The all-new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer is joining quite a lengthy list of rivals as it enters the crowded mainstream midsize, two-row crossover segment. But Chevy’s hotly-styled midsizer is no value play. In fact, it’s actually more expensive than some of its direct rivals, while offering less features and power. This circumstance becomes incredibly evident when comparing the Chevy Blazer RS to the Ford Edge ST, both of which boast sportiness inside and out. But only one of the two offers a hotted-up powertrain, making it a better value. Let’s explore.
The Blazer RS features various unique elements that give it a more aggressive appearance. The RS-specific items include a hexagonal black mesh grille with RS badging and dual exhaust outlets with rectangular chrome tips. There’s also black roof rails, black window trim, and black badging – features that are standard but not exclusive to the Blazer. There are also unique 20-inch wheels with 21-inchers being optional. The interior continues the “blacked out” theme with black perforated leather-appointed seats with suede microfiber inserts and red accents. Under the hood is GM’s atmospheric 3.6L V6 LGX engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission making 306 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The starting MSRP for a 2019 Blazer RS is $41,795 for a FWD model, and $44,695 for the AWD model.
On the other side of the fence is the Ford Edge ST. It features the sportiest exterior design of any Edge model, with a gloss black mesh grille with an ST logo, a unique body-color front fascia, unique body-color lower cladding, and dual exhaust with polished, stainless steel tips integrated into the rear fascia. 20-inch wheels are standard, and 21-inch wheels are optional. The interior features a performance-inspired cockpit, complete with leather-trimmed seats with Miko inserts that are aggressively-bolstered and feature the ST logo and 10-way adjustments. There’s also a sport-tuned suspension. So far, the only thing the Edge ST has over the Blazer are the very sporty seats.
And that brings us to the kicker: under the hood, the Edge ST features a 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost engine with not one, but two turbos. Mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the combination produces 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque.
All that must cost a fortune, right? Wrong. The base MSRP for everything we have mentioned above in the 2019 Ford Edge ST is a mere $42,355. That’s $2,340 less than the Blazer RS with AWD, while making 29 more horsepower and 111 pound-feet more of torque.
In all, Ford is not charging less not for the same product; it’s actually charging less while giving you more – more features and more engine, to be exact. Conversely, Chevy is charging more for less on the new Blazer.
| 2019 Blazer RS | 2019 Edge ST | + / – Blazer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting MSRP: | $44,695 | $42,355 | +$2,340 |
| Engine: | 3.6L Atmospheric V6 | 2.7L Twin-Turbo V6 | |
| Drive Wheels: | AWD | AWD | |
| Power (hp): | 306 | 335 | -29 |
| Torque (lb-ft): | 269 | 380 | -111 |
| Transmission: | 9-speed auto | 8-speed auto | +1 forward speed |
Put another way, both vehicles offer a midsize crossover body style with two rows of seats for five occupants; both offer hot exterior styling and the latest in-vehicle technologies, but only the Ford Edge ST delivers a more potent engine to complement its looks, while also offering very sporty front seats. The new Blazer RS, meanwhile, brings the look at the tech, but no brawn.
Now, a few of you might be itching to light up the comments section to say that Chevy incentives will likely lower the price of the Blazer RS by a good margin… and you might be correct. However, we have to wonder why GM/Chevy chose the pricing strategy it did with the new Blazer in the first place.
Stay tuned to GM Authority for more Chevrolet news and Chevy Blazer news, and visit our sister site, Ford Authority, for ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Summing this article up in two sentences: Ford gives you a big engine. And GM doesn’t.
Or, one sentence for anyone who knows all this already, one sentence: Outside the Camaro/Corvette/Cadillac Programs, GM doesn’t sell high output engines anymore.
They are literally telling people that they are tired of hearing people bring it up, they aren’t going to change this under current leadership.
Same mistakes the old GM made: Telling the customers what they need to buy instead of listening to what the customer wants (and no Machete Mary, it is not EVs and AVs)
Let’s keep in mind that with lower prices come more cut corners in places that many don’t see or even consider.
Automakers just do not lower prices the cut out content or quality in areas you don’t find out about till the rubber belt breaks on the cam taking all the valves with it.
You do not see a ton of old Hyundai’s for a reason.
My last Ford was a nice car but by 70k miles the head gaskets we’re going, the doors were sagging and the interior was faded. The paint was pealing in sheets.
That did not include the sway bar the was loose when new or the brake issues.
I also would not be shocked to see a higher HP SS in a year or so.
Just watch getting sporty in a SUV can put you on the roof. It takes little to flip SUV.
You need to only look at the Silverado and XT6 to see where corners were cut. Those are not cheap vehicles!
