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Auto review: Drag-racing the Chevy Blazer EV SS (SS for Super Stylish)

Henry Payne, The Detroit News on

Published in Business News

The last Chevy SS (Super Sport) I drove in 2016 was a stealthy muscle car. Modest looks, sedan shape, growling V-8 under the hood waiting to be unleashed on unsuspecting Bimmers. SS for Sneaky Sport.

The 2025 Chevy Blazer EV SS is not that car.

Wrapped in Habanero Orange with a black roof and sinister black fascia bracketed by orange wasp-like mandibles, you can see my Blazer SS from space. Big 22-inch wheels, big teardrop taillights, big black greenhouse, big 615 horsepower. But you can’t hear it.

At a Telegraph Road stoplight, I flattened the accelerator pedal with my Size 15 shoes and the SS’s twin electric motors silently sucked the doors off a BMW M340i. FOOOOM! My eyes flattened, the landscape blurred, and 60 mph went by in less than four seconds. That would leave the ’16, 465-horse SS (0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds) in the dust as well, though it wouldn’t keep up with a Tesal Model S Plaid at 1.99 seconds.

My Blazer SS is, however, less than half the price of the $134,490 Tesla.

Chevy’s latest iteration of its Super Sport badge is a welcome addition to its diverse history. SS has adorned everything from the OG 1961, 408-cubic-inch, V8-powered Impala SS coupe to the 1969, double-dome-hooded El Camino SS to the lowered, fire-breathing 2003 Silverado SS pickup. With its super-sized straight-line speed (an SS badge record 3.4-second 0-60 mph), girth (a whopping 5,730 pounds thanks to a 102-kWh battery) and flamboyant wardrobe (hey, Chevy, how about a dual-stripe option?), this SS takes its place alongside other SS Dream Cruise rocket ships. This is an Impala SS for the electric age.

But addictive acceleration aside, what I like best about this SS is its interior integration of state-of-the-art GM technology with retro-Camaro SS design. SS for Super Styled.

Oh, how I miss the Camaro muscle car.

The porky, all-wheel-drive Blazer SS won’t remind you of the rear-wheel-drive Camaro’s deft handling, planted chassis and rib-rattling V-8. But it (along with the standard Blazer) honors the ‘Maro with one of the coolest interiors in this business.

Yuge grapefruit-shaped, aviator-style climate controls bracket the dash with three more anchoring the base of the console. They not only look awesome, but are easy to use (in keeping with GM’s best-in-biz cabin ergonomics). I climbed into the cabin with key in pocket, pressed the brake pedal and the SS came to life. I nudged the grapefruits back-and-forth to adjust air position, then adjusted the rim to turn it on or off.

Chevy marries this retro style with modern Google Built-in controlled digital screens. A head-up display complements the 11.0-inch instrument and 17.7-inch dash displays.

“Adjust driver temperature to 70 degrees,” I barked on a chilly, rainy May evening, and the cabin temperature instantly adjusted.

A blizzard of other vocal and physical controls are at your fingertips. I’m particularly fond of the volume and radio station buttons located on the backside of the steering wheel so I could easily cycle through my Sirius XM radio favorites.

Even in the wet, Blazer SS was fun to drive thanks to its upgraded, stiffened suspension and sophisticated electronics. Combined with all-wheel drive, they kept the beast’s 650 pound-feet of torque (nearly 100 more than the last, 2024 Camaro SS V-8) in line as I barreled around the county.

Those electronics also enable non-performance features. Like when you don’t want to steer at all.

On I-94, I set the speed to 75 mph, engaged Super Cruise and went hands-free to the airport, the Blazer SS navigating traffic beautifully — even moving automatically into the left-hand lane when slower traffic deterred my progress. SS is for Super Smooth.

I kept my hands on my knees, sipped my Grape Snapple and set Sirius XM stations using Chevy’s superb infotainment interface on the big (there’s that word again) infotainment display.

When I exited the freeway, Blazer SS handed the controls back to me and I eased into a stoplight without touching the brake — regenerative braking using the electric motors to bring the sled to a halt.

Afraid that you’ll miss the sound of an internal combustion engine? MY MODE allows you to select a growl (NORMAL or SPORT) to accompany its beastly acceleration. I preferred OFF, content with the silent hammer of the electric motors.

Those motors — and their battery fuel — come at a price. My Blazer SS tester tipped the scales at the same price as a Cadillac Lyriq EV I recently piloted that sits on the same Ultium platform. The Chevy plays in the same space as other mainstream electric hellions like the 601-horsepower Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 576-horse Kia EV6 GT — but paying Caddy money for a Chevy could be a hard sell.

 

Blazer SS is also harder to refuel on trips north than, say, a BMW M340i.

Even if you manage to avoid tempting 0-60 launch control dashes, a 75-mph jaunt up I-75 will suck 25% of charger from the battery resulting in a real-world range of 225 miles instead of the EPA-approved 303. And that’s in modest, 70-degree weather. Chevy’s Google-based navigation system is good at navigating to chargers on the route (though the complicated, sliding charging door gives me the reliability willies), but expect a 250-mile trip to, say, Charlevoix to add two stops and a half hour to your travel. SS for Slow Stops.

The SS’s cargo and seating room, however, is easy on the legs — and luggage space — for extended trips. If most of your travel is local (say, over to the Woodward Dream Cruise and back this summer), then there are few cars that stand out — and explode out of stoplights — like the Chevy.

Super Sport. Give it an orange cape.

2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchback

Price: $61,995, including $1,395 destination fee ($64,180 as tested)

Powerplant: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual-electric-motor drive

Power: 615 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 120 mph

Weight: 5,730  pounds

Fuel economy: EPA range: 303 miles

Report card

Highs: Sporty, ergonomically superior interior; good ol’ SS acceleration

Lows: Pricey; your trip-mileage may vary

Overall: 3  stars

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©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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