REINTRODUCED BRAND FALLS SHORT ON VALUE
SUV COMPARISON: 2019 CHEVROLET BLAZER VS. 2019 HYUNDAI SANTA FE
This week, the duo see if Hyundai’s all-new Santa Fe can defend its title as the superior two-row family SUV against the reborn Chevrolet Blazer.
Brian Harper: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: mid-size sport utes are the workhorses of the entire SUV market — the high riding, trailer towing, wagon-shaped family haulers. They are not often sexy, nor are they overpowered or overpriced. They just quietly go about their business.
It is a crowded segment with about 20 nameplates fighting for market share. The field has been substantially increased in the past year or so with additions such as the Volkswagen Atlas, Honda Passport and Subaru Ascent, plus the Chevrolet
Blazer, which we are going to put up against one of the established players, the Santa Fe. Initial thoughts, kid?
Nick Tragianis: We’re no strangers to the Hyundai. Depending on the trim, the Santa Fe comes with either a normally aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder with 185 horsepower, or a 2.0-L turbo-four pumping out 235 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque. Our fully loaded Ultimate tester was equipped with the latter; it’s smooth and easy to live with on city streets, but when you need a burst of power to merge or pass someone on the highway, throttle response is dull. Switching the Santa Fe’s drive mode into Sport sharpens it a touch, but otherwise it feels a bit lacklustre on the highway — and that’s too bad, because the Santa Fe is otherwise a fantastic cruiser. The eightspeed automatic transmission operates smoothly and invisibly, the soft suspension soaks up bumps and rough pavement well, and wind noise barely filters into the cabin. So, what’s so special about the Blazer, old dude?
BH: This newest Blazer is nothing like the old Blazers. This one is built on the same platform as the GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT5. Power comes from either a 193-hp, 2.5-litre four-cylinder or an optional (and plenty punchy) 3.6-L V-6 with 308 hp, which was the engine we tested here. A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard; a twin-clutch AWD system is available.
The powertrain, which certainly trumps the Santa Fe’s for acceleration, smoothness and hauling ability, is not the main story. The most interesting feature is the Blazer’s sharp styling, a more radical departure compared with the rest of the brand’s middle-of-the-road crossover lineup. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what I behold are sharp styling cues liberally borrowed from the Camaro. It’s certainly eye-catching, especially in RS trim, with the blacked-out features, and when painted in the tester’s bold shade of red. GM’S design department got the job done: in a sea of two-box sameness, the new Chevy certainly stands out.
NT: The Blazer certainly looks distinctive, and the 3.6-L V-6 definitely has the advantage over the Santa Fe’s turbo four, not only in output, but also in towing capacity: the Hyundai can pull up to 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms) versus 4,500 lbs. (2,041 kg) for the Blazer. The Chevy also deserves kudos for infotainment. The latest iteration of Mylink is quick to respond, easy to use, and the touch screen is crisp and sharp. Still, it doesn’t make up for the bones I have to pick.
Let’s start with the interior.
For a hair under $50,000, the Blazer misses the mark for a few reasons: the materials feel cheap, the climate-control buttons on the centre stack are tiny and it’s smaller than the Santa Fe. The Blazer has a bit more headroom than the Santa Fe, but offers only 864 L of cargo space seats-up and 1,818 L seats-down. The Santa Fe beats that, with 1,016 L seats-up and 2,019 L seats-down.
On top of that, the Blazer is missing a few key standard features that makes the Santa Fe a great cruiser, including cooled front seats, heated rear seats and a nifty 360-degree camera system. Plus the Santa Fe Ultimate also includes adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist and tops out at a loonie below $45,000. All these features are optional on the Blazer.
BH: You missed the Blazer’s builtin Wi-fi hot spot with available 4G LTE data — but other than that I have a hard time faulting your criticisms. I expected more than a sea of black — with a few red trim bits — especially considering GM’S ambitious sticker price for the RS ($46,300). The tester was further equipped with a $2,795 Sun and Wheels package that includes a panoramic sunroof as well as 21-inch glossblack aluminum wheels. The Blazer is clearly designed to be a more aggressive presence in the mid-size segment. But the Santa Fe is both less polarizing in style, and a better value.
NT: I agree with you, old dude. The Blazer may offer the superior powertrain, but the Santa Fe is the smarter choice all around.