I think the new Silverado is quite good save for the MPG, fuel tank and lack of towing mirrors.
There were however some MAJOR corners cut with the XT6. The interior isnt “awful” (even though it is a bit dated). but the lack of engine choices, and the exterior design are just….LAME! The 3.6L gets the XT5 outta its own way, but you’re talking about a car that is smaller and lighter. I was so disappointed to see the same 3.6L/9-spd in the XT6. Where is the 3.0TT? even the 3.6TT would have been better!
This Mexican built Blazer is an attempted money grab for GM – hoping there is no comparison to the new Honda, the Ford, or any of the Korean 5 person SUV’s. Nothing new here – but a Camaro looking Front End and a floating roof. I bet they will be discounting them soon…
One would think that the car would be cheaper being built using cheaper labor.
Guess not :/
Yes, the Edge is more powerful but not really faster as Natiluis isn’t faster then XT5 and MT just tested the Edge ST hardly cracking 6 seconds to 60 mph, plus Blazer can pull 4500 lbs which the Edge can’t.
Ford presenting a better value in its segment. What else is new so expect Blazer comparative reviews and sales to lag. “value”, what does that mean to you?
Ford is present a better value because they cut a LOT of corners on the 2.7 Ecoboost (as well as the transverse 3.5EB and Duratec V6’s). All have water pumps that will inevitably lead to engine destruction. The 2.7 Ecoboost also uses a particularly cheaply made cylinder head that’s built up a reputation for major oil consumption issues. Instead of Ford spending money to address the major issues with the engine, they just end production of the 1st gen engine and release a 2nd gen 2.7EB that does nothing to address the glaring reliability issues. But what does Ford care? They only have to warranty their cheaply made, poorly engineered engines for 60k. After that, the customer is on their own. Additionally, the Edge is really an ancient CUV. It’s had an exterior facelift but it’s really an old vehicle.
My Mustang fanatic friend is currently having oil consumption and burning issues with his 2015 EB 2.3. It literally will burn oil after sitting a few minutes at idle and consumes oil at a quart per thousand miles. Ford has tried to fix it with several flash updates and new gaskets but the issue still remains. All of this with under 100K too.
Funny how all the Chevy enthusiasts instead of saying how great the Blazer is on its own merit, all they can say is, “Well, look at Fords burning oil and umm water pumps.”
We used to drive nothing but Chevy for decades, then switched to Ford after the Goveenment Motor scandal. The Fords are superior in every way. Not even close. And GM keeps going in the wrong direction. Just look at what Ford is doing with the Bronco compared to this unoriginal SUV that wants to be a car.
Except for baby bronco
Even the Baby Bronco is more original than this Blazer, which looks like GM basically just parroted the same side rear window funkiness that everyone else is doing, and calling it new and innovative. Major yawn for GM and this Blazer. Resurrecting the Blazer, GM really could have done something much cooler and beat Ford to the punch. But here it is, getting solidly beat by an outdated Ford Edge grocery-getter.
The Edge ST looks like an awesome car to drive.
The Blazer remains unimpressive, and I STILL can’t get over the use of the Blazer name. If the 4 door S10 Blazer wasn’t a punch in the guts to the K5 legacy of being a full size badass truck than this is.
And you know what, the S10 Blazer was still a much better use of the name, a 4WD vehicle with pretty good ground clearance and off road capability.
The question is, can the C1 platform handle a turbocharged V6 engine? And for those complaining about the Blazer name get over it. Go complain on the name passport and pathfinder. I get it, it’s heritage and all. But that doesn’t mean passport or pathfinder didn’t have heritage.
“they did it too”
Great reasoning.
There’s no reason C1XX can’t handle turbo-6’s. C1XX is an enhanced version of E2XX which does just fine with twin-turbo V6’s.
GM started validating C1XX publicly with an Acadia using a twin-turbo 3.0 V6. Of course it can.
You can buy the Cadillac XT4 cheaper than the blazer, what does that tell you … it’s insanely overpriced.
Nah it’s about the same price
With Caddy incentives, I believe it. GM will stress C1XX is better than E2XX, and that Blazer is bigger. But I’d much rather have an XTS V-Sport. Or an XTS V-Sport wagon. Or an XT4 V-Sport.
Literally all the parts are there and pre-qualified. XT4 V-Sport should have been there day one, especially with XTS getting axed.
There are a lot of SUVs/CUVs that can be bought at a better price than this debacle. Heck, for the same price you can get a real SUV like the Grand Cherokee very nicely equipped.
It tells us that the crossover SUV market it crowded. Bear in mind that Ford offers CUV’s that overlap with their Lincoln branded vehicles and have done so for a while now.
