1997 Chevy Blazer LS 4x4 Walkaround & Interior

Bravada are familiar sights on and off the road. In any form they share

a fashionable, aerodynamic front end teatment that harmonizes nicely with

either the two-door's jaunty rear half, with its sharply-raked roof pillars,

or the rather more formal four-door design.

Keeping the various permutations separate is best done with a wall chart

or a stack of brochures but here's how they break down in a nutshell: Chevy's

version comes in base, LS or LT trim;, Jimmy is available in SL, SLS, SLE

or SLT; and Bravada offers a single model roughly equivalent to LT or SLT.

It's also four-door-only.

Beyond differing plastic exterior panels, use of plain or plated trim,

cloth or leather upholstery, two doors or four, and the absence or presence

of convenience features, all members of the family are much the same. All

are powered by a 4.3-liter V6 engine and ride on a stiff ladder frame inherited

from GM's midsize pickup truck line.

All have standard four-wheel ABS and air conditioning, and the Chevy

and GMC versions can be ordered with one of two four-wheel drive systems,

one part-time, the other full-time. Bravadas have standard full-time all-wheel

drive. All two-door versions have five-speed manual transmissions as standard

dequipment, while four-doors are automatic only.

The Blazer and Jimmy offer numerous shock absorber/spring/antiroll bar

packages to tailor them to intended use. Two are basic, all-around configurations

that provide a smooth highway ride; four others address the needs of those

who intend to use their vehicles off-road or for trailer-towing. Ride quality

suffers with the latter setups, but they are useful for specific purposes.

Picking the package most suitable to your needs is up to you, but we'd

advise a long test run before you opt for the heavy-duty options.

A wide range of wheel/tire, trim and comfort and convenience items are

available, as well. A power sunroof is new for 1997, joining various seats,

sound systems and other amenities among the extra-cost goodies. Most of

the high-line extras are standard on the Bravada.

Interior Features
Comfort was a top priority for the Blazer/Jimmy/Bravada designers. Whether

swathed in leather or trimmed in more basic cloth, the result is a space

that is occupant and cargo friendly. The seats are excellent, providing

better than average support and adjustability in our four-door Blazer tester.

Stretch-out room is ample, though rear-seat passengers in two-door models

will find their space a bit of a stretch to reach. Once in place, they

will also find their outward vision blocked by that large, slanted rear

roof pillar. Neither problem is an issue in the four-door.

Interior design remains more truck-based than car-like. The dashboard

is big and blocky, holding the usual gauges and controls, plus--when ordered--pushbuttons

for the optional electrically-controlled 4wd transfer case. Everything

is placed for good access, though the actual quality of both the switches

and the plastic panels that surround them is a notch below what you'd find

in a Ford Explorer.

A more serious shortcoming is the omission of a passenger airbag. All

other major players in the class have long since gone to dual airbags.

Aside from the occasional squeak from interior plastic--usually when

driving off-road--the Blazer is remarkably quiet inside. Triple door seals

keep wind noise (and dust) at bay, insulation masks most tire noise, and

the engine makes only a soft hum at highway speeds, though induction and

fan noise are both obtrusive during hard acceleration.

By and large, the Blazer/ Jimmy/Bravada cabin makes a good impression.

With a materials upgrade and a second airbag, we'd rate it as excellent.