October 18, 2024
We’ve driven the Blazer EV on the road a bit, we’ve driven the Blazer EV around the lot a lot – but now we have driven the Blazer EV on track – and the results are incredible. Sames goes for the Equinox EV, our finance manager liked ours so much he leased it! Moreover, we got an up close and personal lesson in how the technology embedded within this car makes the user experience even easier and more seamless than anyone ever thought owning an EV could be.
The long and short of it is, if you are a two car household and you already have a family-hauler you like, there is no reason why your 2nd car can’t be a Chevrolet Blazer or Equinox EV. The technology is seamless, the user experience is pleasant, and the driving dynamics are truly out of this world. I cannot stress this enough, drive one! You will love it, and odds are it will save you money as a commuter!
Track Experience:
The benchmarks for the track testing for the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Chevrolet Equinox EV we’re the Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. We would include the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 in this but they depreciated too fast to make it to testing.
We drove the Mustang Mach-E first, and immediately noticed that everything about this interior would drive you Jack Torrence levels of insane. The gauge cluster is a gun port, the infotainment is a Surface Pro Welded Horizontally into the dash, and the trim and finish were lackluster. The door function would drive you mad, and the ride was brutally harsh. Again, a major thank you to Joe Vinci for biting the bullet and letting me drive every single one of these cars – and having to ride in the back seat! This is a brave human being, ask for him if you’re looking for something on our lot!
The Mach-E is a failed experiment in branding, as this one has the most visceral negative reaction from most of the participants and instructors. To drive, the Mach-E isn’t bad at all. It lacks the missile-like acceleration of the Tesla, but through the corners it was pretty competent. Until you start looking around. Or try to get into it. Guys, not all EV have to have quirks built in to give them personality. Conventional dashes, dials, door handles, steering wheels, and transmission drive selectors wouldn’t go amiss. The gauge cluster of this vehicle would drive you insane to the point when you eventually get pulled over for speeding, because it is incredibly composed at speed, ask the trooper to poke his head in and see if he can see the gauges – because you certainly can’t! This actually worked with an inspection ticket that my Aunt Sue didn’t get because of the god awful angle of the windshield of a Dodge Intrepid- and everyone who ever owned that car just nodded along in agreement.
Next up was the Chevrolet Equinox EV and right away the interior blew the previous out of the water. The digital gauge cluster told me everything I needed to know (while conveniently ignoring how fast I should be entering corners), the Chevrolet Infotainment is massive and tells you where you should charge next, and what podcast is queued up. The interior was spacious and comfortable with more than enough USB-C Charging to go around.
To drive, the Equinox EV was probably our favorite of the lot. Instantaneous, point and shoot power, and a supremely low center of gravity mixed with a comfortable and clever interior with software built in to make your user experience better. That Google Built-in comes for 8 years with the Equinox and Blazer EV’s right now, and makes for seamless long trips telling you where and how long you need to charge. It charges up to 80% in a hurry, with an optimal operation range from 20% to 80% power. This allows for faster charges, and makes the best use of the high voltage charge. If you have a dog they are going to love this, because it means more short walks on long road trips, with convenient DC and Level 3 fast charging.
You can also regenerate a lot of your own power if you are driving up and down a lot of hills, using the manual regen lever, or using the high setting on the one-pedal driving. We are genuinely looking forward to using this in bad weather, because we actually think this could be a major safety feature for these cars on icy roads. More on this one later.
Speaking of charging, here is a breakdown for the different configurations for range and charging:
The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV offers a commendable range, with variations based on trim level and drivetrain:
- Front-wheel drive (FWD): Up to 319 miles of range
- All-wheel drive (AWD): Up to 285 miles of range
It’s important to note that these are EPA estimates, and actual range can vary based on driving conditions, weather, and other factors.
Charging Speeds:
- Level 1 Charging: Using a standard 120V outlet, expect about 4 miles of range per hour of charging.
- Level 2 Charging: With a dedicated 240V home charger, you can add up to 34 miles of range per hour. The 3RS AWD model with the optional 19.2 kW charger can add up to 51 miles of range per hour.
- DC Fast Charging: Public DC fast chargers can add approximately 70 miles of range in about 10 minutes.
Charging Capacity:
- All Equinox EV models have an 85.0-kWh battery pack.
- DC fast charging is capable of up to 150 kW.
Next up was the highest selling car in the world: the Tesla Model Y. This is a completely “love it or hate it” car and brand as a whole, but their disruption to the industry is notable and some of their cars have been genuine rockets. The Model Y interior is like a Volvo, but to the complexity of BMW and the quality of an 80’s Jaguar. There are motors for the vents to aim them. What was wrong with a little tab, Elon?
To drive, it is a completely different story. The Model Y is composed, intelligent, and balanced. Why would you let this thing drive itself? It is like a heavy BMW E39 with tons of linear power, and that is a very high complement. The power is point and shoot, while the steering is telepathic. The only real downfall is the lack of a manual regen lever that has a bit of feedback to how hard you’re pulling it to how much it is slowing you down. And the interior. Again, it is a love it or hate it interior.
Finally, we had the fast one. We had unfettered, track access to the Chevrolet Blazer EV. We knew this was a fast, comfortable, and capable EV – but on the track it was genuinely impressive. This car is athletic. It gets the entire family there while stopping along the way to charge intelligently with the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 and Google Built-In to guide your route and make sure you get there with juice to spare.
It feels solid and planted the entire time, and with the regen lever going into a set of corners it is a worthwhile user experience that actually saves your brakes. Using the Regen, you can add miles to your range with ease in city or stop and go driving. The one pedal drive has three different settings depending on how much power you want to pump back into your battery – and it will bring you to a complete stop for full and true “one-pedal driving”. Through the slalom and high speed corners, the Blazer EV remained sharp and composed with a forgiving suspension for the harsher bumps. This is a genuinely great commuter that never needs an oil change, and the connectivity is so seamless it makes the ownership experience easier and smarter!
From Rochester to Syracuse and everywhere in between, more people are choosing he Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV to tackle their commute in comfort, safety, and effortless connectivity. This one works for everyone from Oswego to Baldwinsville with all sorts of commutes to all sorts of destinations. It’s mechanically simple, easy to use and live with, and genuinely great to drive! Take the Chevy Equinox EV and Blazer EV for a test drive today at Cavallaro-Neubauer Chevrolet of Wolcott!
Right now the answer for EV’s is simple – they work, and the Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer EV’s are two of the absolute cream of the crop. The handling, instant torque, low center of gravity, and intuitive technology suites make them the clear winner in an incredibly intense field. Take your first EV test drive today at Cavallaro-Neubauer Chevrolet of Wolcott.
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