I see almost 81% think the Blazer is overpriced. That seems to be the GM way, pay more for less. Are they trying to force people to go elsewhere?
It’s fascinating to me how a website that represents itself as a GM news website has pretty consistently generate a lot of headlines in the last year that try to spin everything related to GM as a negative. A month or so ago it was an article trying to spin the 2020 GM HD’s 10-speed Allison as the first not-actually-an-Allison transmission, despite the fact that since the beginning, GM has built the “Allison” that they’ve used in their HD trucks. Now that journalists have been able ask the transmission engineers questions on who was responsible for the 10-speed Allison, it turns out that Allison engineers were heavily involved and that in reality, the design is pretty similar to how the previous Allison transmissions GM has used were developed. Now on multiple occasions , GM Authority has tried to spin how a Ford is a better deal than a GM. The fact of the matter is, the current Ford Edge is ANCIENT. The Blazer RS is brand new.
The Ford’s ppwer might be tempting, but the horrific oil consumption and internal water pump that’s really a ticking time bomb are reason to avoid the very outdated Edge. There’s a reason Ford is low-balling thevpruce of it. Like blackdragon noted, more and more GM Authortiy articles seem to be nothing more than paid advertisements for outdated or inferior Ford products. The ancient Ford Edge being a good exampke of that.
You think it’s bad here?, go to the “other” GM site, it’s an Ford orgy there….
Let’s keep in mind that the RS Blazer is just a regular V6 Blazer with performance gadgets.
Like I said from the get go when the Blazer was shown off, the base engine is a complete joke in todays market.
Should be the 2.0T.
The 3.6 makes sense but the RS or SS version needed/needs to be a 3.0T or the old 3.6TT to take on Ford. Why hasn’t GM figured out that people have now switched to performance CUV’s?
How hard is this for them to figure out what people want. I just don’t get it.
The exterior is extremely nice (as every GM car pretty much is) but interior materials are good for Chevrolet but not as good as most of the competition. GM needs to pump money into Interior materials and better more modern engines.
the 2.5 has got to go. The 3.6 needs to get redesigned. Maybe make a 3.0T (not the Cadillac Specific 3.0TT which GM is too cheap to use anyways)
Oh and lack of LED Headlights is mind blowingly stupid. GM makes zero sense sometimes.
I think this “Blazer” was a bad idea from the start. Why did Chevy need another boring crossover in the line up? And for that matter another expensive boring crossover?
VCAT made an interesting point: Maybe GM is trying to drive traditional buyers away to boost the “triple zero” BS ? Remember, this is the company that tells us we don’t like cars because we don’t buy them by the dozens. ,This is the company that tells “X is what people want because X is our bestseller” when “X” is all they offer and they never even tried to offer “Y”. The moves GM has made recently shows a company that is committed to a different vision from the car company it once was, yay if that is what you want. But to the buyers of cars and trucks that are not interested in that vision, “brand loyalty” will not keep your company going when you completely turn away from the products that your company made that appealed to that person in the first place. Telling them “you want this ” won’t work on everybody.
Not knocking the Chevy (I’ve had a bunch) but our 2015 Edge Sport with the same engine doesn’t use any oil and while I can’t comment on its water pump, we’ve had no problems in 40K miles. Several mechanics I know have seen no real issues either. I’m sure after a year or two Chevy will put more power into their Blazer.
I have a new edge st , I couldn’t be happier.
As usual you’ve ignored the really important stuff. What is the cup holder count, the USB’s. Button placement and switch feel all go unaddressed. How about the number of colors available. Never mind the Edge’s ancient chassis and gasp, only 8 gears. Really, If Ford folks will not be swayed by the all new Blazer nor will died in the wool chevyists be swayed. At the end of the day this is just another pointless, meaningless blather.
How many electronic gadgets and USB ports does each have and how big are the touch screens? Also which has the biggest most bling oriented rims? Besides that and styling it will come down to what they have to pay per month that dictates sales. A few tenths of a second quicker 0-60 is meaningless to most and judging by several write ups of the Edge ST it was below expectations for both handling and 0-60 times.
Hey Mary, less features, less performance, more money. Not a great recipe for sales success.
GM’s Senior Management is not concerned about performance or horsepower just Wall Street and China. Let them eat dust is their new motto.
GM never gives you all the bells and whistles on a new model. they want you to move up in a couple of years to the new updated model.. GM can’t make money if you buy a new car and keep it forever
The new Blazer looks sort of Toyota-ish. Sort of, well,ugly. They need a whole new crew running Chevrolet Division. They should have a hybrid Tahoe again. What ever happened to the one they used to have, for about a year? The Tahoe and Suburban would benefit from some electric assist when moving out from a dead stop. It would help improve mileage?