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Welp, the 2019 Chevy Blazer dropped today...

I know I am going to sound like a dinosaur and may even tick off some on the forum. The true SUV is over...and it is the direct result of the unreasonable, unfounded government mandate for better gas mileage. CAFE standards are the new "Jimmy Carter Era" car killing mandates. The fact is that oil is not anywhere near as limited of a resource as we were being told (We have enough to last for well past 100 years) and surely by that time the electric car will be perfected...or possibly something else. Anyway, my point is that gas mileage shouldn't be keeping car companies from building large truck based SUV's for those who want them.

Another thing...until they get some guys over 50 years old into the designing room, this is what we are going to continue to get.

This must be what it felt like in 1971 or 1972 when the muscle car died and smog pumps and catalytic converters killed the automobile as we knew it.

I really did think that Ford bringing back the Bronco would spur the "Retro Era" for trucks and SUV's....like the recent retro car thing. If the Ford Bronco is a huge success, what will Chevy answer with? They've destroyed the Blazer name.
 
Also, the love of cars (and trucks) was because they represented freedom. In the 1950's with new car designs and the development of interstate highways and roads, cars represented much more to people...today that isn't as much the case. Cars are strictly a means to get somewhere, nothing else. The number of people that actually have an attachment to their car and actually service their own cars has to be at an all time low.
 
Most people today cant even get the hood open,never mind do anything under it..:crazy:

But since the manufacturers are heading more and more towards "no user serviceable parts inside",and there isn't even a dipstick to check the transmission fluid on many vehicles,I guess that wont bother them much..
People will just drive until it wont move any more,then probably just lease or buy another vehicle,like they are disposeable, like a used diaper,tampon, or Kleenex..the manufacturers intended this to happen,they will sell more new vehicles that way..

Part of what killed off the older good trucks besides "emissions"BS,is the fact they were over-built in ways,the engines and transmissions proved to be hard to kill and survived much abuse..and the bodies and frames lasted longer too..

That is why you don't see any slant sixes or straight sixes,they simply lasted too long..along with the rest of the vehicle..now your lucky to get 10 years out of one before its rotted to death..or it has multiple engine or transmission issues,and electrically related problems..

I predicted 20 years ago that someday the dealer will have the only key to open the hood and be allowed to "service" or maintain a vehicle..
I wonder how much longer it'll be before that happens..or they just make it so the hood cant be opened,and you just junk it when something major goes wrong with it..

I'm afraid along with the old rugged trucks we grew up with becoming an endangered species,so will the average Joe, who knew how to maintain or repair his own vehicle,or use one to haul loads it was not intended for,etc...seems like men are turning into sissies, and now the trucks are too..

Seeing new "trucks" like this "Blazer" makes me feel sad,---oh how far we have fallen...:doah:..my first thought when I see abortions like this being pawned off as the "next best thing",makes me want to say :
dont want to live on this planet anymore.jpg
 
It looks like a traverse with a camaro front end. I like my wife’s traverse for family use but a traverse rebadged as a blazer doesn’t really do it justice.
 
Ah, the dust has settled, and Chief Brody and diesel4me have injected some rational conversation in here, beyond all of us (me included!) whining and lamenting the abuse of a good name.

True developments in full size SUVs-- or whatever you want to call them-- have been stagnant for years. Look at the Tahoe, Suburban, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Armada, etc. When was the last time any platform that large had an honestly innovative development that was exclusive to that class of vehicle? Probably a long time ago. The manufacturers are taking the bells and whistles that the soccer mom crowd loves, and telling the large people-hauling customers that they need all of those toys as well. My point:They are forcing those of us who love the utility of an SUV to accept the soft "princess" features of what's now known as a CUV, where some of us would rather not have those things.

