4×4 Chevy Blazer

Chevy 4x4 Off Roads on Facebook

If you’re looking for a smallish, relatively inexpensive 4x4 for some decent off-road driving you might want to consider GM’s second generation Chevy Blazer that the company built between 1995 and 2005. Born as a variant of GM’s older S-10 pick-up truck, the Blazer is often considered a pioneer of the small-SUV segment and offers enough muscle to satiate temperate off-road enthusiasts without busting their wallets in the process.

4x4 Chevy Blazer

All Chevy Blazers feature a 4.3 liter 195 horsepower, Vortec V-6 engine under the hood. Two-door Blazers come with a wheelbase length of 100.5 inches and feature a nifty forward canted C-pillar that sets it distinctly apart from the slightly longer 107-inch wheelbase four-door Blazers. Both two-door and four door models are available in several trims including a base, a fairly well-loaded LS version, and in the case of the four-door Blazer, a leather-lined LT model. The two doors offer both manual and automatic transmission while the four doors have automatic transmission only.

The Blazer I discovered is a good vehicle to drive in city traffic. Its low-speed high torque engine pulls pretty well at city driving speeds while its small size and good visibility make it a fun vehicle to maneuver through traffic. These are all attributes that I discovered also make the Blazer a pretty decent off-road vehicle. With 250 pounds per square feet of torque at 2,800 RPM the Blazer has enough low-speed torque and nimbleness to handle even the most difficult off-road terrains that I could find pretty well.

Depending on how much you are willing to shell out, you can get plenty of power convenience items, rugged off-road hardware and exterior appearance packages, an overhead console with compass, temperature display, reading lights, and storage.

The one problem which I noticed is the pretty annoying rattling and clattering noises that the interior of the vehicle tends to make when it travels over rough terrain. You might be forgiven for thinking that things are about to pop out of their settings and come flying at you if you do too much off-road driving. I also noticed that while a Blazer is a pretty good vehicle for relatively low-speed city driving it doesn’t always display the same muscle when it comes to passing other vehicles at high-speeds. You definitely don’t want to be trying and passing a sixteen-wheeler at 70 mph on a two-lane highway with this baby for sure.

Though GM dropped the Blazer name from its SUV lineup in 2005, there are plenty of pretty decent Blazer’s available in the aftermarket for those with a hankering to get one. A great place to start looking for one is Ebay. It’s not unusual at all to find literally hundreds of Blazers listed for sale on Ebay on any given day. If you are looking for a Blazer, I'd recommend starting your search here.