Chevy 2019 Blazer Gets High Praise for Onboard Tech
Blazer named ‘Best User Experience’ by Wards Auto, with praise garnered for natural voice recognition and trick navigation system.
We don’t have to tell you that we were thrilled that General Motors decided to bring back the iconic Chevy Blazer. The newest rendition of the Blazer reportedly offers insanely luxurious ride quality and interfaces for its price point. When stacked against its competitors, it’s hard to avert your attention from the Chevy. And now it has scooped up a coveted award for its superior user experience.
The folks over at Wards Auto make a yearly list of the top “Ten Best UX” (user experience). This year they loved what the Blazer offered, calling it a “red hot SUV. ”
“Big takeaway for me is how the natural voice recognition enhances the navigation and infotainment systems. It is as good as, or better than, systems found in far more expensive vehicles,” said Drew Winter, an editor and judge for Wards Auto. The Blazer’s voice recognition offers reliability, and takes voice commands easily. An end to the sputtering and subsequent yelling we’ve all had to contend with is exactly what we want to hear.
One of our favorite features of the interior are the air vents, believe it or not. If you look closely, you’ll see that the vents themselves are the temperature dials for the dual climate control system. It’s the small and well thought out little attention to detail examples that put the Blazer interior on the map.
The infotainment system is top-notch, according to judge Christie Schweinsberg.
“Nice, high-res touchscreen and gauge cluster displays with good color and font readability,” she notes, adding. “No sunlight issues during a morning test.”
Another point of praise from Wards Auto is the navigation system. It seamlessly switches between embedded and Cloud-based navigation. This allows drivers minute-by-minute traffic updates to ensure the clearest path. It also features the market place app, allowing occupants to order food, locate and pay for gas, and even book hotel rooms.
Judge David E. Zoia was especially impressed during his time behind the wheel, noting the navigation “routed me around flooding, that would have added an hour or more to my drive.”
Overall, the sporty feeling seats and leather everywhere you want it really gives the impression you’re in the cabin of something a lot pricier than you are.
With the Blazer UX 2019 honor coming after the Chevy Equinox win last year, Wards says that “the bow tie brand has both irons in the UX fire.”
Photos: Chevrolet