As far as I know, Chevy still has the "WT" trimline for pickups, which is a work truck with rubber floors, basic stereo, maybe even crank windows and manual locks. Tahoe customers, such as cab companies, schools, courier services, and tradespeople who prefer an SUV to a van, would love a WT trimline and don't care about the added technology and comfort features. I'm a white collar person but I would buy a Tahoe WT in a heartbeat if such a beast existed. I don't need the performance and handling of the PPV and would rather do mods of my own choice to a very basic SUV...oh my gosh, wait a sec, I've already done that, but my choice is a vehicle that is now 33 years old! Why? Because nothing has been made that appeals to me for at least the past 20 years. I bet people like myself and the aforementioned crowd who would appreciate a Tahoe WT are not as small of a number of customers as the bean counters may think. Hmm, let's see...more basic vehicle with less to go wrong, less chance of money lost on warranty repairs, cheaper and simpler to produce...I'm not a mathematician but it seems to me like a wise business move to at least make some production each year into Tahoe or Suburban WT trim.

Wow, I was just majorly interrupted by a phone call so I sort of lost my train of thought. Refer back to my point in bold above. It's a changing world we live in, as mentioned by previous posters. Who knows what comes next.
 
GoGoGirl said:
Ah, the dust has settled, and Chief Brody and diesel4me have injected some rational conversation in here, beyond all of us (me included!) whining and lamenting the abuse of a good name.

True developments in full size SUVs-- or whatever you want to call them-- have been stagnant for years. Look at the Tahoe, Suburban, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Armada, etc. When was the last time any platform that large had an honestly innovative development that was exclusive to that class of vehicle? Probably a long time ago. The manufacturers are taking the bells and whistles that the soccer mom crowd loves, and telling the large people-hauling customers that they need all of those toys as well. My point:They are forcing those of us who love the utility of an SUV to accept the soft "princess" features of what's now known as a CUV, where some of us would rather not have those things.

As far as I know, Chevy still has the "WT" trimline for pickups, which is a work truck with rubber floors, basic stereo, maybe even crank windows and manual locks. Tahoe customers, such as cab companies, schools, courier services, and tradespeople who prefer an SUV to a van, would love a WT trimline and don't care about the added technology and comfort features. I'm a white collar person but I would buy a Tahoe WT in a heartbeat if such a beast existed. I don't need the performance and handling of the PPV and would rather do mods of my own choice to a very basic SUV...oh my gosh, wait a sec, I've already done that, but my choice is a vehicle that is now 33 years old! Why? Because nothing has been made that appeals to me for at least the past 20 years. I bet people like myself and the aforementioned crowd who would appreciate a Tahoe WT are not as small of a number of customers as the bean counters may think. Hmm, let's see...more basic vehicle with less to go wrong, less chance of money lost on warranty repairs, cheaper and simpler to produce...I'm not a mathematician but it seems to me like a wise business move to at least make some production each year into Tahoe or Suburban WT trim.

Wow, I was just majorly interrupted by a phone call so I sort of lost my train of thought. Refer back to my point in bold above. It's a changing world we live in, as mentioned by previous posters. Who knows what comes next.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. ;)
 
ZooMad75 said:
I watched the gm video on it today at the dealership. I knew it was coming. But nobody had seen it until today.

.....

Let's face it, us full size guys are in the minority when it comes to SUV's. The market is in crossovers. You all mentioned someone in your family owns a Murano, Cherokee, Lexus, ect. Can you blame them for going after the market?
Click to expand...

Could just be me, but....i really don't understand why crossovers are so popular. They are the absolute worst of both worlds, not the best of both worlds as they advertise. Too small to go on long family vacation , haul or tow and most have shit AWD systems if they aren't FWD so no real fun off-road adventures, too big and bulkly and no fun handling for daily driver to work. Zero capabilities as far as I'm concerned, good for nothing.
Really really don't get it. And to produce another crossover they already have 5 of.....brings on the WTF are they thinking thoughts.
And that pile of crap 3.6l engine that eats timing chains every 30kmi and plagued with block casting cracks..no thanks. They really need to stop trying to fix this 3.6l, they've been at it for 13 years...this motor needs to go away right quick. Complete junk.It's only good attribute is when they aren't broke, it's a pretty peppy powerplant.
 
