If you live somewhere that gets a real winter, you know you need a winter-ready vehicle. Tackling your morning commute on freshly powdered roads, trying to see in overcast weather, and driving on slippery surfaces— these are all some of the struggles winter warriors deal with on a daily basis. That’s not even getting into the horrors of sliding into a freezing cold vehicle first thing in the morning. Driving in winter doesn’t have to be miserable, so long as you have a vehicle with features that tackle cold weather nuisances.
If you’re looking for a great midsize SUV with winter-ready features, the 2024 Blazer is a terrific choice. When you visit your local Chevy dealer, ask an associate to walk you through the snow-friendly features of this vehicle. They might not be evident at first glance, but there are tons of surprises throughout the Blazer that will make you dread your drives on frigid days a little less. Here are 10 of them.
It Has Five Drive Modes, And One Is Snow/Ice
The Chevy Blazer has five drive modes, including Sport, Tow/Haul, and Off-Road, but for winter weather purposes, you’re going to like the Snow/Ice mode. Snow/Ice mode is designed to help you have more command on slippery roads. When activated, it adjusts braking and torque response to avoid wheel slip.
If you’ve lived somewhere with snowy roads for a long time, you’re likely too familiar with that scary moment of hitting the brakes before a red light—you slide into the intersection, praying nobody hits you. Snow/ice mode can help reduce and ideally eliminate those panic-stricken moments. Plus, since it’s a mode, you can always turn it off once the weather warms up again and experience more standard braking and torque response in the summer and spring.
It Has All-Wheel Drive
When selecting your 2024 Blazer, you can choose either a front-wheel drive model or an all-wheel drive model. All trims are available in all-wheel drive versions, so whether you want the base-level 2LT, the sporty RS, the 3LT, or the luxury Premier, you can get all-wheel drive.
All-wheel drive can send your engine’s power to all of your wheels. This will help keep you propelling forward on slippery roads. Some people wonder if all-wheel drive makes more sense than four-wheel drive. The simple answer is yes if you’re sticking primarily to paved roads. Four-wheel drive is best for off-road environments, while all-wheel drive is ideal for paved roads that see some snow, rain, and mud.
Heated Front And Passenger Seats
On those days when you can see your breath in the air and feel your teeth chattering, it’s nice to slide into heated seats. Luckily, these come standard or are available on every trim of the 2024 Blazer.
To activate or adjust the heating, look to the climate control panel, where you’ll see the dedicated seat heater buttons. You can choose between three levels of warmth, so crank it up when you’re freezing or keep it at level one when you’re just a little cold. The system heats both the cushions and seatbacks for a full-body warmth.
Available Heated Rear Outboard Seats
If you opt for the Enhanced Convenience Package, you can get heated rear outboard seats, but only on the RS and Premier trims. This is a thoughtful touch for drivers who regularly transport rearseat passengers. If you’d like to avoid complaints about how freezing the rear seat is, add the available heated rear outboard seats.
Parents of particularly picky young passengers know that some kids won’t even get in the vehicle until the heat has been running for a while—and certainly not if there are no heated rear seats.
Heated Steering Wheel
If you opt for the Premier trim, you’ll get a heated steering wheel. Drivers in snowy climates know you’re practically useless when your fingers are frozen stiff. Without a heated steering wheel, you might sit for five minutes, rubbing your hands together or putting them in front of the heat vents before you can even pull away from your parking spot.
The heated steering wheel will melt the cold right out of your digits, so you can start driving almost instantly.
All-Season Tires
No matter which trim you get, you will get standard all-season tires. All-season tires are, as their name promises, ideal for all four seasons.
If you want to keep a spare set of winter tires (also known as snow tires) in the garage for serious powder days when the plow didn’t make it through your neighborhood, it’s not a bad idea. However, all-season tires do well on both wet and dry roads. Snow tires, on the other hand, can wear down rapidly if used on dry roads, are very loud on dry roads, and have poor fuel economy for your car. All-season tires perform well in moderate weather all year long.
Floor Line Package
You know what a mess snowy boots and gear can make in your vehicle cabin. Even well-meaning passengers who want to wipe off their shoes before getting in don’t always have the option. If you parked in a dry place when you got there but have since been surrounded by muddy slush, you’re just going to have some messy shoes in your vehicle.
You also might want to take advantage of the snow and hit the slopes, do cross-country skiing, or go sledding. That can mean tossing wet, dirty gear into your trunk. This is all where the available liner package comes in. It contains front and second-row all-weather floor liners, as well as an integrated cargo liner. This will replace the standard floor mats and give you easy-to-clean, rigid liners that are ready for snow days and will help you preserve the interior of your Blazer.
An Available Rear Camera Washer
The Blazer has an available rear camera, which is quite helpful in winter weather. Everybody can use extra help when backing up on cloudy, snowy days. However, when that camera gets covered with ice or powder, you must hop out of the car, walk around, and manually clean off the lens. Unless you have the available rear camera washer.
This feature sends washer fluid to the rear camera lens and can clean away snow, ice, and other particles interfering with your view. When it’s nearly zero degrees outside, you’ll like having the vehicle clean its own camera instead of having to go out there and do it yourself.
Standard Umbrella Holders
If you live somewhere that gets a lot of snow, you likely live somewhere that gets plenty of rain, too. Sometimes, people aren’t sure what to do with their damp umbrellas when they get in the vehicle. Put them on the floor, and they roll around, getting the floor wet and getting lost beneath seats.
Every trim of the Blazer has standard umbrella holders in the doors, giving you and your passengers an easy solution for damp umbrellas. You can also just keep dry ones there, year-round, if you’re never sure when the rain will fall.
Roof Mounted Side Rails
Drivers who don’t want to stash wet snowboards or snowshoes in the vehicle can use the roof-mounted side rails. These are convenient when your trunk is already full of groceries or backpacks or when you simply don’t want fresh powder inside of your vehicle.
