I drove Chevy's $57,000 Blazer EV. From giant screens to great maps, these 18 features make the high-tech SUV worth it.

• Chevrolet launched the Blazer EV in late 2023.
• I recently drove the $57,000 SUV in RS trim with all-wheel-drive.
• I was impressed by its stylish looks, roomy cabin, smooth ride, and massive touchscreen.

Upon its launch in late 2023, the Chevrolet Blazer EV was one of the first mainstream offerings built on GM's EV platform shared by the Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EV .

All three trim levels have been discounted several times this year as automakers struggle with slowing demand growth for EVs. The base LT trim now starts at $48,800, while the RS RWD starts at $54,200.

I recently reviewed a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS AWD , which starts at $53,200, with an as-tested price of $57,215. I was impressed by the Blazer EV's aggressive styling, roomy cabin, smooth ride, and massive high-definition touchscreen.

The unique features helped make the EV one of the most advanced EVs I've tested so far. Here's a closer look:

Stylish design

The Blazer's design is a stylish EV interpretation of Chevrolet's current SUV aesthetics combined with a dose of the brand's now-defunct Camaro muscle car.

Out back, the Blazer is designed to clean up airflow to help improve the vehicle's overall aerodynamics and range. The tapered rear window line and prominent rear wheel arches help create an athletic look.

Animated LED lightbar

The front fascia is dominated by a large illuminated LED light bar that spans the width of the front end.

Even the bowtie logo is illuminated.

The light bar can be configured to perform animated sequences when you approach or depart the vehicle.

Fast charging

Using a DC fast charger, my test car with the 85 kWh pack could charge at 150 kW, adding up to 68 miles of range in 10 minutes. That puts the SUV ahead of the Nissan Ariya, even with the Mustang Mach-Em, but behind the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

My RS AWD was rated for a solid 279-mile range.

The pricier RS RWD with the larger battery pack is rated for up to 324 miles of range.

Impressive touchscreen

The centerpiece of a Blazer EV's cabin is a massive 17.7-inch touchscreen that looks terrific. The Google-based infotainment system is a piece of cake to navigate and react quickly to inputs.

Unfortunately, the Blazer EV does not come with Apple CarPlay compatibility

Shortcut menu

One of my favorite parts of the system is a shortcuts menu at the top left corner of the screen. The system allows you to drag and drop frequently used features to the menu for speedy access.

Configurable digital instrument display

In front of the driver is an 11-inch digital instrument display. The highly configurable display offers the driver a handful of different layouts. Custom layouts can include different data points like range, charging, driver's assistance features, and turn-by-turn navigation.

Google maps integration

Since the Blazer EV has a Google-based infotainment system, it comes with built-in Google Maps. As a result, large, full-screen Google Maps are available on both the central touchscreen and the digital gauge display.

HUD

My Blazer EV also came with a head-up display, which projects information like speed, speed limits, media, and navigation onto the windshield ahead of the driver.

Rear camera mirror

My test car came with the optional rear camera mirror. The camera, which turns on by flipping a toggle on the bottom of the mirror, is really useful when passengers or cargo compromise visibility out the rear window.

Surround-view camera

The Blazer EV can be optioned with a high definition surround vision camera that gives the driver 360-degree visibility of the vehicle's surroundings.

Camera washer

The Blazer EV has a washer on its lifgate that keeps its camera mirror and backup camera free of debris and grime.

Steering wheel controls

Like other recent GM products, the Blazer EV comes with a pair of handy audio controls on the back of its steering wheel, roughly where paddle shifters are traditionally found.

The buttons aren't clearly marked, but they are really easy to use once you figure out their presence.

Roomy Cabin

Despite its muscle car looks, the Blazer EV is much bigger than Ford's Mustang Mach-E and isn't quite a direct competitor.

The Blazer EV falls solidly within the realm of a midsize SUV at over 192 inches long. Compared to the compact Mustang Mach-E, the Blazer EV is an inch taller, 4.5 inches wider, and more than half a foot longer. In fact, the Blazer EV is a couple of inches longer than Hyundai's new three-row midsize Santa Fe SUV.

As a result, the Blazer EV offers about an inch more front and rear legroom than the Mach-E.

Remote Start

The Blazer EV can be started remotely using the key fob. With its doors locked, press the circular arrow remote start button on its key fob twice to activate the vehicle.

Hands-free tailgate

The Blazer EV comes equipped with a hands-free power liftgate.

To activate the system, approach the vehicle's rear from 10 to 15 feet away with the key fob and stand within four feet of the liftgate. Stay in the trigger area for three seconds. The vehicle will beep four times and flash its tail lamps before opening the gate.

Cargo capacity

Open up the hands-free power liftgate, and there's 25.5 cubic feet of cargo room. The tapered roofline eats into the Blazer EV's cargo capacity, which trails the smaller Mustaing Mach-E by four cubic feet.

Fold the rear bench seat down, and that cargo capacity expands to 59.1 cubic feet. That's roughly in line with the Mach-E's overall cargo room.

Heated windshield wiper park

An interesting feature of the Blazer EV is its heated wiper park, which heats the area around where the windshield wipers are stores so that ice and snow can't build up.

Cool Wheels

My RS AWD test car came with these nifty-looking 21-inch machined aluminum and black-painted alloy wheels. The base LT trim gets smaller 19-inch wheels.

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