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73k5blazer said:
Could just be me, but....i really don't understand why crossovers are so popular. They are the absolute worst of both worlds, not the best of both worlds as they advertise. Too small to go on long family vacation , haul or tow and most have shit AWD systems if they aren't FWD so no real fun off-road adventures, too big and bulkly and no fun handling for daily driver to work. Zero capabilities as far as I'm concerned, good for nothing.
Really really don't get it. And to produce another crossover they already have 5 of.....brings on the WTF are they thinking thoughts.
And that pile of crap 3.6l engine that eats timing chains every 30kmi and plagued with block casting cracks..no thanks. They really need to stop trying to fix this 3.6l, they've been at it for 13 years...this motor needs to go away right quick. Complete junk.It's only good attribute is when they aren't broke, it's a pretty peppy powerplant.
Click to expand...

That's cause you're not the average sheep vehicle consumer in this world. The average person nowadays literally does nothing with their life. They have no hobbies, they do nothing other than drive ~20min to and from work/store/somewhere "new" to eat. None of them have ever towed anything in their life, nor do they have the desire to. Literally, their life is full of what new sitcom to watch and what new restaurant to eat at...that is it. But the problem is...people like us on this site are not the ones going out and buying a new car every 3 years like all the other sheep. Therefore, vehicle manufacturers could care less about our opinions on these cars, cause we are not the consumer in their mind. We buy 10 year old vehicles and fix what needs to be fixed...but they don't care about that at all...they already made their money on the vehicle by the time we purchase them.
 
73k5blazer said:
Could just be me, but....i really don't understand why crossovers are so popular. They are the absolute worst of both worlds, not the best of both worlds as they advertise. Too small to go on long family vacation , haul or tow and most have shit AWD systems if they aren't FWD so no real fun off-road adventures, too big and bulkly and no fun handling for daily driver to work. Zero capabilities as far as I'm concerned, good for nothing.
Click to expand...
My personal theory is that the "CUV" is just the new minivan because SUVs are seen as upscale and minivans seen as dorky. Of course these FWD-based unibody CUVs are just minivans with less cargo space. They're all just tall cars.

I'm amazed how every carmaker is building nearly the same car now. I challenge you to tell the difference between the Ford, Chevy, Honda, Mazda, Lexus and Hyundai versions if they have no badging. When you see a string of them side by side you think it's a dealership lot. Does this mean they've all converged to the same perfect vehicle? More likely lowest common denominator.

Here's an example:

2017-Honda-CR-V-vs-Hyundai-Tucson-049.jpg
 
Kay86K5 said:
That's cause you're not the average sheep vehicle consumer in this world. The average person nowadays literally does nothing with their life. They have no hobbies, they do nothing other than drive ~20min to and from work/store/somewhere "new" to eat. None of them have ever towed anything in their life, nor do they have the desire to. Literally, their life is full of what new sitcom to watch and what new restaurant to eat at...that is it. But the problem is...people like us on this site are not the ones going out and buying a new car every 3 years like all the other sheep. Therefore, vehicle manufacturers could care less about our opinions on these cars, cause we are not the consumer in their mind. We buy 10 year old vehicles and fix what needs to be fixed...but they don't care about that at all...they already made their money on the vehicle by the time we purchase them.
Click to expand...

This, spot on.
 
Anyone else read that GM will be making them in Mexico. This announcement came just after laying off 1500+ workers.
 
73k5blazer said:
Could just be me, but....i really don't understand why crossovers are so popular. They are the absolute worst of both worlds, not the best of both worlds as they advertise. Too small to go on long family vacation , haul or tow and most have shit AWD systems if they aren't FWD so no real fun off-road adventures, too big and bulkly and no fun handling for daily driver to work. Zero capabilities as far as I'm concerned, good for nothing.
Really really don't get it. And to produce another crossover they already have 5 of.....brings on the WTF are they thinking thoughts.
And that pile of crap 3.6l engine that eats timing chains every 30kmi and plagued with block casting cracks..no thanks. They really need to stop trying to fix this 3.6l, they've been at it for 13 years...this motor needs to go away right quick. Complete junk.It's only good attribute is when they aren't broke, it's a pretty peppy powerplant.
Click to expand...

I don’t agree the 3.6 is junk whatsoever. I think it’s been a great engine for them. I’ve never seen one need a timing chain at 30k, 80-100k maybe if they aren’t maintained properly. I’ve also never seen a cracked block in one or even heard of that and I work on them everyday.
 
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