary Barra, best of luck! You are continuing in the best 14th floor tradition and DeLorean is laughing from his grave! Fail!
While I’m very excited about an EV future, right now I am so done hearing about them. The present state of ALL electric vehicles is half baked, overpriced, have ridiculous omissions of knobs, buttons and even turn signal stalks (Tesla) and are designed with power mad CEOs who decide what things can be cut out such as Apple CarPlay and how to empty pockets of owners for heated seats, navigation, or ability to use features already built in but not enabled. I think Talking Cars should focus on the DANGEROUS trend of auto makers moving switches to tablet displays or locating turn signal switches to the front of the steering wheel or worse yet a yoke. I don’t thing federal funding should support such companies.
All they have to do is ask Tesla help
2024 and talking cars has put it foot to the floor, let’s go.
may have over hyped that. lol