The Chevrolet Blazer is not one model but a name used by General Motors since 1969 for a series of SUVs. It began as the full-size K5, moved to the compact S-10 platform, was applied to South American and Venezuelan Grand Blazers, and since 2019 has meant a mid-size crossover.
Chevrolet Blazer at a glance
| First use | 1969, full-size K5 Blazer |
|---|---|
| K5 Blazer | 1969–1995, on the C/K pickup chassis |
| Renamed | Blazer in 1992, Tahoe in 1995 |
| S-10 Blazer | 1983–2012, on the S-10 pickup chassis |
| Grand Blazer | Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador 1990–2000 |
| Grand Blazer (Venezuela) | 1993–1999 and 2000–2002 |
| Crossover Blazer | since 2019 |
| Blazer EV | since 2023 |
The English Wikipedia page on the Blazer is a nameplate overview; this article lists the models that carried the name rather than describing any one of them in detail.
History of the Chevrolet Blazer
The Blazer name appeared in 1969 on the full-size K5 Blazer, a two-door utility vehicle built on the C/K pickup chassis. It kept that role until 1995, although from 1992 the ‘K5’ prefix was dropped and the vehicle was simply called Blazer; in 1995 the two-door and four-door versions were renamed Tahoe, which is the name the full-size model still carries.
In 1983 Chevrolet added a smaller Blazer on the S-10 pickup chassis. This compact and later mid-size S-10 Blazer, also sold as the GMC S-15 Jimmy, became the volume model and stayed in production in various forms until 2012. In South America the Grand Blazer was sold in Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador from 1990 to 2000, and Venezuela had its own full-size Grand Blazer from 1993 to 1999 on the GMT400 platform, followed by a Grand Blazer Z71 from 2000 to 2002 on the GMT820 platform.
The name returned in 2019 on a mid-size crossover, a front-wheel-drive model unrelated to the ladder-frame trucks of the past, and in 2023 Chevrolet added the battery-electric Blazer EV on the Ultium platform. Between them the versions span more than fifty years and three completely different kinds of vehicle: a full-size two-door 4×4, a compact pickup-based SUV and a road-oriented crossover.
Design and features
- K5 origins: the first Blazer was a short-wheelbase version of the C/K pickup with a removable hardtop.
- Two sizes: the full-size K5 and the compact S-10 Blazer were sold side by side for years.
- Export versions: the Grand Blazer name was used in South America and Venezuela on different platforms.
- Modern return: the 2019 crossover and 2023 Blazer EV share the name but not the chassis.
Chevrolet Blazer versions
- K5 Blazer (1969–1995): full-size, two-door, based on the C/K.
- S-10 Blazer (1983–2012): compact and mid-size, based on the S-10.
- Grand Blazer: South American and Venezuelan versions, 1990–2002.
- Blazer crossover (2019) and Blazer EV (2023): the modern, road-oriented cars.
The full-size Blazer shared its chassis with the Chevrolet C/K and became the Chevrolet Tahoe; the compact version was based on the Chevrolet S-10. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Video: 1985 Chevrolet K5 Blazer
Video by Saabkyle04 on YouTube.
Sources
- Chevrolet Blazer, English Wikipedia: nameplate overview and model years
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